Career
Mathematics can be used to investigate problems in many disciplines, so it’s a powerful field to study. The interaction between mathematics and the physical sciences is what first drew me.
Professional Accomplishments
The most rewarding aspect of my faculty position at Mount Union is when graduates of our program return to campus to share their experiences with us. We have had several graduates recently who have gone on to graduate school to receive their doctorate degrees, so it’s very satisfying to see that the preparation that we’ve given to these students has been parlayed into advanced degrees.
Classroom Experience
My classroom is one in which the students feel at ease to ask and to answer questions freely. I would hope that each student would be involved in the classroom experience.
Interesting Research
The Department of Mathematics is always exploring ways in which our curriculum can be made relevant to today’s society. In the past few years, we have added a major in financial mathematics and implemented four different tracks for the mathematics major—education, applied math, statistics and pure math.
Best Part of the Job
As a faculty member at Mount Union, the primary focus of our job is the education of our students. So for me personally, I enjoy helping students learn a subject that many consider quite difficult.
Favorite Building
The Department of Mathematics has been housed in Tolerton and Hood Hall for each of my 18 years on campus, so naturally it is my favorite! We often teach classes in Chapman, KHIC and Bracy, but during the winter months, those would not be my favorite strolls across campus.
Providing Opportunities
Mount Union provides students many outstanding career opportunities that many other small colleges are not able to provide. While many smaller colleges offer the traditional liberal arts majors, Mount Union has recently developed a number of programs that are relevant to today’s societal demands in the health sciences. Our department now offers a degree in financial mathematics, just as our country struggles with the financial sector.
Fine Tune Your Career
The Department of Mathematics offers a number of different tracks in our mathematics majors which allows students to fine tune their degree to their career aspirations.