Awards

School of Dentistry Honorary Member Award - 1983

About Richard C. Pugh

Richard C. Pugh was a professor emeritus of education at Indiana University. Pugh completed his B.S. in chemistry at Purdue University in 1956. While at Purdue, he was also enrolled in navy ROTC; thus, upon graduation, spent two years as an officer in the U. S. Navy serving in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. After returning from his tour of service, Pugh taught chemistry, physics, and mathematics in the Horace Mann High School in Gary, IN for four years. He then entered graduate studies in Education at Indiana University where he received the M.S. degree in educational psychology in 1960 and the Ed.D. degree in 1964.

Upon graduation, Pugh was appointed to the staff of the Bureau of Institutional Research at the University of Minnesota. Pugh was appointed to the faculty as Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in 1965. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1967 and to the rank of Professor in 1970. During his years at Indiana University, Pugh provided leadership to the School of Education with his quantitative skills. He taught courses and advised students in quantitative methods and measurement. In 1975, Pugh was appointed as Director of the Division of Foundations and Human Development. He assumed the position of Associate Dean for Research and Development in the School of Education in 1978. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Educational Inquiry Methodology Program within the School of Education and continued to teach in statistics and quantitative methodologies when the Inquiry program was merged into the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology.

In 1990, Pugh took on the role of Director of Education Technology Services, and in 1998, assumed the role of Executive Associate Dean. Pugh also served the University as Associate Director of the Bureau of Evaluative Studies and Testing and of the Bureau of Institutional Research.

Dr. Pugh's research interests paralleled his teaching expertise. He published more than 50 articles, monographs, and reviews in some of the most prestigious journals in the field. His article, co-authored with D. Gliessman, in the Journal of Educational Research (1994) was awarded the Harold E. Mitzell Award for Meritorious Contribution to Educational Practice Through Research; the award is for the outstanding research article for the volume. Pugh's national service includes terms as Vice President and President of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association (MWERA). From 1970 to his retirement, Pugh has served as the measurement consultant to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. In 1995, he was recognized for his service and in 1998, the Board named him an honorary director and an Honorary Member of the College of Diplomats, an unusual honor for someone not directly in the field of dentistry.