At Opening Day celebrations for the fall semester, three of UST’s outstanding faculty were honored for demonstrating remarkable dedication and excellence. Award categories corresponded to teaching, service and research.

Saint Thomas Aquinas Excellence in Teaching Award

Passionate educator Dr. Maia Larios-Sanz was honored with the Saint Thomas Aquinas Excellence in Teaching Award for exemplifying the highest dedication to teaching and learning. The Associate Professor and Chair of the Biology Department inspires her students to succeed in their university studies and beyond.

Her student nominator described her as “a strong, Latina figure who is in STEM and has become much more than a professor-mentor. She has become a role model who motivates me to constantly do my best in my studies and future career. She teaches with so much enthusiasm and love for the field of biology, and her energy is so infectious that it made me excited to learn.”

Larios-Sanz aims to empower students “to make connections between the subject matter and daily life, and to be conscious of the power of science — and themselves — to improve their own communities.”

Saint Edith Stein Excellence in Research Award

For his consistent and impressive record of scholarship, Dr. Yao-Yuan Yeh received the Saint Edith Stein Excellence in Research Award. The Associate Professor for International Studies and Modern Languages and Chair of International Studies has written two scholarly book publications, multiple book chapters, 23 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and more than 40 policy papers on topics related to U.S.-China-Taiwan relations, in addition to over 300 op-ed publications for a general audience.

He writes on various issues, including democratic governance, U.S.-China relations, U.S.-Taiwan relations and terrorism. His work enjoys an international audience as it involves issues of utmost relevance to the times in which we live.

Yeh’s nominator wrote that Dr. Yeh “is one of the most productive scholars at UST, by quantity, quality and reach.”

Joseph M. McFadden Excellence in Service Award

With outstanding faculty service to the UST community and abroad, Dr. Sujin Horwitz, Professor of Management and Marketing, embodies the spirit of selfless leadership. Over the past 15 years at UST, she has made many contributions of service to her students, the Cameron School of Business (CSB) and the University. Since 2009, Horwitz has brought her devotion and passion for student success to her work as a First-Year Experience advisor. Also, she has served as Freshman Symposium faculty since 2012.

Dr. Horwitz presently serves on multiple committees and has served several terms as a Faculty Senator. She is the current Chair of the CSB Faculty Development Committee. Furthermore, the professor serves on the editorial board of multiple scholarly journals. She is a regular moderator and reviewer for numerous conferences and conference proceedings.

An Academic Community Motivated by Excellence

Award candidates are nominated by their peers. Dr. Chris Evans, vice president for Academic Affairs, said, “This year, the Faculty Awards Committee received 182 nomination statements from students, staff, faculty and administrators — a record number, which speaks to the incredible depth of dedication and breadth of excellence among our faculty.”

Excellence and Catholic higher education go hand in hand at the University of St. Thomas-Houston. Congratulations to Drs. Larios-Sanz, Yeh and Horwitz!