Piper Awards
Each May, the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation honors 10 outstanding college and university professors across Texas with the prestigious Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, recognizing exceptional dedication to teaching and academic excellence.
At UHCL, the nomination process begins each fall with a campus-wide call for eligible faculty self-nominations. Submitted nomination packets are reviewed and scored by the UHCL Minnie Stevens Piper Award Committee. The five highest-scoring applicants are named Semi-Finalists. These Semi-Finalists are then invited to submit additional materials for further evaluation. Based on this second round of review, the committee selects one Finalist who will represent UHCL in the statewide competition for the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award.
Applications are now open. The deadline to submit a self-nomination form and completed nomination packet is Monday, October 6, 2025 at 5 P.M.
Instructions for Self-Nominations
2025 self-nomination form*Form will have space to attach all requested files.
Packets must include the following:
- A narrative written by the applicant that clearly states the applicant’s teaching activities and why they merit serious consideration for the award. The narrative must include the full-time equivalent student enrollment for each course in the semester preceding the nomination.
- A current curriculum vita.
- Up to five letters of recommendation. Letters may be from administrators, colleagues, and/or current and former students.
Frequently Asked Questions
All UHCL full-time faculty are eligible to self-nominate for this honor. Only self-nominations with completed nomination packets will be considered.
Full-time tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track teaching faculty members who have taught for a minimum of at least five academic years prior to the nomination year may apply. Members of the Award Committee are not eligible to apply.
- A narrative written by the applicant that clearly states the applicant’s teaching activities and why they merit serious consideration for the award. The narrative must include the full-time equivalent student enrollment for each course in the semester preceding the nomination.
- A current curriculum vita.
- Up to five letters of recommendation. Letters may be from administrators, colleagues, and/or current and former students.
Contact Marie Best at best@uhcl.edu or x3010 or contact the Office of the Provost at x3000.
UHCL Piper Finalists by Year
* indicates a winner of the Minnie Stevens Piper Award
- Piper Nominees
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2024-2025Charuksha Walgama
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2023-2024Barbara Hales
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2022-2023Ahmed Abukmail
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2021-2022Youssef Hamidi
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2020-2021Unal Sakoglu
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2019 - 2020Jiang Lu
2019: Wanalee Romero
2018: Sarah Costello
2017: Hakduran Koc
2016: Lillian McEnery
2015: Denise McDonald
2014: Stephen Cherry
2013: William T. Hoston
2012: Stuart Larson
2011: Gary Boetticher
2010: Keith Parsons
2009: Kimberly Case
2008: Cynthia L. Howard
2007: Larry Rhode
2006: Rebecca Huss-Keeler
2005: Angela M. Howard
2004: Laurie Weaver
2003: Thomas L. Harman
2002: Margaret Hill
2001: Kyna Shelley
2000: Nick DeVries
1999: Angus MacNeil
1998: Altan Erdem
1997: Mattie C. Porter
1996: Patricia Wilson
1995: Kenneth Black
1994: Kwok-bun Yue
1993: Jonathan Zophy Jr.
1992: Cynthia Howard
1991: Robert Wegman
1990: Cynthia Miller
1989: John Gorman
1988: William Rice
1987: Elizabeth Reynolds
1986: Ron Mills
1985: Shelbey Morton
1984: William Rice *
1983: John Gormon
1982: Ron Fitzmaurice
1981: Chris Downs
1980: Don Kyle
1980: Peter Bishop
1980: Andrea Bermudez
1979: Jim Bowman
1978: Carroll Lassiter; Gretchen Mieszkowski *
1977: Tom McFaul; Gretchen Mieszkowski
1976: Chris Dede; John Snyder