Dr. Paul E. Tracy Named Teacher of the Year At The University of Texas at Dallas

Dr. Paul E. Tracy Named Teacher of the Year
At The University of Texas at Dallas

Chancellor’s Council Award Includes $5,000 Prize

RICHARDSON, Texas (April 6, 2004) – Dr. Paul E. Tracy, who founded the university’s Crime and Justice Studies Program, has been selected teacher of the year at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for the 2003-2004 academic year.

The award, which is provided each year by The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council to recognize excellence in teaching at each of the system’s nine general academic institutions, is accompanied by a $5,000 prize and will be presented to Tracy Friday, May 7, at an Honors Convocation in the Activity Center on campus. Tracy will deliver a brief speech at the ceremony.

Tracy, a criminologist and sociologist who joined UTD in 1992 and is a professor in the School of Social Sciences, was selected from more than 90 tenured or tenure-track faculty members who were nominated by students for the honor, which is formally called the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award.

“Dr. Tracy is a gifted teacher and researcher who brings great passion to both endeavors,” said UTD President Dr. Franklyn Jenifer. “He has been the driving force behind UTD’s criminal justice program.”

The Crime and Justice Studies Program has been highly successful. In just a few years, it has become the most populated major in the School of Social Studies, and it sends numerous graduates on to graduate school, law school and professional careers.

One UTD student who nominated Tracy for the top teaching award praised the professor for “his sharpness, his rhetoric and his charisma,” and another wrote: “Dr. Tracy has the most energy and motivation that I have ever seen in a professor.” A third student said, “Dr. Tracy is a gift to his students,” and a fourth called him “an amazing teacher – the best the university has to offer.”

Tracy said he was “extremely gratified” to receive the award and added, “University teaching is a privilege and a solemn responsibility because faculty are entrusted with the role of helping students acquire fundamental knowledge, but also, giving students the chance to acquire critical thinking skills that are requisite for success in a career, graduate study and even life itself. I take this responsibility very seriously and endeavor to give my students the highest quality effort in each and every class.’’

Tracy, who specializes in the study of criminal careers, juvenile delinquency and policy issues in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, has published extensively during his 25-year academic career. He has written six books and numerous scholarly articles. Tracy received his Ph.D. in sociology from the Center for Studies in Criminology and Criminal Law at the University of Pennsylvania.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.