RICHARDSON, Texas (April 23, 2003) – Dr. Louis R. “Bob” Hunt, a highly regarded, veteran professor in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, has been selected teacher of the year at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for the 2002-2003 academic year.
The award, which is provided each year by The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council to recognize excellence in teaching at each of the system’s nine general academic institutions, is accompanied by a $5,000 prize and will be presented to Hunt May 9 at an Honors Convocation in the Conference Center on campus.
Hunt, who joined UTD in 1984, was selected from nearly 30 teachers who were nominated by students for the honor, which is formally called the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award.
“Dr. Hunt is an extremely gifted professor who genuinely cares about his students and goes the extra mile not only to make sure they understand the material but also to ensure that their college experience is a rewarding one,” said UTD President Dr. Franklyn Jenifer. “We are very fortunate to have him on our faculty. It is no accident that he was nominated for this award on four prior occasions and last year was a finalist.”
One UTD student who nominated Hunt praised the professor for his “amazing ability to explain concepts through examples,” and another wrote: “Dr. Hunt makes math in engineering a contact sport, the way it should be, and full contact means great brain stimulation and knowledge accumulation.” A third student said, “Dr. Hunt’s door is always open, even to questions about courses he is not teaching … he goes far above and beyond the role of a professor.”
Hunt said he was “very honored” to receive the award and added, “I enjoy interacting with students and showing them the power of both mathematics and engineering.”
Hunt has published extensively during his 34-year academic career and taught at Texas Tech University for 15 years before joining UTD. He received his Ph.D. from Rice University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University. Over a 20-year span he worked on automatic flight control with the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a licensed professional engineer.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.