College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog

Nearly 490 public colleges and universities, including Michigan Tech, have signed a “Commitment to the Future,” pledging to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees by 3.8 million by 2025. That is a 60 percent increase over the number of bachelor’s degrees granted now.

The commitment, released at a national news conference on Oct. 2, includes pledges to reduce the time it takes to earn a degree, enhance academic quality and contain the cost per student of a college education. The initiative is led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

Read more at Tech Today, by Jennifer Donovan.

Michigan Tech has been identified by the Mathematical Association of America’s National Science Foundation project, “Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus,” as having one of the best calculus programs in the country.

During the initial phase, the researchers evaluated more than 200 college-level calculus programs in the US. In the second phase, which begins this fall, teams will visit the eight top programs, including Michigan Tech’s, to learn about what makes them successful.

More information about the project is available at
“Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus” .

Charles Wallace, associate professor in computer science, has agreed to serve as interim department chair computer science during the academic year 2012-13. Steve Carr, who served the previous two years, accepted a position at Western Michigan University.

“I am grateful for Chuck’s willingness to take on this new set of responsibilities, some of which fall under the heading of ‘thankless tasks,'” said Bruce Seely, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts.

Read more at Tech Today.

Michigan Tech has been named one of the top 100 universities in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine. The publication ranked Michigan Tech 63rd overall and 4th in the country for encouraging students to give service to their country through its [Air Force and Army] ROTC programs.

Read more at Tech Today, by Dennis Walikainen.

Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi has been appointed as the interim chair of the Department of Biological Sciences for the 2012-13 academic year, while the department conducts a search for a new chair.

According to Bruce Seely, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts, the college and the department are “borrowing” Joshi from the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science for the year to insure that the department continues the progress made over the past three years in revitalizing its program of graduate education and research.

Read more at Tech Today.

Dean Bruce Seely, College of Sciences and Arts, noted that other degrees at Tech also prepare students for work in the insurance industry beyond the computer technology arena. In particular, the actuarial sciences concentration in mathematical sciences opens doorways to another specialty sector of insurance and the financial services industries. Seely said, “Actuarial sciences is a good example of one of the strengths of Michigan Tech–our ability to provide targeted programs that meet real needs in our ever-changing society.”

Read more at Tech Today.

Math’s Actuarial Science Concentration Singled Out

“Our math department has been extremely responsive to industry needs with its outstanding bachelor’s degree program in actuarial science,” said Bruce Seely, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts. “Providing targeted programs to meet real needs is one of Michigan Tech’s unique strengths.”

Read more at Tech Today by Jennifer Donovan.