Mathematics and Computer Science

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science has adopted the following mission statement.

The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics.

-Galileo

The mathematical sciences comprise some of the most significant aspects and achievements of human culture, valued for their intrinsic beauty as well as for their many interdisciplinary applications and practical contributions to human welfare.

The mission of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is to integrate teaching and research in the areas of mathematics, computer science, and mathematics education so as to create a vital and diverse intellectual community dedicated to the study and further development of these subjects, both in departmental degree programs and in service to other academic majors.

In particular, this mission entails:

• Fostering a genuine love of learning in our students;
• Developing the capacity of our students to imagine, visualize, think creatively, and reason with logical rigor;
• Enabling our students to construct mathematical models of physical, biological, and social processes and to implement these models computationally;
• Providing a strong general foundation in the mathematical sciences in addition to the essential knowledge specific to each student’s chosen area of study and the practical knowledge needed for a successful and satisfying career;
• Inspiring the next generation of mathematics teachers at all levels of education and providing them with the pedagogical acumen, as well as the deep mathematical insight, that they need to further the development of mathematical understanding in others;
• Sharing knowledge of our discipline with the larger community through conferences, colloquia, and other forums;
• Contributing new knowledge of high quality in the areas of mathematics, computer science, and mathematics pedagogy.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The department's mission, through its formal mission statement and all its programs -- undergraduate and graduate -- is to inspire, by instruction, by inspiration, and by example, a true love of learning, of inquiry, and of careful and logical reasoning.  All these are central to the university's mission.  The size of our programs makes personal connections not only possible but inevitable.  We sponsor two conferences on campus each year.  A variety of student activities -- Math Energy, Math Club, Kappa Mu Epsilon, Student Problem Solving Team, Student Programming Team, presentations at national and regional meetings -- are driven by the cooperative energy of students and faculty.  This is viewed by our culture and by our Departmental Criteria as central to the mission of the department.

Whom does the program serve?

The program servers the entire undergraduate student body at Eastern,  faculty  within the department and across campus, the local community and educational endeavors across the state and beyond.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

The program provides four undergraduate majors and two graduate degrees.  At our heart we feel this is our primary service to the institution.  In the tradition of Eastern's roots as a Normal School, the preparation of teachers at all levels is our principal endeavor.  Graduates of our programs teach in high schools across the state, in many of Illinois' Community Colleges and in two- and four-year institutions across the country.  

As far as raw person-power is concerned, our greatest service to Eastern is our support of the  mathematics general education requirement.  We provide courses, for those with minimal high school background, that expose them to a variety of ways in mathematics appears and is used beyond the typical high school experience.  We also provide service courses for other majors -- business, technology, the sciences, etc. -- that want particular mathematical preparation for their majors.

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

The program is among the oldest at Eastern. Given that the study of mathematics has been central to virtually all formal education in the history of civilization this is not at all surprising. Edson Taylor was the first Professor of Mathematics and the first Eastern faculty member to hold a doctoral degree. During the period from 1895-1945 it is not surprising that the professional expertise of the faculty was primarily in Mathematics Education and the program concentrated on the preparation of secondary and elementary teachers. The hiring of Lawrence Ringenberg from the University of Maryland in 1946 provided national visibility to our programs and marked the beginning of a slow but steady broadening of course offerings to include higher mathematics and eventually computer science.

Ferrel Atkins graduated from Eastern in 1945 and went to the University of Illinois and then the University of Kentucky where he earned a PhD on Mathematics in 1950. I believe he was the first Eastern Mathematics graduate to earn a doctorate. In 1958, Dr. Atkins retuned to Eastern, from the University of Richmond, as a professor of mathematics. In 1959, we hired Dr. Alphonso DiPietro from Wheeling College in West Virginia. These two faculty were instrumental in bringing first computing and then an actual computer to Eastern. In the early 1970s Dr. Atkins orchestrated the approval for a major in Computational Mathematics -- essentially the first computer science major at Eastern. By the end of the 20th century this major's name was changed to Mathematics and Computer Science to reflect how its focus had evolved to meet the great changes in the field.

