Professor Hugh Montgomery (UM-Ann Arbor) was presented with the Michigan Section's Distinguished Service Award at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Section last May.
Professor Montgomery has served the Michigan Section as Vice
Chair, Chair, Past Chair, and Governor. His outstanding teaching, research,
and breadth of interests have been shared with the Section through his
numerous presentations and in his various leadership activities. In addition, he has served on and chaired
numerous national MAA and AMS committees. The citation presented to
him at the meeting is shown below
The Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America is extremely pleased to recognize Professor Hugh L. Montgomery as the 1997 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. We gratefully acknowledge with many thanks the substantial contributions he has made to the Michigan Section, to the Mathematical Association of America, and to the greater mathematical community.
Dr. Montgomery has served the Michigan Section as Vice Chair (1989-90), Chair (1990-91), Governor (1992-95), and member of the Nominating Committee in several years. In addition he has served on and chaired many national MAA committees and joint MAA/AMS committees. Some examples are the MAA Chauvenet Prize Committee, MAA Task Force on graduate students, AMS/MAA Joint Program Committee, and Selection Committee for joint MAA/AMS talks. He enjoys an international reputation in number theory and has served on organizing committees for a number of international research conferences. Recently Hugh has served on mathematics and scientific advisory panels of the National Security Agency. Hugh is a frequent speaker at Section events as well as at national MAA and AMS meetings.
For his many years of dedicated service and outstanding leadership, the Michigan Section is proud to present the
Professor Richard O. Hill (MSU) was presented with the Michigan Section's Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Michigan Section last May in Detroit. Hill was cited for his many years of outstanding workin the classroom, as a textbook author, and for his work in the Emerging Scholars Program, designed to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities in science, engineering, and mathematics. As the section's awardee, Richard became a finalist for the national MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. The citation given to him at the meeting is reproduced below.
The Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America is pleased to announce that Professor Richard O. Hill of Western Michigan University has been selected as the 1996-1997 recipient of the Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.
Dr. Hill has been a member of the Michigan State Mathematics Department since 1967, and he has always been intensely involved in teaching undergraduate mathematics. His excellence as a classroom teacher was recognized by the department in 1992 when he was awarded the J. S. Frame Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. He is the author of a linear algebra textbook and co-author of a series of three textbooks on Algebra and Trigonometry.
Professor Hill has been the Director of the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) since its inception in 1992. ESP is a calculus-level program designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering science, engineering, and mathematics. As Director, Hill is responsible for recruiting students and training Teaching Assistants. Performance and retention have been excellent.
Comments from colleagues and students include the following: "The overriding reason for his success is that Dick is willing to work hard and diligently to reach his students." Jonathan Hall, Chair
"This is the only class I ever had at the university where halfway through the course, everyone was talking to everyone else. Animated conversation went on before, after, and during the class." Anonymous student from a Number Theory class
"In my opinion, Richard's leadership has proved to be one of the single most important factors in the success of [ESP]. ... I am now a secondary school teacher, and I feel he has taught me many ways to help students understand difficult concepts." Stacie Wiegman
"The greatest thing was that Professor Hill was not just the initiator of [ESP]; he also played an integral part in it. He would always offer his help during the sessions and outside the sessions. ... It feels good to know that I can help others in a subject in which most Black females are not expected to excel." Tamika Powell
The Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America is proud to be represented by dedicated teachers such as Dr. Richard O. Hill.
Robert Megginson (UM-Ann Arbor) recently received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. He was one of 10 winners of such awards, bestowed in a White House ceremony. He was cited for his work with Native Americans and other students of color.
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