Once a year all of the TCU academic deans deliberate among outstanding nominees from each college and school to honor with the Deans’ Award for Teaching and the Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity.
Reading through their accomplishments, letters of support from colleagues at TCU and other institutions, endorsements from students, and the faculty members’ own statements, the deans discuss, deliberate and choose three winners for each award. Each winner receives $2,500.
“TCU has some of the best faculty members in the nation, so I know the deans have a tough decision to make each year to choose just six to honor. I congratulate these respected educators who teach our students and lead the way in their fields through research and creative activity. Their dedication and excellence in the classroom and beyond help make TCU a driving force for academic excellence,” Interim Provost Floyd L. Wormley, Jr., said.
Deans’ Award for Teaching 2024
Robin Griffith
Professor and Department Chair of Teaching and Learning Sciences
College of Education
“I am fully present to the learners in front of me. I see their gifts, their talents and their potential. We create a community of learners who care for and about each other, the work we’re doing together, and the knowledge we are building and refining.”
Emily Herzig
Instructor II, Mathematics
College of Science & Engineering
“The learning process necessarily entails repeated attempts, stumbles and adjustments. My guiding philosophy is to foster a culture of active learning and productive failure. Students are asked to challenge themselves and are rewarded for persistence and eventual success.”
Santiago Piñon
Associate Professor of Religion and Ethics
AddRan College of Liberal Arts – Humanities
“The art of teaching is to move the student experience to a deeper understanding of the classroom material. My goal is for students to understand ethical theories by demonstrating how they play out in everyday life, to bridge the space between theory and application.”
Learn more about these three faculty members here.
Deans’ Award for Research and Creativity 2024
David G. Allen
Luther Henderson University Chair in Management and Leadership
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
Neeley School of Business
“Through high-level scholarship, I can impact student learning by integrating cutting-edge research into my classes. I can impact TCU’s reputation by publishing in prominent journals, and impact society by designing workplaces and organizations to be more effective for everyone.”
Taryn Ozuna Allen
Associate Professor of Higher Education Leadership
College of Education
“My research is to understand the experiences of historically minoritized student populations, particularly Latinx students, as they prepare for, transition to, and persist in higher education. I employ qualitative methodologies to investigate the obstacles and opportunities that affect their college-going pathway.”
Kat Barger
Associate Professor of Astronomy
College of Science & Engineering
“My research group at TCU, which includes students, explores how galaxies interact with their environments to better understand how they evolve. I’m leading an international Hubble Space Telescope project and our ground-breaking research has been featured in major astronomy publications.”