ÂÜÀòÉç

I am honored, thrilled, and deeply humbled to step into the role of Chair for our department. First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt best wishes to Joan Remski, our outgoing Chair, as she embarks on her new journey as Associate Provost at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Joan has been a formidable force in nurturing and leading our department over the past few years, especially through the tumultuous COVID phase. I am confident that she will thrive in her new position.

Post COVID years, we find ourselves facing multiple headwinds such as fluctuating student enrollments, financial constraints, and a general apathy towards liberal arts education. However, we are also brimming with new opportunities made available through technology like artificial intelligence, remote learning tools, etc. Our curriculum has undergone significant restructuring with the transition to a four-credit course system and more emphasis on practice-based learning.

Our department currently offers three undergraduate majors—Actuarial Mathematics, Applied Statistics, and Mathematics—each at different stages of development, from new to well-established. Additionally, we have a small graduate program in Applied and Computational Mathematics. Managing a department with programs at varying levels of maturity poses unique challenges. Graduates from our mathematics and statistics programs are making their mark in various fields, from information technology to law firms and hedge funds, with many contributing right here in our state. Furthermore, many of our students are pursuing master's and doctoral work at leading universities in mathematics, statistics, biostatistics, and other related fields. It is particularly gratifying to see our newest program, Actuarial Mathematics, thrive. Our students are successfully passing actuarial exams and securing internships and job offers at insurance companies and banks well before they graduate.

Our department has seen significant growth in research productivity, thanks to our recent hires and our increased emphasis on research. Over the past three years, we have secured over $2 million in grant funding, underscoring our growing recognition for excellence both on and off-campus. Our faculty members continue to receive awards, such as the Excellence in Teaching Award (Aditya Vishwanathan) and the Sister Mary Ambrosia Fitzgerald Mentoring Award (Yulia Hristova). Engagement in outreach activities has never been stronger—we now host one of about 40 NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates sites in the country, Math Corps site, Girls Get Math program, and Math Kangaroo exam site. In addition, our students participate in numerous competitions around the state.

Our primary motivation is fostering intellectual growth and social-economic mobility in our students, which will positively impact their communities. While challenges lie ahead, especially with budget constraints, these make our work even more important. I eagerly look forward to the upcoming academic year. Stay connected with us and visit the department whenever possible—we always cherish the opportunity to reconnect with our alumni and former colleagues.

Go Blue!