Departmental Goals
Essential to our mission is a curriculum which reflects contemporary standards in the mathematical sciences. Professional associations regularly review national curricular concerns and trends and make curriculum recommendations. In addition, the department undergoes periodic external reviews.
Goal I
The department will study the curriculum recommendations of professional associations and external reviewers and will modify programs and courses to reflect these recommendations, St. Cloud State University student needs, and departmental expertise and resources.
Effective teaching has always been a primary goal of our department. Our students, administrators, other faculty, and outside reviewers agree that departmental teaching is of a very high caliber. Limited resources, changing standards, and an increasing diversity in student backgrounds and goals create new challenges.
Goal II
The department will continue to make teaching excellence a priority.
Experience has demonstrated that success of students in mathematics courses is highly dependent upon their current mathematical knowledge (as well as their management skills, motivation, and priorities). Moreover, it is not possible to maintain quality standards of performance in a class that is populated with inadequately prepared students. Therefore it is imperative that we develop strategies which assure that students are prepared for success in these courses.
Goal III
The department will strive to improve the success rate of our students while maintaining quality standards of performance by refining placement and advising techniques, enforcing course and program prerequisites, and providing developmental and review opportunities for students with mathematical deficiencies.
Mathematics programs nationwide are experiencing problems in attracting and retaining qualified majors and minors. The health of our programs depends on high quality, motivated students.
Goal IV
The department will continue to develop and implement programs which attract and retain qualified students.
If the department is to meet the needs of today's mathematics students, our faculty need computing facilities which must be maintained and upgraded on a timely basis. It is important that faculty have the opportunity to develop expertise in using this technology.
Goal V
The department will continue to identify and will attempt to acquire computer facilities and other technology needed to support faculty and courses in our major and minor programs and in our service courses.
Teaching professionals within the region have traditionally looked to St. Cloud State University to provide both in service learning as well as opportunities for graduate study.
Goal VI
The department will continue to develop and maintain quality workshops, courses, and graduate programs in mathematics in order to serve teachers within the region.
The annual mathematics contest, the scholarship program, and the participation by department members on university committees and in community organizations are indicators of the department's commitment to the total university and to the communities served by the university.
Goal VII
The department will encourage faculty to provide services in and outside of the department.
Clearly the success of achieving the above goals depends directly upon the vigor, enthusiasm and expertise of the individual members of the department.
Goal VIII
The department will encourage faculty to pursue new ideas in mathematics through study, applied and/or theoretical research and the maintenance of professional contacts beyond our campus.
In the past, nearly ninety percent of the department's contact hours have been serving students enrolled in our courses to meet requirements of programs other than mathematics or mathematics education.
Goal IX
The department will continue to develop and maintain quality courses that serve other programs within the university. These include courses that offer opportunities for every student at St. Cloud State University to acquire mathematical competencies set by the general education requirements.
