Rita Mitra, a professor of practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has received a 2026 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award for teaching excellence and innovation.
She joins 11 other educators recognized by the University of Texas System comprises 13 institutions serving more than 270,000 students across Texas. Each of the 12 recipients will receive a $25,000 award, a certificate and a medallion and will be recognized at the board’s November meeting.
Mitra teaches in the Department of Information Systems and Cybersecurity within UT San Antonio’s College of AI, Cyber and Computing. Her work focuses on hands-on learning in information security, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
The university announced the recognition Oct. 20, naming Mitra alongside Anibal Diogenes and Monica Lawson as the three UT San Antonio faculty members selected for this year’s awards.
Mitra’s approach to education reflects a career that began in classical music before moving into computer science and cybersecurity.
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A pianist, violinist and educator for 20 years before entering academia, she draws on that experience to encourage students to approach technical challenges with creativity, persistence and a willingness to experiment.
“While I provide a clear structural foundation in my courses, I intentionally leave unknowns for students to troubleshoot and explore,” Mitra stated. “This converts the classroom into a safe space to experiment, fail, and try again.”
Her teaching and curriculum development include designing and teaching courses in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and information systems. She also helped develop UT San Antonio’s first fully online cybersecurity program in 2017.
Mitra teaches subjects including Unlocking Cyber, computer architecture security, programming, operating systems security, and telecommunications and networking. Several of her courses use open educational resources, which can provide students with learning materials at little or no cost.
She is an advocate and developer of open educational resources and a 2025-27 Open Educational Resources Fellow with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. She also serves as a Quality Matters Master Peer Reviewer, a role associated with reviewing the quality of online education.
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Beyond instruction, Mitra serves as an undergraduate advisor of record and advises the university’s Online Cyber Security Association and Women in Cybersecurity student organizations.
Her academic background spans both music and technology. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music, a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, a master’s degree in computer science from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Tech University.
Mitra is also a Generative AI Faculty Fellow at UT San Antonio. In that capacity, she is contributing to the university’s approach to AI in education, with attention to data privacy, potential biases, accountability and the broader effects of AI use.
The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards were established in 2008 by the UT System Board of Regents. The selection process evaluates nominees through student feedback, faculty peer review and external assessments, considering teaching performance, curriculum development and student learning outcomes.