Dr. Kirsten Cook and Dr. Gary Fleischman, both faculty members in the area of accounting in the Rawls College of Business, were inducted into the Texas Tech University Teaching Academy on September 28, 2018.
Established in 1997, the Teaching Academy advocates for teaching excellence, promotes service, and provides mentorship opportunities for members.
"A variety of activities and services offered through the Academy help faculty bridge their desire to be a good teacher with knowledge about fresh pedagogical techniques, theories of student learning and the scholarship of teaching that contributes to their professional growth development as educators," said Texas Tech University President, Dr. Lawrence Schovanec.
Members of the Teaching Academy are selected based on their outstanding performance
in teaching and research. Inductees must be nominated by a member of the Teaching
Academy and then seconded by another, in addition to being reviewed and selected by
the Teaching Academy membership committee.
"I am thrilled to join this community of stellar teachers at Texas Tech. In particular, 17 Rawls faculty are now members of the Teaching Academy, including five from the School of Accounting. I have admired these colleagues since arriving in Lubbock in 2013. Their dedication to educating their students and to continuously honing their teaching skills inspires me. I am flattered and honored to join them in the Teaching Academy," said Cook.
After induction, members can access a variety of services and activities to advance their teaching techniques.
“There is no ‘right' way to teach,” said Cook. "The Teaching Academy offers frequent
opportunities for members to interact with one another, share best practices, and
learn from both our successes and our failures. Also, the Teaching Academy is closely
affiliated with the TLPDC, which offers a fantastic slate of teaching workshops throughout
the academic year."
Fleischman is also looking forward to joining an elite club of excellent teachers.
"It is nice to be recognized for my teaching, because I am very passionate about it,” he said. “I do my best to continually improve and learn from my mistakes. Ultimately, it is about doing the best you can for your students."
Fleischman believes the kind of support offered through the Teaching Academy is rare.
"The support network at TTU is pretty amazing,” said Fleischman. “I am honored to work at a university that values both teaching and research highly."
Learn more about the Teaching Academy.