Math at SU

Congratulations to Kellie Forsythe on graduating with University Honors this spring.  Kellie was recognized at a special Honors Program Ceremony.  As part of the Honors Program, Kellie took honors interdisciplinary courses designed to show the overlap between various topics in the humanities, social sciences, art and science.  She also participated in a study abroad experience.  Kudos to Kellie on this fine accomplishment!

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”  – Henry David Thoreau

With best wishes to our graduates from everyone in the Math Department.

Notwithstanding its usefulness to society, Mathematics can be intimidating as an academic discipline for many college students. This is not surprising: a recent study found out that Mathematics is one of the hardest college majors as measured by the average GPA of students. Mathematics is also not among the common choices when picking a college major. Whenever I tell someone that I am a math major, they are often impressed, surprised and then curious (often in the same order). Here are some of the many reasons I give them for choosing to major in Mathematics:

• I enjoy working with numbers.
• A degree in Mathematics helps hone one’s analytical and problem solving skills which can then be of great value in many other career paths.
• Those who major in Mathematics can choose a variety of other academic disciplines in graduate school because of their superior quantitative skills.
• Recent job surveys and reports show that those who have math-intensive careers are not only paid very well, but also have a high degree of job satisfaction.

I am always willing to attract more people to our department by providing information about the value of a degree in this awesome discipline and also by sharing my own experiences. I encourage my fellow students to contact me at hzaheer@stevenson.edu for any questions or comments.

Math freshman, Chris Heeman, is having a great first year at SU.  He’s enjoyed his coursework and getting to meet many new people. This summer, he plans to work, vacation with his aunt, uncle and cousins at the beach, and enjoy the break from school.  He looks forward to new courses and new professors in the fall.