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The Mathematical Association of America

Rocky Mountain Section


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Rocky Mountain MAA

What is the Award?

In 1991, the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America established Section Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics to recognize extraordinarily successful teachers of mathematics at the post-secondary level. The Rocky Mountain Section Award is named in honor of Burton W. Jones, a lifelong advocate of excellence in teaching and strong supporter of the MAA. More about BW Jones

Each year, a four-member Award Selection Committee chooses an award recipient from nominations made by the section membership. Recipients are outstanding teachers who foster student excitement about mathematics; simply being nominated is an honor. Nominees and their nominators receive complimentary meeting registration at the Section Meeting (including banquet fees for awardee and awardee's nominator). All nominators also receive a certificate of appreciation in recognition of their efforts to promote excellence in teaching.

The awardee is honored with a certificate and $271.82 honorarium at that year's Section Meeting, and is invited to deliver the opening lecture at the following year's Section Meeting. This individual also serves a one-year term on the Award Selection Committee and becomes the Section Nominee for the MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics There will be at most three national recipients, each of whom will be honored at the national MAA meeting in January 2016 and receive a $1,000 check and a certificate.

Anyone is entitled to make a nomination, but nominations from chairs in departments of mathematical sciences are especially solicited. Self-nomination is not permitted. A previous nominee for this award who did not become a section awardee may be nominated again. 

Who can nominate?

Any member of the Rocky Mountain Section of the MAA may nominate any other member of the Section. Self nomination is not permitted.

Who is eligible for the Award?

The nominee must:
  • be a member of the MAA.
  • be a college or university teacher assigned at least half time during the academic year to the teaching of a mathematical science in a public or private college or university (from two-year college teaching through teaching at the Ph.D. level) in the United States or Canada.

    Those on approved leave (sabbatical or other) during the academic year in which they are nominated qualify if they fulfilled the requirements in the previous year.

  • have at least five years teaching experience in a mathematical science.

What are the selection criteria?

The nominee should:
  • be widely recognized as extraordinarily successful at the post-secondary level.
  • have teaching effectiveness that can be documented.

    "Teaching" is to be interpreted in its broadest sense, not necessarily limited to classroom teaching. It may include activities such as preparing students for mathematical competitions at the college level (e.g., Putnam Prize Exam or Mathematical Contest in Modeling), or attracting students to become majors or graduate students in a mathematical science.

  • have had influence through their teaching beyond their institution.

    "Influence beyond their own institution" can take many forms, including demonstrated lasting impact on alumni, influence on the profession through curricular revisions in college mathematics teaching with impact beyond your institution, and influential innovative books on the teaching of mathematics.

  • foster curiosity and generate excitement about mathematics in their students.

What is the nomination process?

A nomination form is available online as an editable document in MSWord, odt , or PDF format. It can be downloaded, edited and emailed; or it can be printed and filled in manually, and the paper document sent by ground mail. The form should be addressed to the Section Secretary-Treasurer.
 
A form can also be obtained from the current Section Newsletter, or from Department Chairs and MAA Departmental Liaisons, or from the Section Secretary.
 
The nomination form should reach the Section Secretary by 15 December 2016. After filing the nomination form, the nominator has until 15 January 2017 to submit a complete nomination packet, which includes:

  • narrative description of nominee's credentials, not to exceed five pages;
  • no more than three additional pages of evidence to document nominee's extraordinary teaching success;
  • as many as five letters of recommendation of no more than one page each, as follows:
    • Two from present or former students.
    • Two from the nominee's colleagues (one could be the department chair).
    • One additional letter from anyone qualified to comment on the nominee's extraordinary teaching success.

  For complete details on the nomination packet, please follow the directions provided on page 2 of the Haimo Nomination Form. The nominator should compile a complete dossier before submitting materials! Materials should be double spaced in 12 point or larger type size. Electronic submission is encouraged.