OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Mathematics And Statistics, Department Of

Goal
Deliver Current, Rigorous Curricula
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.

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
Computing Lab
We have recently acquired (in Summer 2015) five new iMac computers specifically for undergraduates to perform research projects.Dr. Luis Garcia has ensured all machines are equipped with adequate software to perform their research projects.  In addition, Dr. Martin Malandro has continued to maintain (with the help of IT@Sam) the Sage server, giving students and faculty considerable computing power and storage. 

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.

Action
Acquisition Of New Faculty Lines
Because of the recent success in acquiring new faculty lines (two new faculty lines in the last two years), the department will not be asking for any new faculty lines in 2015-16.  

However, we will be requesting several new TA positions in order provide for the demand of our three graduate programs.

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 closely monitor the amount of money allocated for faculty travel in 2013-14.  In particular, a survey of the faculty will be performed, asking if the current amount allocated is sufficient.  Adjustments will be made accordingly.

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%.

Action
Increased Travel Funds
This year, we will formally request a 20% increase in funds to be used specifically for faculty travel.  In order for most mathematicians to do research, collaboration with colleagues is necessary (but often not sufficient).  With a welcome increase in the number of tenure-track faculty lines and the increased number of faculty retiring from their positions, the demand for travel for the purpose of research collaboration has surpassed our resources.  With 30 tenured or tenure-track faculty and 3 lecturers, we have only $60,000 in travel funds to accommodate these requests:  an average of $1800 per faculty member.  For reference:  attendance at one 3-daymajor national meeting often costs in excess of $1,250.

Several of our faculty members are officers in national organizations, and must travel to more than one meeting each year.  In order for our more productive faculty members to collaorate, they may need to attend 4 meetings/conferences per year.  While the dean has been generous with his allocation of travel funds, it is simply not enough to meet the demands of our productive faculty.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement Two of last year's three items for improvement have been addressed elsewhere in the database:  submitting more federally-funded grants and exploring 5-year BS/MS programs.  

The resubmission of the PhD program in mathematics education is still in consideration.  We find it is best to move slowly on such a large undertaking, to ensure full buy-in from the faculty and administration.

Plan for continuous improvement All three of our graduate programs (MS, mathematics; MS statistics; MA mathematics education) and are thriving in spite of increased tuition and fees with no corresponding increase in stipend.  We will request in the next budget cycle several new TA positions to meet this increase in demand.  Twelve new TA positions (four for each of the three three distinct programs) should meet the demand over the next 12-15 years.

With an increase in qualified, teaching graduate students, the burden on adjunct faculty will be lessened.  For example, rather than four of our valued adjuncts being overworked at 6 courses each semester, three or four advanced (second-year) graduate students could teach one or two credit-bearing courses.

This plan will be elaborated upon in the 2015-16 Strategic Plan and Budget proposal.