When Eastern first began offering a Masters of Science in Education, the Mathematics Department was one of ten offering graduate courses for the ``continued cultural and intellectual development" of degree candidates. When the University was authorized to offer Master of Arts degrees, Mathematics, History, and Music were the first programs to offer that degree. Subsequently we have strengthened the pure mathematics offerings, added options in Secondary Mathematics Education and finally Elementary/Middle Level Mathematics Education.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

As outlined in the history section, the department has modified and added to its programs over the last 100 plus years to adapt to the changing mission of the university and the nature of the fields it studies. This includes: creating courses for the Masters of Science in Education; developing a Master of Arts program; creating a Computer Science program that has itself evolved from one using IBM Mainframe programming in support of scientific computation to one graduating 21st century programmers and system analysts; adding general education courses to support this university program; and creating summer graduate programs for inservice teachers. As the state moves toward implementing the Common Core in mathematics throughout the school systems, we are currently discussing how we will adapt our own program for Teacher Certification to best prepare those students to handle this when they move into their own classes.

Over twenty years ago we began our Challenge of the Week program to encourage student activity in creative activity in mathematics. This has led to increased independent studies in mathematics, a course for undergraduate research, and finally our Departmental Honors Program. The Challenge of the Week Program continues today -- complete with an endowed account at the Foundation to support cash prizes for the challenge winners.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

The educational mission of the department, especially its commitment to rigorous inquiry, have always been at the heart of this universities enterprise.  As the focus and mission of the university has changed over the last 100 years, the department has changed as well.  Now, as the Common Core Standards are being implemented across the State, our faculty are not only leading the discussions within the department on how we should best adapt to this, they are providing guidance for programs in the College of Education and Professional Studies and for schools and school boards in many neighboring districts.  This is the kind of leadership we have always provided.

With much of the program's teaching done at the 1000-2000 level, there is a tendency to view this as material that can be taught by Unit B faculty, saving the University money.  This is a short-sighted view of the role of general education and the value of a dedicated and professionally trained faculty to the department, to the university as a whole and in particular to the general education and service courses we provide for other majors.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in the number of majors, minors, options, and concentrations.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in student credit hour (SCH) production, percent of SCHs that are general education, and percent of SCHs that are taught to non-majors.

What elements of the program’s curriculum are offered specifically to support other academic majors, minors, options, and concentrations?

A significant portion of our course offerings are in support of other parts of the university.  

We teach 1000 or more students each year in MAT 1270 (which does not count toward graduation) and MAT 1271.  These are remedial courses, taken only by students who have inadequate mathematical preparation for the further study they need in other disciplines.  We do have the occasional student who takes one (or both) of these courses and goes on to be a mathematics major but these comprise fewer than 1% of the students in these courses.

We teach about 7000-800 students each year in MAT 1160 and 1170.  These are courses satisfy the mathematics general education requirement for the university but have no prerequisites.  They are not taken by mathematics or computer science majors.

We have five general education classes -- MAT 2110, 2120, 2250, 2190, and 2290 -- that are required of other majors.  These service courses are not taken by mathematics or computer science majors.  They provide mathematical background other departments need for their courses or programs.  MAT 2190 and 2290 are honors sections we provide in support of the University Honors Program.

Perhaps our most significant service role is in support of the Elementary and Middle Level Education and Special Education programs.  We provide both content (MAT 1420, 2420G, 4920, and 4810) and mathematics methods (MAT 3420 and 3620) course for these programs.  Eastern is one of very few teacher preparation programs where the elementary and middle level mathematics methods courses are taught in the mathematics department and not in the school/college of education.  This is a long tradition here and we have always been able to use that to recruit outstanding mathematicians and mathematics educators to the faculty in support of this.

Of course, many of the science majors have a greater mathematics requirement.  Several of the courses in our major programs -- from calculus to differential equations and computer science -- are required by one or more majors in the College of Sciences.  Students in those programs certainly enrich our courses and our faculty generally provide a perspective on mathematics as well as on other sciences that enhances the overall intellectual experience for other majors.  These courses are not specifically in support of those majors, however.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

With a large service commitment, our overall enrollments tend to ebb and flow with the size of the undergraduate body.  Recently elementary education has become a significantly less attractive field for many young people and hence  the demand for those service courses has fallen more dramatically.  On the other hand, Communication Disorders and Sciences just learned that their accrediting agency is now requiring Elementary Statistics (MAT 2250) for all CDS majors.  This has already resulted in those enrollments leveling off faster than the university population.  We suspect modest increase in demand as this requirement works through the system.

