Program Review for
Mathematics
1. The department continues to recruit and retain quality graduate students. The department reports an increase in the number of graduate students.
2. The department continues to support 6 graduate student teaching assistantships.
3. The computer lab improvements provided a better teaching/research environment.
4. Recently added emphasis on statistics attracted most of students.
1. Lack external research funding. Two new faculties to be hired are expected to conduct research and seek external funding that would support graduate students and provide release/support for faculty.
2. Additional graduate teaching assistantships are needed to cover lab sessions (for the calculus sequence) and enhance the recruiting efforts.
3. Shortage of statistics faculty and applied mathematicians is presenting problems in supervising thesis/research projects and course offerings. The two faculty positions should alleviate such problems.
4. Number of students graduating is still relatively small. However, at least five students should receive M.S. degrees during 2004. The progress of graduate students toward has been hampered by a lack of graduate courses offered during the summers. (Only lower division courses were allowed except for a special topic or two).
1. Recruit two new faculty members who will strengthen the program in applied mathematics and statistics. The new faculty will be expected to work toward external funding and research.
2. Seek internal and external sources of funding to support students and conduct research. Seek collaborative research activities with the college of engineering and with other departments in the college of arts and science.
3. Provide additional graduate assistantships. Requests for funding of additional graduate assistantships will be made through the departmental IEP reports.
4. Continue work to recruit quality graduate students. Recruit local undergraduate students from TAMUK as well as from TAMU and UT universities. Continue to recruit international students from Taiwan and Latin America. Also, consider recruiting from India. Indian students seem to have no problems in obtaining visas, as it is evident from their ability to enroll in our engineering programs in large numbers.
Program recommendation: Recommend continuation of probationary/conditional approval status of M.S. Program in Mathematics through 2004. The program will submit a formal report in spring 2005.
Dean’s Comments:
Develop and implement a recruitment program that would set annual recruitment quotas sufficient to insure an annual graduate graduation rate of at least three students per year.
Reorganize the graduate course offerings in a way that would improve its graduate graduation rate.
Mathematics Graduate Program Review
Outcome Assessment Report
March 9, 2004
Recommendations made by Graduate Council:
1. Recruit two new faculty members who will strengthen the program in applied mathematics and statistics. The new faculty will be expected to work toward external funding and research.
2. Seek internal and external sources of funding to support students and conduct research. Seek collaborative research activities with the college of engineering and with other departments in the college of arts and science.
3. Provide additional graduate assistantships. Requests for funding of additional graduate assistantships will be made through the departmental IEP reports.
4. Continue work to recruit quality graduate students. Recruit local undergraduate students from TAMUK as well as from TAMU and UT universities. Continue to recruit international students from Taiwan and Latin America. Also, consider recruiting from India. Indian students seem to have no problems in obtaining visas, as it is evident from their ability to enroll in our engineering programs in large numbers.
Outcome Assessment:
1.Recruited one visiting faculty member in Statistics. Second position (departmental chair) was placed on hold by the Arts and Sciences Dean and a chair from outside the department but within TAMUK was appointed on an interim basis. The department is pursuing placing the visiting faculty member on tenure-track beginning in the 2006 academic year. The second position will be reassessed by the Arts and Sciences Dean at some point in the future.
2.The visiting faculty member, along with other departmental members, has actively pursued collaborative opportunities with the College of Engineering. A few faculty are involved with internally and/or externally funded proposals that include graduate student support. No other progress has been made in this area. Faculty are being encouraged to renew these efforts.
3.No progress has been made in this area. This is due to the interim chair's lack of knowledge to pursue additional support for graduate assistantships. This will be corrected in the upcoming academic year.
4.Faculty members in the department continue to talk to TAMUK undergraduates, as well as potential graduate students at College Station. International students remain the largest portion of the program, and current graduate students represent the best recruiting sources available to the department. New recruiting materials, including a poster advertising the graduate program, have been developed and will be disseminated throughout the state in the late Summer and early Fall. Additional travel support is necessary to enable faculty to attend graduate school fairs at other institutions.