The University of Windsor Alumni Association honoured the exceptional accomplishments of Richard Caron, professor of Mathematics & Statistics in the Faculty of Science, with the Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching during Convocation on Wednesday, June 13.

The award was established in 1987 to provide incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence and teaching at the University of Windsor.

Dr. Caron, who began teaching at the University in 1983, estimates that he has taught 2,495 students in 69 courses. He cites a Chinese proverb when asked to describe his teaching philosophy: “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

His unselfish approach to nurturing students and younger faculty is reflected in his teaching scores, which are consistently high over all courses, and earned Caron an award for the highest weighted mean teaching score in the Faculty of Science for the past two years. He received the inaugural Faculty of Science Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award in 2011.

“Students learn best when engaged during their classes,” Caron says, adding that he works to help students discover their own strengths and interests, and designs programs to help them achieve their goals.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Caron has served as department head, director of the Operational Research Program, dean of science and executive dean of the former combined Faculty of Science & Engineering.