No Success Without Math 01

(Some ask me what it's like to be a STEM dean: what they do, who they work with, what inspires them, what are the challenges, and so on. This blog series tries to reflect and examine the many aspects of the job from my time at Minneapolis College during 2018-2024.)
​#SoYouWantToBeASTEMDean

A college cannot succeed without a good math department, and neither can a STEM dean. Math has remained one of higher education's greatest challenges for over fifty years, consistently ranking among the biggest hurdles to student success. General education math requirements stand as the primary obstacle to retention and graduation: recent research indicates that completing math requirements is an even stronger predictor of degree completion than English requirements or first-semester persistence.

Traditionally, efforts to help students succeed in college math have stemmed from a student deficiency mindset. These approaches focus on improving student preparation through developmental courses, remediating skills via increased learning support, or implementing strict placement measures that screen students into classes. While some interventions may show marginal improvements, others – especially when poorly designed – transform math from a challenge into an insurmountable barrier.

For decades, low success rates in college math appeared to be an unsolvable challenge, with little expectation that STEM deans and their faculty could address this persistent issue. However, the situation has evolved. Recent advances in curriculum design and pedagogical approaches have enabled certain institutions (like Minneapolis College) to achieve substantial improvements.

If your institution hasn't implemented comparable changes or seen similar improvements, your leadership will likely expect you and your math faculty to take action. Many states (like Minnesota and Washington) are also taking systemic actions. If you are a STEM dean in these states, successfully implementing these math reform initiatives could prove critical to both your college's future and your own career.

​(To be continued.)