A look at the number of majors show all areas except Teacher Certification actually leveling off or rising slightly in Fall 2013.  The department is embarking on several initiatives aimed at raising the visibility of the Computer Science major.  This is a field where BLS reports continually predict increased demand for high-starting-salary positions.  You can see modest gains in the number of majors in this program over the last two years and we expect that to continue.

List relevant data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) New Graduate Salary Survey, and the EIU Career Services Annual Report.

From 2010 to 2020, the BLS predicts an overall increase in employment of 14%.  In light of this, the predictions for job growth in the areas where our graduates typically look for jobs are:

• Mathematician 16%
• Actuary 27%
• Computer Systems Analyst 22%
• Computer Programmer 12%
• Software Developer 30%
• Middle School Teacher 17%
• High School Teacher 7%
• Post-Secondary School Teacher 17%

All except High School teaching and Computer Programmer are well above the national average.  The BLS report of secondary school teaching does not break things down by discipline but it does specifically say, "..many schools report having difficulty filling teaching positions for certain subjects, including math, science (especially physics), ...".

While "computer programmer" job growth is only predicted to keep pace with the national average, the other job categories our graduates often move into are well ahead of this rate.  The BLS report on Job Outlook for Computer Programmers does state, "Job prospects will be best for programmers who have a bachelor's degree or higher..." which fits our graduates.

The NACE survey of Starting Salaries by Academic Major lists Computer Science ($56,400)  and Mathematics (449,700) as the two highest starting averages among Math and Science Majors (Architecture, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math/Statistics, Physics).

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

 There is no accrediting agency for Mathematics programs.  The Mathematical Association of America does publish a Curriculum Guide for undergraduate programs and the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences publishes guidelines for "The Mathematical Education of Teachers."  We consult both of these documents when reviewing and revising curricula.  Members of the department have been involved in current revisions to the MAA's Curriculum Guide.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) does provide an accreditation for computer science programs.  Although ABET has an engineering focus it does have standards and accreditation for liberal arts programs.  We are currently not accredited by ABET and are not seeking such status.  There are only 6 ABET accredited computer science programs in Illinois and all are at schools with an engineering program.  We are working on revisions to the Computer Science major and have consulted the ABET guidelines.  No decision has been made as to whether or not we will seek ABET accreditation at the conclusion of this process.

Our Teacher Certification is accredited as part of the university's NCATE review.  In this process,  our Teacher Certification program was reviewed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.  The summary of their report states:

"Significant evidence was presented to indicate program improvement through use of assessment data. Included were steps taken in all three areas: content knowledge, professional and pedagogical knowledge, skill, and dispositions, and student learning.
Program is nationally recognized. The program is recognized through the semester and year of the institution's next NCATE accreditation decision in 5-7 years. The program will be listed as nationally recognized through the semester of the next NCATE accreditation decision on websites and/or other publications of the SPA and NCATE. The institution may designate its program as nationally recognized by NCATE, through the semester of the next NCATE accreditation decision, in its published materials. National recognition is dependent upon NCATE accreditation."

Eastern's overall NCATE accreditation (good through 2017) is available here 

http://www.ncate.org/tabid/177/Default.aspx?ch=106&state=il

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

We are required to report each year on the Teacher Certification program to the ISBE.  The College of Education and Professional Studies may get a more detailed report -- the only feedback we get from these reports is that we are in good standing.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

For the last 58 years the department has hosted a spring conference on the Teaching of Mathematics.  The principal attendees are elementary and secondary teachers from within a 50 mile radius.  This has become a traditional forum for the exchange of ideas among the professional mathematics education community (represented by faculty from Eastern and from other four-year schools) and inservice teachers from the area.

For at least the last 30 years the department has hosted the IHSA/ICTM Regional High School Mathematics Contest.  This event, on a Saturday in late February, brings several hundred high school students to cmapus to compete in a variety of mathematics "tests."

In 1997 Dr. Duane Broline, from our department, has created and administered a Student Mathematics Problem Solving Contest at the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Section of the Mathematical Association of America.  Although Duane retired some years ago, faculty in the department have continued to create the problems for this contest which has become a mainstay of the student portion of this yearly meeting with student participants from across the state.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

Along with our Annual Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics -- attended by many teachers from the Charleston and Mattoon schools -- mathematics education faculty regularly consult with individual teachers, with entire departments and with Regional Superintendents concerning mathematics curricula.  Our faculty are currently providing valuable perspective on the Common Core Standards as school districts and our own College of Education and Professional Studies try to cope with the implementation of these new guidelines throughout the system.

