By Amanda Alaniz

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Dr. Giorgio Gotti, UTRGV accounting professor and director of the UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship School of Accountancy, recently received the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in the Large College/University category.

The Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA) is the largest, most influential association of accounting and finance professionals in Texas.

The Outstanding Accounting Educator Award recognizes Texas accounting educators who have demonstrated “excellence in teaching and have distinguished themselves through active service of the accounting profession.”

Gotti joined the UTRGV faculty in July 2021, after previously teaching accounting at the University of Texas at El Paso. His focus is on international accounting, he said, so staying close to the U.S.-Mexico border was important to him to continue with his teachings.

Gotti received the information about the award via email. He recalled reading the message twice before he actually realized he was an award recipient.

He felt honored, he said, as it was a big acknowledgement of the work he has done thus far in his career. 

“I think this is a recognition of the fact that I’ve worked to help the student demographic of these schools to be successful,” he said. “To me, it’s not enough to just have a student receive a diploma. The quality of education should be excellent to help students find a good career.

“That’s what motivates me,” he said, “and I think that’s what they noticed with this award.”  

Each awardee will be honored before their peers during TXCPA’s Accounting Education Conference in July. They will receive a $500 award, a recognition plaque and complimentary registration to the conference.

Gotti will be unable to attend the conference but plans to attend another conference later this year.

Awards and recognitions like the Educator Award serve as reassurance that he is helping students, he said.

“The recognition is confirmation that people see what I did, that the decisions I made are the right choices,” he said. “The award was based on the materials I submitted, which included letters from students who wrote about why I deserved the award.”

He did not get to read the letters, because they are submitted directly to the committee, but he believes the award shows how much of an impact he has had on their careers.

Gotti said the recognition also brings attention to UTRGV and the RCVCOBE, helping showcase what the university, its faculty and students are capable of.

“These recognitions help us tell the story of who we are, why we are here, what our mission is and what our vision is,” he said. “Doing that helps our students have confirmation that they are in a school that will prepare them for the future.” 

To learn more about the UTRGV School of Accountancy, visit www.utrgv.edu/cobe/departments/accountancy.