2001 Teaching and Service Award
27 June 2001
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Joe Ferrar has won the Mathematics Department's 2001 Teaching and Service Award.
Joe's excellence in teaching spans his whole professional career. He started at Ohio State in the Autumn of 1965. Just four years later he was invited by President Novice G. Fawcett to the university's annual Scholarship Recognition Dinner celebrating student achievement. Joe was invited "as a result of a nomination by a number of the honored students who wish to recognize your inspirational teaching." In 1974, Joe was invited back again by President Harold L. Enarson at the request of students "who wish to express their appreciation to you for your outstanding teaching." In 1997, he was awarded the Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, the university's highest teaching honor.
Joe helped to initiate and develop our successful Honors Program and taught honors courses many times. He helped develop the Math 140-141 sequence. He participated in several NSF funded projects with Jim and Joan Leitzel and Harry Allen. Joe has a long standing interest in teacher preparation and in-service training. As a result, he helped develop and coordinate Math 105 and 106, courses he has taught regularly and well. Joe also helped develop the very successful MA program and supervised large numbers of Master's students over the years. In addition Joe successfully advised nine PhD students.
The breadth and depth of Joe's service to the department and the university is astonishing. The higher visibility positions are obvious: Chair from 1986-1990, multiple memberships and chairmanships of every important departmental committee from CENT to the AC to the UGC; Associate Dean of the College; Chair of the College Promotion and Tenure Committee; Review Committee of the School of Music, even. But the lower visibility (or in fact invisible) tasks are at least as telling: uncountably many consultations with the Columbus Public Schools, the Board of Regents and neophyte department chairs; uncountably many hours spent on the OCTM High School Math Contest, department task forces as well as master's and doctoral exam committees galore.
It is perhaps a cliche but Joe really has "done it all". He contributes appreciably to nearly every task he undertakes. Joe's combination of "rock-like strength and statesmanship" (as Hans Zassenhaus once put it) and unquenchable, self-deprecating humor makes him a pleasure to work with. He is a truly valuable colleague.
Sincerely,
Peter March
Professor and Chair