For the last several years, faculty from the department have run after-school mathematics programs for gifted and talented students at Carl Sandburg and Jefferson Schools in Charleston.

Rick Anderson has expanded his work on using Robotics in Elementary and Middle Schools to run summer day-camp programs in robotics and computer programming.

Patrick Coulton has coached the Charleston High School Chess Team for many years.

Teachers from a wider region take courses from us to upgrade their certification.  This is usually people with elementary certification (an generally also a job teaching elementary school) wishing to add an endorsement for Middle Level Mathematics.  To accommodate this we usually schedule our "MAT 3620 -- Teaching Mathematics 6-9" in the late afternoon/early evening.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

Mathematics (B.A.)

Significant Achievements that Document Quality/Improvement

Significant achievements that document support of VPAA and/or University goals

Integrative Learning Opportunities

Student Research/creative Activity

Faculty-student collaboration

Strategies to improve P-16 teaching and learning

External Partnerships

Pass rates on any professional/ occupational licensure exams

Faculty Achievements

Student Achievements

Mathematics and Computer Science (B.S.)

Significant Achievements that Document Quality/Improvement

Significant achievements that document support of VPAA and/or University goals

Integrative Learning Opportunities

Student Research/creative Activity

Faculty-student collaboration

Strategies to improve P-16 teaching and learning

External Partnerships

Pass rates on any professional/ occupational licensure exams

Faculty Achievements

Student Achievements

Mathematics (M.A.)

Significant Achievements that Document Quality/Improvement

Significant achievements that document support of VPAA and/or University goals

Integrative Learning Opportunities

Student Research/creative Activity

Faculty-student collaboration

Strategies to improve P-16 teaching and learning

External Partnerships

Pass rates on any professional/ occupational licensure exams

Faculty Achievements

Student Achievements

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

We received significant budget funds from the College of Science TRM funds during each of the last three budget cycles.  In FY11 we renovated a computer lab in Old Main with significant assistance from ATAC funds and from the College of Sciences.  This lab is currently used not only by our department but by at least five other departments for classes that need a computer lab.

We are currently receiving a small amount of operating money ($1000 per year for three years) for the overhead from a grant to Dr. Parwani from the Simons Foundation.  This will augment our operating budget.  We are also expecting a grant for personnel support for Mathematics Education faculty to travel to local school districts to help them with implementing the Common Core Standards in Mathematics.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

Over the last three years we awarded students an average of approximately $70,000 in scholarships from endowed funds.  Four of these scholarships are renewable.  We also received an average of approximately $15,000 in annual gifts.  The bulk of that money goes directly to increasing existing endowment funds or to student scholarships in the year it is donated.  We also use annual gifts in support of student travel to and participation in regional and national meetings. 

One of our small endowment provides prize money for our Challenge of the Week program -- where undergraduates are presented with regular mathematical puzzles and cash is awarded to the best solutions submitted.

Another fund provides support for the Math Club and KME executives as well as for some of their activities and for the annual scholarship banquet.

We do not use gift money for general operating expenses.  However, since our base operating budget is under $40,000 one would have to say that donor support provides a significant percentage of our overall funding -- exclusive of salaries.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

We have some key relationships with several types of external constituencies:

Regional and national professional organizations:

• Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) and its national body, NCTM: We almost always have a faculty member on the governing board; the School of Continuing Education actually does the administration for the large annual meeting; faculty in our department have been program chair for the last 5 years; several ICTM Presidents have been Eastern Mathematics faculty members; Math Energy is an SRO sponsored by the department and and NCTM affiliate; ICTM is one of the sponsors of our Annual Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics; ICTM is a sponsor of the IHSA Regional Mathematics Contest which we run here on campus each February.
• Illinois Section of the Mathematical Association of America -- ISMAA, and its national body MAA:  We have had a faculty member on the Board of the ISMAA for most of the last 15 years; we hosted the annual meeting in 2008; Peter Andrews was the Illinois Governor representing the ISMAA from 2010-2013; the department creates and administers the Student Problem Solving Competition at the annual meeting -- taken by 40-60 students from across the state; typically one to three faculty members speak at the annual meeting and several students attend for the talks and the contest.
• Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges --CCSC: Faculty and students regularly attend the annual meetings of both the Midwest and the Central Plains -- this includes faculty speaking at most of these meetings and students competing in the Student Programming Contests; we hosted the 2012 meeting of the Midwest Region

