Mathematics Departments in the 21st Century: Role, Relevance, and Responsibility

It is a great privilege to be asked to give a lecture named for Jim Leitzel. Jim and Joan were both members of Ohio State's Department of Mathematics for 25 years. They left Ohio State in 1990, but their influence on our mathematics department and university is still felt in significant ways today. Joan's leadership of the University of New Hampshire and, more generally, in higher education, is a source of great pride for Ohio State. Jim Leitzel is well remembered at the university and throughout the mathematics community for his deep interests in students, his concern with teaching undergraduates, especially future mathematics teachers, his incredible work ethic, his outstanding scholarship, and his dedication to mathematics education reform. After seeing too many ill-prepared students coming to college, Jim accepted the job of coordinating Ohio State's master's program for teachers of mathematics. And in 1994, to improve the teaching of mathematics at the college level, he co-founded the outstanding Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching). Among other things, this program links mathematics professors from across the country as a way to form support groups and share information about mathematics education. What an incredibly rich and balanced career Jim had! Balance. That's a concept to keep in mind as we consider the external forces bearing down on today's mathematics departments and the actions departments must take in order to survive in anything like the form they enjoy today. It may seem a bit extreme to use a word like survive in talking about mathematics departments, which tend to be among the largest on most college and university campuses. But I don't think so. With declining enrollments at all levels in many departments across the country, it will be increasingly difficult to justify their size. Mathematics departments must find new ways to contribute as the Information Age places new demands on our universities. Before proceeding with this topic, I want to offer two disclaimers. First, my experience as a mathematician has been exclusively at research-intensive universities. So, my comments are skewed toward this environment. This happens to be where, I believe, we have some of our greatest challenges. So, I apologize in advance to those who work in teaching-oriented departments if my comments seem less relevant to your circumstances. Second, I still have a great love for mathematics and for the company of mathematicians. But I have been removed for too long from the world you live and work in on a day-to-day basis. From that perspective, it's a bit presumptuous of me to be offering advice to you. On the other hand, sometimes an outsider-in this case a very empathetic outsider-can foresee issues, problems, and opportunities from a fresh perspective that can be helpful. One of the challenges for a university president is the following two-fold assignment: First, understand the larger societal forces that will affect higher education in the next few decades. And second, work with faculty to adapt to these changes and use them to advance the purposes of the university.