Honorary degree citation - Richard Felder

By: Alex De Visscher, November 2019

Mr. President, it is my honour to present to you Dr. Richard Felder, celebrated professor of engineering and education.

Dr. Felder’s career splits roughly into two halves, equally successful and influential.

Après avoir obtenu son doctorat en génie chimique à Princeton, il a mené une brillante carrière dans ce domaine. En 1978, il a cosigné un manuel que bon nombre d’entre vous connaissez : Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes.

Now in its fourth edition, it is used by more than 90 per cent of chemical engineering departments in the US today.

In the late ’80s, Dr. Felder switched career gears to education methodologies. He co-developed and scientifically validated the much-consulted online Index of Learning Styles. Like any good professor, he is always operating on two levels – knowledge acquisition and skills development. His learner-centred approach teaches students how to learn from one another rather than considering the professor the soul source of knowledge – a great life lesson.

In his two fields of expertise, Dr. Felder’s name appears atop more than 300 papers. In 2012 he was named the first-ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Engineering Education.

Mr. President, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Dr. Richard Felder, so that you may confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.