Keith Taylor

Master Teacher Award - Spring 2001

The Master Teacher Award was established to emphasize the importance of teaching at the University of Saskatchewan and to recognize and honor those faculty members who excel in teaching.

The Selection Committee has named Professor Keith Taylor of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to be the recipient of this prestigious award at this Convocation. Professor Taylor earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at St. Francis Xavier University in 1971 and his PhD at the University of Alberta in 1976, joining the Department of Mathematics at this university in 1977. In July 1987, he was promoted to Full Professor.

Professor Taylor is the finest example of what a university professor ought to be. He is not content to restrict his expertise to the specialties of his discipline but is eager to share his love of mathematics with all seekers. Students or scholars or laymen of any stripe, Professor Taylor meets each at just the right level to create a challenge unperturbed by discomfort.

A glance at Professor Taylor’s curriculum vitae confirms his achievements as an investigative researcher. Having published over 30 papers in refereed journals, he reveals his standing among his peers by the many invited lectures he has presented all over the world.

He has, moreover, been appointed or elected to several official positions in the Canadian Mathematics Society, including Vice-President and Meeting Director.

But it is as a teacher that Professor Taylor truly excels. In his more than 20 years here, Taylor's Readiness Course provided an avenue for incoming students to raise their skills. His sensitivity to issues of accessibility led to the development of interactive learning modules on the World Wide Web, accessed thousands of times a day.

Professor Taylor is also the faculty member responsible for the Math Help Centre. His able leadership has developed the Centre into an attractive resource for our students. His involvement with enrichment programs in the school system has stimulated many young people, and he has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of mathematics among Native communities in the North. Yet, after all this, he modestly declares that he is only doing what any professor ought to do.

Professor Keith Taylor has shown himself to be an excellent emissary of his discipline, touching everyone he encounters with his serene fervor for mathematics.

With the dedication Professor Taylor has displayed and the legacy he is building, the University of Saskatchewan is indeed fortunate to have such a fine teacher on its staff. He is most deserving of this honor.