Students have recognized several CAPPA faculty members through the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence's (CRTLE) Ask a Maverick initiative, which celebrates instructors who meaningfully impact student learning and success.

Ask a Maverick invites UTA students to recognize professors and courses that have positively influenced their learning. The university features selected submissions across platforms, highlighting the learning experiences, mentorship, and support students value most.

This year, CAPPA professors Julene Paul, Michael Malone, Tom Rusher, and Amy Trick were recognized for their commitment to student success, innovative teaching approaches, and dedication to creating engaging learning environments. Faculty may visit the Ask a Maverick webpage to see their comments in context.

2027 CAPPA Forum Proposals Due Today

Proposal Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026, at 5 pm

Building on the success of the inaugural 2026 CAPPA Forum: Research & Creative Works Symposium, we are excited to carry that momentum forward and once again celebrate the outstanding research, scholarship, and creative achievements across CAPPA.

As we prepare for the 2027 CAPPA Forum: Research & Creative Works Symposium, we encourage faculty to participate by submitting a proposal abstract and contributing to this growing tradition of academic excellence and creative inquiry.

Today is the final day to submit your proposal abstracts. Please submit them via the 2027 CAPPA Forum Research & Creative Works Symposium Form.

Spring 2027 CAPPA Seed Grants Proposals Due Nov. 13th

Please click on the Grant Proposal Template to download the proposal outline.

Submissions Deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026, at 5 pm

Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact 

CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing community-identified plans to address a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.).

Opportunity 2: Geisel Fort Worth Urban & Community Design Mini Studio

This mini studio opportunity through the Geisel Grant encourages faculty and student-led, community-engaged research to address challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities. We invite proposals for Interdisciplinary Studio ideas to be offered as a 3-credit-hour elective course over 16 weeks during the Spring 2027 semester. This course will be held at the UTA Fort Worth Center. This interdisciplinary “mini studio” will engage graduate and/or advanced undergraduate students in collaborative, real-world problem-solving across the allied disciplines of Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs.

Opportunity 3: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Initiative 

The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research and creative ideas. We are seeking bold ideas that align with our mission and leverage the unique strengths of our interdisciplinary community. This year, one grant of $8,000-$10,000 will be awarded to CAPPA faculty to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative projects with the potential to pursue external funding opportunities and enhance the College's academic offerings, community engagement, and financial sustainability. Awards can fund students’ hourly wages, travel, data inquiry, event production, outreach, faculty salary, or faculty travel.

Examples of initiatives this grant aims to support:

Congratulations to Brad Bell, Associate Professor of Architecture, and Mehdi Farahbakhsh, Assistant Professor of Practice in Architecture, whose proposal, "Twin-Line Robotic 3D Printing of Functionally Graded Polymer-Concrete Building Components," has been selected for funding through the inaugural Hawkins Mini-Grant Program.

The project was recognized for its strong potential to enhance student learning through hands-on research experiences, attract future external funding, and advance priorities aligned with the research agenda of the Hawkins Endowed Chair, Professor Shadi Nazarian. The project exemplifies the innovative and impactful scholarship that CAPPA seeks to foster.

We congratulate Professors Bell and Farahbakhsh on this achievement and look forward to the contributions their research will make to the college and beyond!

Amy Trick, Assistant Professor of Architecture, and Julia Lindgren, Associate Professor of Architecture, have received the 2026 Envision Resilience National Design Studio Grant!  

As faculty leads of a studio through UTA's Community Design Build Lab, they will work with community partners to explore innovative design-build solutions that address urban heat and improve thermal comfort in Oak Cliff, Dallas. 

Their project is one of only ten faculty-led university design studios selected nationwide to explore adaptive solutions to climate change in their rural, urban, or mid-sized communities. Read More.

Dr. Deden Rukmana, Professor of Planning and Director of the MCRP program, was recognized with a 2026 Texas Chapter Award from the American Planning Association (APA) Texas Chapter for his contributions as Faculty Representative to the Texas APA Board of Directors and his advisory role with UTA’s Student Planning Association (SPA).

Through his leadership, Dr. Rukmana has strengthened connections among planning faculty, students, and programs across Texas, fostering collaboration and engagement across the state's planning education community. Read More.

We are proud to celebrate Dr. Jiwon Suh, Associate Professor of Public Affairs, on her election as an At-Large Board Member of the Data and Analytics Section (DAS) within the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).

In this role, Dr. Suh will help advance data accessibility, methodological rigor, and analytic methods that strengthen nonprofit and philanthropic research. Read More.

In partnership with UTA Honors College to fight against hunger, we encourage you to donate food to help students and their families in need. Every donation, big or small, can make a difference and help put food on someone’s table. If you can donate non-perishable items such as canned goods, rice, pasta, cereal, or other essential food supplies, we would greatly appreciate your generosity.

Donation Drop-Off Location: CAPPA Suite Office 203. A donation box will be placed near the front counter, next to the front door, until November 18th.

UTA and the Office of Sustainability have launched the UTA Green Fund, a competitive grant program supporting projects that improve the campus environment. Applications open Sunday, Nov. 15.

Proposals should include a defined project scope, implementation timeline, projected resource impacts, and budget breakdown. Applications will be accepted through Monday, March 15, 2027. Reviews will occur in April and May, and grants will be awarded in June.

For questions, proposal workshops, or partnership opportunities, contact Meghna Tare. Learn more about the program here.

Faculty, staff, UTA families, and alumni are invited to UTA’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Connections Café.

Admission is one meal plan swipe or $11.89 plus tax at the door. Departments wishing to cover meals for staff or students can email their cost center number and attendees’ full names and ID numbers to globalengagement@uta.edu. Read about the Maverick tradition.

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Karabi Bezboruah, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research

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