Regional institutions of higher education

• University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign: 
• LakeLand College
• Parkland College

Regional businesses

• State Farm:
• Caterpillar:
• Applied Systems:
• Archer Daniels Midland:

Through our very close relationships with the major professional organizations in Mathematics, Mathematics Education, and Computer Science we stay abreast of issues relating to the academic and pedagogical developments in our fields, we have some influence on how these are addressed by academic voices speaking for the state and region and we keep our institution on the minds of schools from (or to) which our students might transfer or enroll as graduate students.  This also provides a window for our students into a professional life in the profession beyond the campus borders.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

The Printing Account mentioned here is a purely incidental and minor account which was never designed to create significant revenue.  We maintain a UniPrint printing station for our two labs.  Students create use their Panther Card to pay for their printing.  This account is where the revenue from that printing is deposited and from whence the printer maintenance fee and paper purchased are paid for.  The small surplus this generates is used to provide a portion of the paper used in the main office for departmental and class-related copying.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

The department uses classrooms in Old Main.  Eight of these have a capacity of around 39, one of 27 and one of 12.  With an average undergraduate class size of 34 even in the lowest of these years, it is clear we are running the undergraduate program fairly close to capacity and that we have kept the number of sections down about as far as we can.  Classes in the upper-division major courses are certainly not full and we could easily accommodate more majors, the bulk of our students are in freshman and sophomore remedial, service, and general education classes where we are clearly about as efficient as we can be.  We have responded to lower enrollments across the campus not by making section sizes smaller but by cutting the number of sections we offer -- keeping classes full, leaving classrooms occasionally vacant, and decreasing the size of the faculty.

While we remain efficient, student credit hour production has dropped somewhat more than overall enrollment across the university.  This is largely a result of a larger than average drop in the number of students majoring in elementary education -- where we have a very large service commitment.

The student credit hours listed above do not agree with my calculations although the general trends are similar.  The figures i compute directly from 10th day enrollment are slightly lower but also level out in a more pronounced way over the last two years.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Excluding salaries, the department spent approximately $52,000,  $50,000, and $64,000 respectively in FY11, FY12, and FY13 on everything from copy paper to software licenses.  The FY13 figure is somewhat larger since we equipped two new faculty members with computers and, given additional TRM funds, we supported more student travel from operating funds (as opposed to gift funds).  It should be noted that in each of those three years our base operating budget was actually $38,157.75.  It is hard to imagine how we could run the department (with 32 faculty and student enrollment of over 4500) on this base budget.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

Some aspects of our programs that are distinct from those at other institutions:

• Summer graduate programs in Mathematics: there are very few such programs that are run in the summer specifically for inservice teachers; even fewer have such an emphasis active research -- we currently have completion of an action research project as a degree requirement.  Special mention should also be made of the summer program for elementary and middle level teachers.   There are certainly graduate programs for this clientele but few of them concentrate on mathematics and I don't know of any other program in Illinois that is run through the mathematics department, thus giving it much more emphasis on mathematical content.  These students also complete an active research project.
• The emphasis on teaching for our Graduate Assistants in the Mathematics graduate program: for Master's level programs, very few have their graduate assistants teach one or more sections of a regular course completely on their own.  Mathematics Education faculty provide a teaching orientation before our GAs take on a teaching assignment.  This includes an overview, specific discussion of the curriculum for the course(s) being taught  (these are almost exclusively MAT 1271 or MAT 1270) and video-taped peer teaching ssessions.  Many Ph.D.programs -- where GAs are in residence for generally at least four years -- run teaching programs but this is not common for Master's only institutions.  Since many of the graduates of this program pursue a career in community college teaching, this is a very valuable part of the program for these graduate students as well as for the university which benefits from the instruction provided.  
• The Mathematics for Teacher Certification program: virtually every four-year school in Illinois provides some avenue for a mathematics major to receive secondary certification either upon or shortly after graduation.  Our program is one of the most ambitious and effective in the state and possibly in the country.  Not only do 100% of our teacher certification majors pass the State's mathematics area content test (with over 92% passing on the first try) but our graduates are in high demand at secondary schools throughout the state.  Pedagogical issues are addressed not just in the Secondary Methods class but in several mathematics courses at all levels of the curriculum.  Because we teach both content and methods courses for all the elementary and middle level majors, we have, in the mathematics department, a larger group of Mathematics Education faculty than any other school in the state.  This has enables us to attract outstanding mathematics educators when we are recruiting for such positions and it supports those specializing in secondary teacher preparation in their professional development in such a way that they are among the most important members of our faculty.  This program certainly enhances Eastern's reputation for teacher preparation.
• The Computer Science program:  this degree is currently officially called "Mathematics and Computer Science" reflecting the fact that it requires much more mathematics than pretty much any other computer science program in the state.  This sets our graduates apart from those at even programs with major national prominence like the program at UIUC -- one of the most prestigious computer science programs in the world.  It is not that we pretend to compare ourselves to that program, but the increased mathematics background of our computer science graduates has enabled them to compete successfully against those from much larger schools for a wide variety of entry-level positions.  
• The close relationships between faculty and students:  the size of the program allows faculty to become very familiar with all our majors.  This forms lasting relationships both inside the classroom and out.  Since many of our graduates come from the Teacher Certification option, it is not unusual for them to consult with us about both academic and pedagogical issues after they graduate.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

