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The
Department of Mathematics will use its Selective Investment Award
to:
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Achieve a top-twenty ranking by 2010;
• Expand its graduate program by creating a small number of
fellowships;
• Improve its computing environment;
• Invest in mathematics education as a research area; and
• Recruit five senior faculty—two in fundamental mathematics,
two in
interdisciplinary mathematics, and one in mathematics education.
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Department
of Mathematics
The Department
of Mathematics bears the responsibility of grounding thousands of Ohio
State students annually in the basics of math so they can pursue degrees
in the sciences or engineering. Offering a core discipline, the department
teaches virtually every undergraduate on campus. According to department
Chair Peter March, the mathematics department is an important contributor
to a university's reputation.
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| Peter
March, chair |
"Mathematics is at the absolute core of education in the modern world.
If a university is going to be strong and prominent, it has to have a
strong mathematics department," March said.
For the past
several years, the department has been devoting much of its resources
and energy into improving the student educational environment. A proposed
senior faculty position in mathematics education research, which will
bring cutting-edge research to bear on mathematical learning, will expand
on that trend by further enhancing the educational program at the undergraduate
level.
The department also seeks to hire four other senior faculty members in
the areas of number theory, global analysis, mathematics and biology,
and mathematics and computing.
An expansion of the advanced degree program also is proposed. The department
plans to create a professional master's degree program, which recognizes
the growing need for instruction in the kinds of mathematics needed for
nonacademic jobs in the competitive global marketplace. To enhance its
existing doctoral program, the department plans to create a small number
of fellowships and to improve its computing environment.
Mathematics faculty hold a number of prestigious state and national fellowships
and titles, and have received numerous high honors in the field. Six assistant
professors, two full professors and one associate professor have been
hired in recent years. With its new hires, the department seeks to become
a top 20 program in the country within 10 years.
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