Celebrating Teaching Excellence: Texas State University System Awarded First Ever NASH System Teaching Award

John Hayek (TSUS) and Carleen Vande Zande (NASH)

NASH has proudly presented the Texas State University System (TSUS) with the inaugural System Teaching Award at the annual National Higher Education Teaching Conference in Minneapolis on June 13, 2024. This award recognizes a public higher education system with exemplary practices for faculty and staff development focused on the quality of teaching. 

TSUS stands out for its innovative and comprehensive faculty development programs. These initiatives span across all its institutions within the system, emphasizing the importance of teaching excellence through the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Key elements of their approach include:

• System-wide Faculty Development: Continuous professional growth opportunities tailored for teaching staff.
• Engagement in SoTL: Active participation and support in the scholarship of teaching and learning projects.
• Awards for Teaching Excellence: A robust system that recognizes and rewards individual and institutional achievements in teaching.
• System Support: Strong backing from the system to uphold and enhance the teaching mission.

TSUS institutions recognized for teaching excellence include:

• Lamar University 
• Sam Houston State University
• Sul Ross State University
• Texas State University
• Lamar Institute of Technology
• Lamar State College Orange
• Lamar State College Port Arthur

As the state’s first university system, TSUS serves over 90,000 students with more than 4,500 faculty members and 5,000 professional staff and administrators. Impressively, about 33% of TSUS students are engaged in online learning. The system’s dedication to digital pedagogy ensures faculty are well-prepared and supported, leading to successful educational outcomes for nearly 30,000 online students worldwide.

Congratulations to the Texas State University System for this well-deserved recognition. Their unwavering commitment to teaching excellence sets a benchmark for other systems to follow.

NASH proudly acknowledges and honors member systems for their outstanding contributions across a range of initiatives. Previous accolades include the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Seeding for Change Award, the Testing for Change Award, and the Scaling for Change Award.