External Reviewers' Report
Department of Mathematics, Boise State University
Professor Loyce Adams, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Professor Steven Bleiler, Portland State University, Portland, OR
April 26, 2011
The Department of Mathematics and Boise State University are to be lauded for their
goal of developing into a Metropolitan Research University and Department of
Distinction. Towards that end, we make the following recommendations.
TO THE UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP:
Continue focused support for department developmental activities, including seed money
for project initiation, faculty release time for departmental and university initiatives, e.g.
outreach, along with staff and technical support for requests to external funding agencies.
Make explicit administration support for an increase in synergetic activities between
departmental research groups, allied area faculty in other departments and colleges, and
the broader Boise community.
A modest investment in a contemporarily equipped classroom to allow faculty to
introduce technology into their classes appears urgently necessary, along with a simple
cosmetic updating of the department's physical environment including the appropriate
changes to the public areas of the main office. More space for graduate student offices
should be considered.
TO THE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP:
Endeavor to create a culture of synergetic activity between the self-identified research
groups, including mathematics education and statistics, community involvement
including outreach to the broader academic and professional communities of Boise State
University, the City of Boise, and the surrounding region, with a fuller involvement of
the graduate and undergraduate student populations in the department's research and
community service enterprises. In our opinion, the department is blessed with an
extensive environment of opportunities and an enthusiastic faculty for this course of
action.
A specific opportunity to embrace synergetic activity and enormously benefit the
department concerns the issues surrounding Developmental Math, the quantitative
literacy reform in the new general education requirements, and outreach to other
departments with regards to student preparation. A further benefit could be obtained in
this area through the encouragement of the Mathematics Education faculty to become
involved from a research standpoint.
Enhance the involvement of the graduate and undergraduate students in the research
enterprises of the department. Further, encourage a greater cross-disciplinary literacy for
graduate and undergraduate students through greater participation in the seminars, both
local and regional, of the several research groups and participation in a regularly
scheduled departmental colloquia. These activities are suggested for the faculty as well.
Some specific examples of what could be done include:
Links to REUs across the nation on the department's website.
Culminating experiences in undergraduate classes such as the Capstone experiences that
are planned for Fall 2012.
A graduate student seminar (no faculty) is recommended in order to foster a culture
where graduate students present to each other as training for later presentations at faculty
inclusive seminars and local, regional, and national conferences. As a further service to
the graduate students, place clearly defined procedures, including deadlines, on the
department's website.
Encourage the collective updating of the Workload Policy to allow for more research
activity. Simultaneously, encourage outreach activities to faculty stakeholders in allied
area departments and the broader Boise State community in order to develop a more
clearly defined mathematical presence within that community.
With regards to instructional and curricular issues, encourage more explicit
communication with allied area departments, particularly, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Engineering, and Economics. Encourage flexibility in course design to better serve the
department's client base. Consider extending the curricular reform suggested as part of
the synergetic activity above to the Introductory Algebra and Trigonometry classes and
the Calculus and Statistics sequences to better reflect student preparation for client
departments. In particular, consider the earlier introduction of linear algebra topics, e.g.,
vectors and elementary vector algebra.
Enhance the teaching mentoring of the MS Graduate students. One mechanism could be
that the MS Graduate students be mentored to teach within the Calculus sequence by a
regular faculty (Course Coordinator for Caluclus) as part of their education instead of
teaching the MATH 143 course. As appropriate, first year graduate students can
be assigned to MATH 108, but as they gain experience, should be encouraged to take on
the Calculus sequence.
Encourage faculty connections with faculty in other departments and practitioners in the
broader Boise State community, e.g., local industry, government, K-12 educators, and
State of Idaho legislative and regulatory communities. Evidence appears to be present of
the beginnings of this activity arising spontaneously with the computational math faculty.
Seed money could be profitably employed to further and perfect this process.