Economics
Professor Koutsoyiannis first joined the Department of Economics at Waterloo as a visiting professor in 1974. She returned to a full-time appointment in the following year. Professor Koutsoyiannis is a well-known scholar and author. She has made substantial contributions that discipline economics, publishing research monographs and papers in several fields of that discipline. She has written two outstanding textbooks “Theory of Econometrics” and “Modern Microeconomics” which have been adopted at many of the best universities around the world. Each book has been reprinted several times, and the one on econometrics has appeared in four editions. However, it is for her work with students at Waterloo that we honour Anna Koutsoyiannis here today. Professor Koutsoyiannis teaches at every level from first year to postgraduate. Her nomination originated with students in Economics 201, 221, and 401. It has often been said that “students vote with their feet.” That vote has been all for Anna Koutsoyiannis. In 1977, the enrolment in her courses econ. 201, 301, 221, 321, and 401 as well as her graduate course in advanced microeconomics, reached an unprecedented 336. It is most fitting to pay tribute to Anna Koutsoyiannis in the words of her students and of her colleagues. Student comments which are echoed repeatedly include these: “She has a natural talent for making the most difficult concepts known to us,” “Her lectures are lively, precise, and interesting,” she is “most concerned with the welfare and academic performance of her students,” she knows every detail of her field,” she is “very helpful [and] spends extra hours to help students with individual problems.” Another kind of comments crops up time and again, “Course is very demanding,” “She demands a lot from us,” “Lots of work … Worthwhile” says another student. Her dean says “she is extremely demanding of her students and … They strive on this.” There is, of course, no mystery about Anna Koutsoyiannis’ excellence in teaching. The chairman of economics explains very simply by “a combination of natural talent, infectious enthusiasm, and very hard work.” In the words of yet another of her students, Anna Koutsoyiannis is “committed to [the] student’s learning as well as to her discipline.” No professor here could ask for a more satisfying tribute, from students.
[Professor Koutsoyiannis died in 1995]