Frank Jones ’58 ’61 holds a unique place in Wiess School history. A Rice alumnus who’s now in his seventh decade on the Department of Mathematics faculty, Jones has earned the admiration of generations of students for his signature mix of enthusiasm, positivity and teaching excellence.
In describing him, students and former students often use words like “brilliant,” “awe-inspiring,” “sincere” and “humble,” but Rice University School Mathematics Project Director Anne Papakonstantinou ’69 said “superlatives of the English language are inadequate” to describe Jones. “His teaching style continues to set the standard for my own,” she wrote in nominating Jones for a Professor of the Year award from the Carnegie Foundation in 2007, which he went on to win.
Jones won eight George R. Brown teaching prizes, including two for excellence in teaching, the university’s highest teaching honor. He is also a two-time winner of the Nicolas Salgo Teaching Award and is on the short list of Rice professors who’ve won a coveted Piper Professor Award.
Jones will retire at the end of the school year.
