UTA faculty receive prestigious UT System award
The University of Texas System Board of Regents has selected two UT Arlington faculty members — LaDonna Aiken and Melanie Sattler — as recipients of the 2024 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards.
The two Maverick professors are among 12 faculty members across the UT System’s multiple academic and health institutions recognized for their extraordinary classroom teaching performance and dedication to innovation.
Aiken is a broadcast specialist in the Department of Communication, and Sattler, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, holds the Dr. Syed Qasim Professorship.
Each recipient will receive a medallion, a certificate and a cash award of $25,000 in appreciation of their positive impact on students and their institutions.
“We are incredibly proud that two of our exceptional faculty members have been recognized with such a prestigious award,” UTA President Jennifer Cowley said. “This is a testament to their unwavering dedication to innovative teaching and student success, which exemplifies the spirit of excellence we strive for at UTA.”
“Ms. Aiken and Dr. Sattler exemplify how our faculty’s innovative approaches can profoundly impact our students' learning experiences,” said Tamara L. Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Their commitment to excellence not only elevates our academic community but also inspires both colleagues and students alike. We are proud to recognize their outstanding contributions to education.”
Teaching more than the basics
LaDonna Aiken started teaching as a broadcast specialist in the Department of Communication in 2013. The UTA undergraduate and graduate alumna felt she wanted to take her career to the next level and share her knowledge and skills in broadcast and video production.
“I started working here at UTA at the same time our broadcast sequence was creating a path for students interested in corporate video communication,” said Aiken. “It is a great fit with my background and experience, and my goal is to use experiential learning to teach students to create video content for community partners. My focus is to help students communicate and tell stories well with visual and audio components.”
Aiken began her career in radio and television broadcast when she joined the Marine Corps. She says her time in the Corps served her well and having that life experience and knowledge to share has made a big difference in her classroom.
“I feel it’s important to do hard things because that’s where you’re going to get your confidence and strength,” Aiken said. “I’ve believed in that since I was in the Marine Corps, and now I try to push my students to do hard things so they can believe in themselves.”
“I'm incredibly pleased and grateful for the opportunity I've had to teach,” continued Aiken. “It's been such a rewarding life experience for me, and getting recognized for that just makes me feel inspired to keep going and do more.”
Decades worth of impact
It was humbling when Sattler learned she was one of the recipients.
“We have so many faculty deserving of such recognition at UTA whose teaching positively impacts students' lives,” Sattler said. “Awards like this are reminders that teaching and fostering a learning environment are critical to the University’s mission.”
Sattler arrived at UTA more than 20 years ago, and her goal has always been to support students in and out of the classroom. Her approach is focused on engaging students through experiential learning. In her classes, students learn and test theory through class projects and research.
While at UTA, she led the development of the University's sustainable engineering minor and supervised 46 students completing their senior design projects for the minor. She is also proud to have graduated 26 master’s and 32 doctoral students who now hold positions in consulting, industry, government, and academia.
Sattler plans to use her award money to endow a scholarship for UTA civil engineering students. This will increase educational opportunities for all and help prepare the next generation of civil engineers.
“I’m passionate about providing a great educational experience for our students and preparing them the best we can as they enter the workforce,” Sattler said. “This award is a nice byproduct of our great work at UTA.”
Exemplary classroom performance
The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards were established in 2008 to honor exemplary classroom performance. Nominees undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by peer faculty and external reviewers.
The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations of a candidate’s teaching performance, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
“Exceptional teaching is at the heart of our mission, and these award winners represent the highest ideals of education,” said UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife. “By honoring these 12 educators, we’re not only celebrating their achievements but also reinforcing the UT System’s role in preparing students to excel in and out of the classroom.”
“These outstanding faculty members are being honored because they represent the very best – providing exceptional learning experiences for our students,” said UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken. “We are grateful to the Board of Regents for creating and championing this recognition of the UT System’s commitment to the very best in education.”
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive teaching, research, and public service institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship and creative work. With an enrollment of approximately 41,000 students, UT Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System. UTA’s combination of outstanding academics and innovative research contributes to its designation as a Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” institution, a significant milestone of excellence. The University is designated as a Hispanic Serving-Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education and has earned the Seal of Excelencia for its commitment to accelerating Latino student success. The University ranks as the No. 1 national public university in the U.S. for veterans (Military Times, 2024), No. 4 in Texas for advancing social mobility (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), and No. 6 in the United States for its undergraduate ethnic diversity (U.S. News & World Report, 2025). UT Arlington’s approximately 270,000 alumni occupy leadership positions at many of the 21 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in North Texas and contribute to the University’s $28.8 billion annual economic impact on Texas.