• The shared computer labs we developed in conjunction with the College of Sciences and ATAC:  while we use these facilities primarily for the Computer Science program and to support mathematics courses, but we willingly share them with instructors from other departments in the College of Sciences and even from other colleges.  The labs are also used regularly by Human Resources, the Business Office, and other non-academic units.  The main reason these two labs work so well for such a variety of users is the innovative configuration -- primarily designed and implemented by computer science faculty in our department.  The scheme they have developed for controlled access, portable home directories and software maintenance have been so successful, we have expanded them so that most of the classroom computers in Old Main are now managed through this system, providing secure but controlled user access to anyone with an Eastern netid.  We have been able to adapt the lab configurations to accommodate a variety of academic uses from across the campus.
• Our general education programs, with their emphasis reasoning and deduction rather than simple computational skills, is an important part of the university's support of critical thinking.  It goes without saying that our major courses also stress clear and logical thinking. This is one reason mathematics majors consistently score at or near the top of the list in the Watson-Glaser tests each year.  
• Both computer science and mathematics faculty regularly provide basic consultation and advice -- and sometimes actual collaboration -- with faculty from across the campus.  This includes areas such as computer programming, computer algebra systems, and mathematical modeling as well as basic statistics.  The mathematics education faculty provide invaluable advice to the College of Education and Professional Studies as well as cooperating with their faculty and administration on several external grants over the last few years.  The work we are currently doing on committees that are addressing the implementation of the Common Core Standards are typical of this.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

The most prominent program-specific metric we have is the State Mathematics Content Area Test.  This test must be taken and passed before a student can obtain Secondary Mathematics Certification.  The College of Education and Professional Studies requires students to pass this test before they can be approved for student teaching.  Over the past 5 years, 100% of our Mathematics with Teacher Certification majors have passed this test -- with almost 95% of them completing this on the first try. 

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

The principal goals of the department are:

• Promote increased participation in undergraduate research and extra-curricular academic activities such as mathematics contests, programming contests, summer REU projects.
• Increase the visibility of the Computer Science program with the goal of raising enrollment without compromising the quality of the program.
• Increase tracking of performance in remedial programs.  The goal here is to improve both performance in these courses and in the subsequent courses for which they prepare students.
• Adapt the Teacher Certification major program to better align with what students will need to implement the Common Core Standards.
• Increase quality graduate applications and secure funding for at least two more Graduate Assistantships for the Mathematics graduate program.
• Take a more proactive role in recruiting undergraduate students -- both incoming freshmen and transfer students.
• Promote greater individual research projects for mathematics graduate students and consequently more masters theses.
• Increase the ratio of Unit A to Unit B faculty in the department, emphasizing those who display promise in engaging undergraduates in individual research and promoting faculty diversity wherever possible.
• Promote innovative use of mathematical software throughout the curriculum.  This will include working together to produce materials and providing time and resources for the early implementers.
• Secure a permanent funding source for maintaining at least one of the department's computer labs so that the Computer Science program will always have a first-class environment for both instruction and individual student projects.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

