Eyes of Texas Award

New faculty member garners prestigious campus honor

Christian Hutzler, assistant professor of accounting at McCombs School of Business, has received the Eyes of Texas Excellence Award, given quietly by an anonymous campus organization. The award goes to only 10 administrators, faculty members, or staffers at The University of Texas at Austin each semester.

Hutzler, who teaches three sections of Fundamentals of Financial Accounting to first-semester sophomores, joined McCombs during the fall. He found the news in a letter inside a manila envelope pinned to the corkboard outside his office in April.

“This award recognizes the tremendous passion you bring to every student interaction you have,” the letter read. “By consistently going above and beyond through your academic and classroom impact, you create an environment where students feel supported, challenged, and inspired to succeed.”

Hutzler says his teaching style invites connection and questions, made easier because his students are motivated, curious, and high achieving. He uses real-world concepts and examples from the financial press to make the numbers applicable to their interests and future career paths.

Outside of the classroom, Hutzler keeps up with students in hallway chats and office visits when they drop by to update him on internships and other news.

“I do love feeling I have some type of impact on their lives, both personally and with the material,” he says.

The award letter praised Hutzler for demonstrating genuine investment in the growth of his students: “You truly touch the lives of every student who has the privilege of interacting with you, leaving a lasting and meaningful impact.”

While he is grateful for the recognition, Hutzler is quick to applaud his students for their willingness to contribute to the class environment. “They have interesting questions, they have interesting perspectives, and they challenge me in a lot of ways,” he says. “Interacting with students is a ton of fun. I feel very grateful to be at The University of Texas and to be surrounded by a very bright group of students.”

Hutzler earned a Ph.D. in business administration (accounting) at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. His dissertation explored the corporate governance implications of companies’ exposure to disengaged retail voters.

Little is known about the Eyes of Texas organization. Student members remain anonymous “so that their achievements and leadership are reflected in the excellence of UT, rather than in individual recognition,” Hutzler’s award letter reads. Student members select faculty award winners for their outstanding contributions to student life at The University of Texas.

Story by Sally Parker