Teaching Award Honors Criminology Professor

Dr. Robert G. Morris, assistant professor of criminology in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, has been selected to receive an Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences SAGE Junior Faculty Teaching Award.

The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) is an international association that fosters professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. The association partnered with SAGE publishing to create this teaching award for the first time this year. The award was created to recognize “significant promise in teaching.”

“This award, based on national-level competition, from a national organization recognizes the value of Robert’s efforts to the critical role of classroom instruction. The criminology program is proud of his accomplishments, and he is an asset to the UT Dallas community,” said Dr. Jim Marquart, head of the criminology program.

Morris will be recognized at the 2009 ACJS awards ceremony, held in conjunction with its annual meeting and annual professional development teaching workshop March 10-11 in Boston.

“I’m very proud to receive the award considering the competition, but really it’s about the students. We all strive to provide the highest-quality classroom experience, and organizations like ACJS and SAGE that focus on developing academics go a long way in helping us reach that goal,” said Morris. “UT Dallas is making similar efforts with its new junior faculty mentoring program. I’m excited to be a part of a University committed to programs like these that ensure the best experience for students and faculty, which leads to more exciting and meaningful research.”

Morris researches why people commit contemporary crimes, such as fraud and cybercrimes. He also studies trends in inmate misconduct, with a goal of improving criminal justice policies and procedures. He joined the University in 2007 and serves as the faculty adviser to the UT Dallas chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, The National Criminal Justice Honor Society-Delta Psi. In addition to his graduate and undergraduate courses in EPPS, he teaches a course on Social Issues & Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science. Morris holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University.

“Dr. Morris is a mentor in and outside of the classroom,” said Jonathan Caudill, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the criminology program. “Not only is his knowledge stimulating, his dedication is motivating and exciting.”

UT Dallas is home to the state’s first Ph.D. program in criminology. The growing program will continue to ensure that Texas is at the forefront of criminological research and policy-making.

---