Dr. H. Guy Bensusan Pioneer in Distance Education Passed Away

Dr. Bensusan, 69, was a professor of humanities and religious studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Arizona University (NAU). He was also the senior faculty associate for Interactive Instruction Television at the NAU campus in Kingman. He has been at NAU since 1963.

Dr. Fred Hurst, Dean of Distributed Learning, in a statemanet on DEOS-L -The Distance Education Online Symposium [DEOS-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU]said “He was a pioneer in distance learning, not just for Northern Arizona University, but for the nation and the world. I know many of you never met Guy, but from his frequent postings to listservs, many of you no doubt feel that you know him as well as those of us who worked with him daily. His voice may be silenced, but he will live on in the thoughts, prayers and actions of the international distance learning community.”

During his time at the university Dr. Bensusan served on the curriculum and instructional development committee and the faculty senate. Since 1988, he was involved in developing interactive instructional television classes and was a major contributor to the development of distance learning at NAU.

Dr. Owen Cargol, NAU president, said, “This is a great loss for the university. Guy Bensusan was an enthusiastic instructor who loved teaching and working with students. He was an early and ardent proponent of using technology to deliver distance education to our students. He will be sorely missed.”

Dr. Bensusan’s home page includes a brief biography, and links to his articles.