About mathematics at St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College has a strong mathematics program. Our faculty is dedicated to developing the mathematical talents of every student. Several of our six full-time mathematicians have received the College's award for outstanding teaching. St. Norbert's math curriculum includes an assortment of courses to meet the needs of a variety of students, from those looking for immediate employment as educators or actuaries to those going on to graduate studies. As a result, the math program has attracted more than its share of students—the percentage of St. Norbert math majors is about three times the national average. We average about 15 math graduates each year.
Our program is successful, in part because we encourage students to become engaged outside the classroom. The math faculty helps interested students identify mathematical questions, develop solutions and present their findings at regional and national conferences. We have a very active chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon (PME), a national undergraduate honorary math society. St. Norbert College has had students giving presentations at national PME meetings more consecutive years than any other college.
In addition, since 1986, the St. Norbert chapter has hosted its own annual regional PME conference. The interaction between math students and faculty extends into other areas. They collaborate for the Math Club's annual high school math contest. Some students become teaching assistants, working with faculty while assisting other students.
Why study mathematics?
Mathematics is a discipline and art that is elegant and challenging, requiring ingenuity as well as logic. First of all, mathematics is a fascinating study in its own right. Based upon pure reasoning, it has a permanence not found in other fields—the Pythagorean Theorem is as valid now as it was thousands of years ago. However, far from being an exercise in cold computation, mathematics is a creative endeavor. It deals with real numbers as well as complex numbers, three dimensions as well as infinite dimensions (even fractional dimensions).
Mathematics is relevant in today's society. Its properties and methods are used to address and solve a myriad of real-world problems. It has applications in everyday life as well as a wide variety of fields such as physics, business, art, chemistry, music and economics. With its combination of imagination and formal logic, a major in mathematics helps prepare students for careers in education, actuarial science, engineering, computer science and law.
Faculty Position Opening
St. Norbert College is currently accepting applications for a full-time tenure-track mathematician. See
here for details and application information.
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