Promoting Excellence at UTSA: Awards for Outstanding Students, Faculty, Staff, and Programs
In an ongoing effort to promote excellence within our graduate community, The Graduate School is proud to announce a series of awards for students, faculty, staff, and academic programs here at UTSA. Please visit the links in each category below to learn more about nomination criteria, deadlines, and more.
Students
The Graduate School is pleased to announce a new series of Graduate Student Awards. Up to 28 awards across three categories (Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award, Outstanding Thesis Award and Outstanding Non-Thesis/Capstone/Project Award, and Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award) will be made annually. Each award includes a $1,000 honorarium and a citation presented during Graduate Student Appreciation Week. For full information, please click here.
Faculty and Staff
The Graduate School is pleased to announce a new series of Graduate Faculty and Staff Awards. Each award includes a $2,000 honorarium and a citation presented during Graduate Student Appreciation Week. Categories include Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, Outstanding Graduate Advisor of Record Award, and Outstanding Graduate Program Coordinator Award. For full information, please click here.
Programs
The Graduate School is pleased to announce a new series of Graduate Program Awards. Three awards (Innovation in Master's Admissions Award, Innovations in Doctoral and Terminal Master's Program Admissions award, and Outstanding Enrollment Growth in a Master's Program) will be granted annually. Each award includes a $5,000 honorarium for the program and a citation presented during Graduate Student Appreciation Week. For full information, please click here.
2020 Promoting Excellence Award Winners
Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation
- Dr. Lori Barkwill Love, Anthropology
- Dr. Nancy Castellon, Counseling
- Dr. Stephanie Hernandez, Applied Demography
- Dr. Mohsen Jozani, Information Systems and Cyber Security
- Dr. Ricardo Ramirez, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Dr. C. Vance Thompson, Chemistry
Outstanding Thesis
- Diane L. Goettsch-Melendez, Mechanical Engineering
- Rebecca Nunu, Geology
- Corby Sidebottom, Health and Kinesiology
- Ananda Tomas, Political Science
Outstanding Non-Thesis/Capstone Project
- Tapsya Nayak, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- David Robinson Jr., Urban and Regional Planning
- SGT. Joseph Samuel, Music
- Reisa Widjaja, Management Science and Statistics
Outstanding Graduate Mentor
- Dr. Nehal I. Abu-Lail, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Engineering
- Dr. Nazgol Bagheri, Political Science and Geography
- Dr. Michael Baumann, Psychology
- Dr. M. Kathryn Brown, Anthropology
- Dr. Vincent B. Canizaro, Architecture
- Dr. Raymond Choo, Information Systems and Cyber Security
- Dr. Mark Giles, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- Dr. Claudia Garcia-Louis, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- Dr. Chunjiang Qian, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Dr. Johnelle Sparks, Applied Demography
- Dr. Keying “Key” Ye, Management Science and Statistics
Outstanding GAR – Master’s
- Dr. Evangeline “Vangie” Aguilera, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- Dr. John Alexander, Architecture
- Dr. Dan Davied, Master’s of Science, Business; Master’s of Business Administration
- Dr. Jamie McDonald, Communication
- Dr. Derek Plantenga, Social Work
- Dr. Jennifer Smith, Environmental Science
Outstanding GAR – Ph.D.
- Dr. Jamon Halvaksz, Anthropology
- Dr. Wei-Ming Lin, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Dr. Corey Sparks, Applied Demography
- Dr. Ram Tripathi, Applied Statistics
Outstanding Program Coordinator
- Susan Allen, Computer Science
- Lisa Ho, Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence
- Caron Kiley, Office of Graduate Studies and Research
- Shandra Rinckoard Bigler, Environmental Science and Ecology
- Janie Marshall, Psychology
- Khanh Nguyen, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Tara Thompson, History/Academic Advising
- Mary Tutor, COLFA Dean’s Office
- Diane Wood May, Architecture
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant
- Colton Daniels, Sociology
- Samantha Galvan, Marketing
- Emily Myers, Music
- Shantayan (Kinu) Panda, Applied Statistics
Innovation in Ph.D./Terminal Degree Program Admissions
- Winner: Master of Fine Arts – Studio Art
- Honorable Mention: PhD in Culture, Literacy and Language
Innovation in Master’s Degree Program Admissions
- Winner: Master of Arts in School Psychology
- Honorable Mention: MS in Business
Outstanding Growth in a Master’s Program
- Winner: Master of Arts in Global Affairs
