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The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation will honor ten (10) professors from across the UT System for their dedication to the teaching profession and for their outstanding academic, scientific, and scholarly achievement. The purpose of this award is to give recognition to the teaching profession rather than to research, publication, administration, or other such activities, although these criteria will also be considered by the selection committee.
Honorees will be awarded certificates naming them “Piper Professors of 2026,” a cash honoraria of $5,000, and a gold commemorative pin.
UTRGV may nominate one faculty member to vie for this prestigious award.
Timeline for 2025-2026
| Dates | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday, September 15, 2025 | Nominations Due |
| Monday, September 22, 2025 | Deadline to Accept Nomination |
| Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | Applications Due |
| Monday, November 14, 2025 | Candidate Notified of Selection as UTRGV Nominee |
Application Information:
Eligibility Requirements:
- Full-time faculty member,
- Not a previous MSP awardee
Minnie Stevens Piper Award Nomination Portal
All applications are due on October 8, 2025 to the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@utrgv.edu.
Your documentation should include the following:
- Part B of the MSP Official Nomination Form.
- Up to five (5) letters of support from administrators, colleagues and/or current and former students.
- Any additional material should be limited, as the state-level’s committee time does not permit review of large amounts of materials.
All documentation should be formatted as a single PDF file and emailed to facultyaffairs@utrgv.edu. Please use “2025-2026 Minnie Stevens Piper Award” as the subject line.
For more information on the MSP Foundation, see the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation website.
For questions or more information, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@utrgv.edu