holleran steiker friar fellowship

Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker has been awarded the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship, the largest undergraduate teaching award at The University of Texas at Austin.

Friar Society members together with the trumpet section of the Longhorn band and a group of faculty and students crashed Holleran Steiker’s class last Thursday, April 10th, to surprise her with the news, a plaque, and a giant check (watch a video from The Alcalde here).

An associate professor at the School of Social Work, Holleran Steiker is a nationally recognized expert in substance abuse and the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction in youth. Most recently, she has been the driving force behind the launching of Austin’s first recovery high school. She is the first faculty member at the School of Social Work to receive the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship.

Since 1987, students in The Friar Society has been soliciting nominations for the most inspiring, smart, challenging, and fun teachers on campus. According to The Alcalde, it is a major project that involves gathering nearly 200 nominations, visiting classes to observe, and interviewing colleagues and former students of the nominees. Selected entirely by students, the award has gone to campus legends like Jim Vick, Sheldon Eckland-Olson, and Elizabeth Richmond-Garza.