Iowa Section of the MAA

Business Meeting

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Drake University

 

Mariah Birgen (Chair) called the meeting to order at 11:25am.

 

  1. Birgen extended the thanks of the Section to Larry Naylor and Drake University for hosting the meeting.  Birgen welcomed and introduced first time participants:  Neil Martinsen-Burrell (Wartburg College)
  2. Minutes of last yearŐs Business Meeting were approved without dissent.
  3. Murphy Waggoner (Simpson College) was elected Vice-Chair Elect.
  4. Karen Shuman, Treasurer, presented the TreasurerŐs report.  Birgen extended the thanks of the Section to Steve Willson (Iowa State University) for generously matching donations to the Competition fund; the total amount raised was $6800.
  5. Jim Freeman, Governor, presented the GovernorŐs report.  Thanks were extended to Birgen for serving as Chair for two years during the transition to the new executive structure.  Freeman reminded members to buy books; the Section benefits and the sale of book contributes to keeping MAA dues from rising.  Freeman announced the Distinguished Lecture Series, the 300th Birthday of Euler, PREP Workshops, the cycles of Strategic Planning, membership of the MAA (~24000) and retention (~93%), the solid finances of the MAA, the upcoming elections of President and First Vice-President of the MAA, and the upcoming meetings at MathFest (August 3-5, 2007) and the Joint Meetings (January 6-9, 2008).
  6. Birgen announced Cal Van Niewaal was elected Governor of our Section for the next three years.  Freeman was thanked for his service as Governor.
  7. Birgen presented Al Hibbard (Central College) and Bruce Sloan (Simpson College) with certificates celebrating their respective 25-year MAA memberships.
  8. Birgen announced the student speakers at the Meeting and presented faculty of their institutions with certificates to give to the students.
  9. Birgen extended the thanks of the Section to Mark Mills (Central College) and Cal Van Niewaal (Coe College) for their respective service in the positions of Information Director and Liaison Coordinator.  The new Information Director will be Al Hibbard (Central College) and Monica Meissen (Clarke College) will be the new Liaison Coordinator.  In order to stagger the terms of these two positions, Hibbard agreed to serve as Information Director for two years; MeissenŐs term is three years.
  10. Ruth Berger (Student Competition Coordinator) announced the results of the 13th Annual Iowa Collegiate Mathematics Competition.  The award for first place was presented to Drake University.  The competition trophy will reside at Drake University for the next year.  Thanks were extended to Grinnell College for hosting the Competition and to Mark Mills for posting information on the Section website.
  11. Birgen led a discussion of the timing of the Competition.  This year it was scheduled in the spring; care was taken to schedule it around the Section Meeting and SimpsonŐs Midwest Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium.  Discussion of moving the Section meeting to the fall to allow greater flexibility in scheduling the Competition around the various times of spring break ensued.

    Moved (Weber, Goodman seconded):  The Chair of the Section will form a committee to investigate moving the Section meeting from Spring to Fall.  The committee will list pros and cons of such a move; information will be compiled and posted in the Fall 2007 Section Newsletter.  Members will vote to move the Section meeting to the fall by November 1, 2007.

    Motion passed by consent.

  12. Murphy Waggoner reported on the 2007 Midwest Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium.  The Symposium is funded by a grant from the NSF through the MAA.  There were 95 attendees at this program designed specifically for undergraduates.
  13. Birgen announced there were no nominations for the Section Teaching Award.  Birgen encouraged members to not only nominate faculty in their own departments, but to also consider nominating colleagues at other institutions.
  14. General Announcements
    1. The ASA meeting will be Wednesday, April 18, 2007, at Grinnell College.
    2. Freeman encourage members to contact him if they are taking students to MathFest so that professors could coordinate some joint events with students at other institutions in Iowa.
    3. Freeman asked members to contact him if they will have students doing summer research in Iowa, not necessarily through an REU program, so that professors can coordinate some social events for the students.
    4. Brian Birgen (Wartburg College) announced the first pre-conference workshop of Iowa Section NExT was held Friday, April 13, 2007 at Drake University.  Members were asked to encourage pre-tenure faculty to apply to Iowa Section NExT and to attend the workshop at next yearŐs meeting.
  15. Registration and Exhibits will close at 4pm.
  16. Lunch locations were briefly announced.
  17. Meeting was adjourned at 12:25pm.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Wendy A. Weber

Secretary

4-14-07