• A culture of academic rigor has always been at the heart of the the department's programs both for its majors and for its general education programs, with critical thinking the core of mathematical reasoning.  
• It is certainly our hope that better results in our remedial courses can only help retention and progress toward timely graduation.  In the best of all possible worlds we would not need to teach courses to university students that do not carry graduation credit.  However, as long as we admit students who need this material to succeed, we must do our best to instill in them the interest in and facility with clear mathematical thinking that will help them succeed.  We are committed to trying for this, opening to this clientele full access to the curriculum the university offers -- but it is far easier said than done!
• Continuing to produce secondary teachers with both a loyalty to Eastern and a commitment to improving their own instruction will not only benefit the State as a whole but should help us recruit quality students.
• The network environment we have created for the department as a whole, for the Computer Science program, and for our labs and integrated classroom computers provides a unique model for other departments and a testing bed for ITS as it advances technology access securely across campus.
• increased participation in both undergraduate and graduate recruiting will help maintain university enrollment at the desired levels, while increasing the quality of students at all levels.

What are the program’s two or three most promising opportunities that could help advance the university’s academic mission? Provide an estimate of additional investments or other costs required and additional student credit hours, revenue, or other resources generated.

1.  The most promising opportunity we have is the chance to revitalize the entire department by replacing retiring faculty with active and enthusiastic young mathematicians eager and equipped to engage our majors in individual research projects.  Not only do we have quite a few senior mathematics faculty who have just retired or will soon retire, but the current job market is such that, even with the financial condition of the state and the university, we can attract outstanding young faculty with amazing credentials.  Moreover, the emphasis on undergraduate education has definitely spread to mathematics faculties and programs large and small.  Most of the job candidates we have interviewed in the past four searches participated in research projects when they were undergraduates and many worked with undergraduates in such programs while assisting faculty when they were graduate students. For example, both the new Assistant Professors we hired to start in August 2013 already have two undergraduates working with them.   We need to replace the positions of recent and impending mathematics retirements with tenure track faculty not only to maintain the integrity of our programs but to move them to a new level of student involvement.  The confluence of a large number of retirements, a somewhat dwindling job market, and a large number of new Ph.D.s with not only fine academic qualifications but outstanding preparation for and interest in guiding individual undergraduates make this an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.  The cost of actively pursuing a significant number of new Assistant Professors in mathematics is quite small.  If new retirements are replaced as they retire (without waiting a year or two) the university actually saves money.  We are currently hiring such faculty at about $55,000 per year and retirees are leaving with salaries in excess of $90,000.   In the case of some recent retirements, we have hired Unit B faculty to pick up the teaching load -- but certainly not the courses taught but those leaving.  Some of those Unit B positions need to be converted back to Unit A.  This is  not a significant cost -- we are hiring new Unit B faculty in the low $40,000 range so the cost would be only about $15,000 per position -- and we should convert 3-4 of these positions (or replace retiring Unit B faculty with new Unit A faculty).
2. We are actively investigating on-line mathematics courses -- something we have not done at all so far!  We have faculty currently working on an on-line version of MAT 2250--Elementary Statistics.  This will not only improve enrollment (particularly in the summer) but will help support the all-online Nursing program where this course (or its transfer equivalent) is a graduation requirement.  The next course we hope to move partly on-line is our general education MAY 1160.  This will help support the on-line General Studied degree since it satisfies the general education requirement.  The graduate faculty is actively investigating a hybrid version of our Mathematics master's program -- where students would take one course per term for 4-6 terms during the academic year online and come to campus for 2-3 summers to take courses run in the traditional face-to-face manner.  We recently ran a similar hybrid program for local secondary teachers but for that we went to them (in that case it meant to Effingham) during the academic year for face-to-face courses.  It was quite successful, but it also provided a Master's degree for most of the potential "audience" within the area.  The proposed online version of this model would allow us to expand the recruiting area for such a program and should make it viable on a much more regular basis.  Neither of these programs will have any significant startup or development cost beyond our usual budget.  They would only require additional staff if they generate significant additional enrollment to justify it -- in which case the expansion would pay for itself.
3. Another no-to-low cost opportunity is the chance the implementation of the Common Core Standards affords us to examine and revitalize not only the Teacher Certification curriculum but the entire major offerings.  Of course, getting the Unit A faculty back up to its historical level but with younger mathematicians with more training in working one-on-one with undergraduates will greatly facilitate this!  See opportunity number 1.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.