UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Distinguished Teacher

1992 - Africanus Okokon

Africanus OkokonEconomics Professor Africanus Okokon, who died unexpectedly while visiting Nigeria, was the posthumous recipient of the highest accolade at at UW-River Falls as he was named its Distinguished Teacher.

His untimely death at the age of 42 shocked and dismayed his colleagues within the economics department. But Okokon's impact during his six yeas at UWRF caused students and recent alumni to eulogize the international finance expert as they nominated him for the coveted teaching award. Among their comments:

"He treated students as individuals, and was an excellent communicator of a subject he seemed genuinely interested in."

"He is an excellent professor. He dissected the most complex concepts and made them understandable."

"He took his time in class as well as outside to make sure his students understood."