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Math Prof Wins OCUFA Award
‘Exceptionally gifted and dedicated teacher' to be honoured June 6
Prof. Herb Kunze, Mathematics and Statistics, is one of six recipients of a 2007 Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Teaching Award. He will be honoured at a June 6 ceremony in Toronto.
“Excellence in teaching is central to our mission at U of G,” says provost Maureen Mancuso. “It's an honour for the entire University to have Herb recognized by the province for his excellence and dedication to teaching.”
Kunze, a three-time University of Waterloo graduate who joined U of G in 1998, was cited by the OCUFA awards committee as an “exceptionally gifted and dedicated teacher whose impact on his students is far-reaching and profound.”
OCUFA president Brian Brown says the committee was particularly impressed by Kunze's passion and skill for teaching. Students who supported his nomination called him the “most supportive and available professor on campus” and said “his superior technical skills combined with excellent personal skills made him the best educator” they have encountered. “It was clear Dr. Kunze cares deeply about his students and his courses,” says Brown.
Prof. Brian Allen, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, says the award is much-deserved recognition of Kunze's outstanding teaching.
“Herb's talents are broad. He is equally at home teaching at all levels, whether it's a large first-year calculus class or a specialized graduate class, and he has been very effective in recruiting top-notch graduate students. His teaching is characterized by the very generous amount of time he spends meeting with students outside of class.”
Allen notes that Kunze, who received a U of G Faculty Association Distinguished Professor Award in 2003 and has been frequently cited as one of Guelph's 10 “Popular Profs” in the Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities, is the fifth member of his department to receive an OCUFA award. The others are Prof. Jack Weiner and retired faculty Henry Malik, John Hubert and Joe Mokanski.