The department will insure that all curricula meet current professional standards and will insure that the rigor of these curricula are monitored and modified appropriately
Objective
State Board Of Educator Certification (SBEC) Standards
The department will align its curriculum with the SBEC curriculum standards for MATH 3381
KPI
SBEC Standards
The department will offer MATH 3381 in alignment with the State Board of Educator Standards. There will be a one-to-one correspondence with at least two of the SBEC standards for a mathematics generalist.
Result
Sample Syllabus With Objectives
The attached sample syllabus contains a listing of course objectives. These objectives satisfy Standards II, IV, and V of the SBEC Mathematics Generalist Standards.
Action
Alignment Of Additional Courses With SBEC Standards
SBEC also has standards for prospective secondary mathematics teachers. Our goal for next year is to re-evaluate the content of Math4384 and Math4385 for SBEC secondary alignment.
Goal
Provide Effective Communication With Internal And External Constituencies
The department will insure that appropriate communication channels are maintained with the College of Arts and Sciences Office, upper administration, current students, prospective students, and other external constituencies.
Objective
Communication With Dean's Office
The Department chair will communicate with the Dean's office and attend bimonthly chair's meetings.
KPI
College Of Sciences Chairs' Meetings As Prelude To Department Communication
The Dean of COS holds bimonthly chairs' meetings throughout the year to keep them abreast of relevant issues.
Result
Attendance At Chairs Meetings
The chair attended all chair's meetings that were convened - except on two occasions when he was out of town for conferences. The associate chair attended in his place to represent the department. The college had an interim dean which made regularly scheduled meetings difficult at times.
Action
Number Of Chairs Meetings
The College of Science had an interim dean this year. While meetings are generally scheduled bimonthly, the actual number of meeting this year was much less than that.
This did not affect the day-to-day operation of the department, however. There appeared to be effective communication via e-mail and each chair always had the opportunity to schedule an appointment if needed.
Since our new dean is now in place, we will retire this objective for 2012-2013.
Objective
Saturdays At Sam
The department chair (or his designee) will engage in recruitment activities at SHSU's Saturdays at Sam.
KPI
Meetings With Prospective Students
A member of the department will meet with prospective students.
Result
Attendance At Saturday's At Sam.
The associate chair met with prospective students in fall and the chair met with prospective students in the spring.
Action
Smaller Numbers
In both the fall and spring Saturdays@Sam, only four students total (3 in fall, 1 in the spring) met with department representatives. This was a drastic dropoff from even last year where 15-20 students came each semester.
This has led the department to investigate the idea of doing some outreach activities with local high schools to make students aware of career opportunities in mathematics.
Goal
Procure Appropriate Resources To Facilitate The Academic Mission Of The Department
The department will monitor the classroom, laboratory, research, and out-reach (service) needs of the unit. Budget requests will reflect these needs.
Objective
Procurement Of Technology
The department will procure hardware and software relevant to the research and instructional needs of its faculty.
KPI
Requests For Equipment
The department will submit budget requests for new technology equipment.
Result
New Technology
Apart from individual computer needs (which can usually be covered with our O&M money), the department has wanted a dedicated computer lab. In our budge letter to our dean, we anticipated that we would have to wait until next year to make the proposal because of this year we had a short time frame to prepare a budget request.
However, in May, we received communication from IT that they are willing to convert the computer lab in LDB 415 into a dedicated lab for Mathematics and statistics. While the original e-mail has been lost, a follow up e-mail from the associate chair to IT is attached. It indicates the type of software the department wants on the machines in the lab.
Action
Functional Lab
The plan is to have the dedicated lab up and running for Fall 2012.
Goal
Provide Appropriate Personnel Resources For The Unit
The department will assess the personnel (staff and faculty) needs of the unit on an annual basis. Annual funding requests will reflect these needs and hiring decisions will be based on these needs. The department office will provide appropriate resources and encourage faculty and staff to participate in development opportunities.
Objective
Procurement Of Personnel
The department will maintain personnel to effectively manage all three areas: mathematics, mathematics education, and statistics.
KPI
New Hires
The department will submit Preliminary Budget Request forms requesting hires for the department's personnel needs.
Result
New Hire In Mathematics
The university approved our request to upgrade our lecturer faculty line to a tenure-track position. While both mathematics and statistics had a need for a new line, the fact that the lecturer position was already a mathematics line meant that the new hire would be in mathematics.
The department conducted a successful search and we will have a new faculty member joining the department this coming fall.
Action
Statistics Positions
We continue to plead our case for an additional statistics line. This is driven by the fact that Criminal Justice now requires their majors to take MATH/STAT 3379, which requires us to serve an additional 300 students each semester. To date, we have not been given approval for a tenure-track line. As a result, some of these sections are staffed by adjuNcts and we fear a dropoff in the quality of instruction.
Our pleadings will be ongoing this coming year.
Goal
Provide Support Of Faculty Activities
The department will insure that the faculty have sufficient input in issues related to teaching schedules and professional development opportunities.
Objective
Faculty Travel
The Department will increase the amount of money allocated for faculty travel in 2010-2011.
KPI
Travel Allocation
The Department will increase the amount of money allocated for faculty travel to conferences. Our goal is to raise travel stipends by 20%.
Result
Travel Funding
This year, the chair allocated $2000 for travel to each of the 28 faculty members. In the past, the average allocation has been closer to $1200. Thus, the increase was approximately 67%.
Action
Travel Funds For 2012-2013
The increase in travel funds has, to date, been successful and has not kept the department from meeting its operating costs in other areas. A recommendation for next year will be to, again, increase faculty travel by $500 per faculty member, a 25% increase.