Minutes for Math Issues Committee 
December 3, 2004
Memorial Hall, Nutmeg Room, CCSU

   
The meeting convened at 11:00 a.m.
 
Present:  Pat Hirschy (Asnuntuck), Kathy Herron (Capital), Miguel Garcia (Gateway), Diane Hillyer ( Manchester ), Elaine Dinto ( Naugatuck Valley ), Larisa Alikhanova (Three Rivers), Jean-Marc Cenet (Tunxis)
 
A surprise guest, Lily, delighted the group from 10:30 until shortly after the meeting convened; thanks so much to her mom for introducing her to us—we wish them both the best!
 
Minutes from the November 12, 2004 meeting were approved.
 
MATYCONN issues/notes—
Pat suggested that, since the spring 2004 MATYCONN Newsletter featured the system’s long-time MATYCONN members who were retiring, the upcoming issue might include articles on new faculty hires. New math faculty at the schools represented at the meeting include Capital’s Andre Freeman, Gateway’s Rachael Schettenhelm and Derrick Moore (1-year temp ), Manchester’s Jana Sime, James Morgan, and Sonja Gayles, Naugatuck’s Debbie Litwinko, and Three Rivers' Max Wentworth (1-year temp). Elaine will check with Housatonic, Middlesex, Norwalk, Northwestern, and Quinebaug Valley for additions to this list.
 
Changing the usual time frame (afternoon through dinner) for the spring MATYCONN meeting was also discussed. While all recognize that some faculty members teach on Fridays, everyone present liked the idea of starting and ending the next meeting/workshops earlier in the day. Another suggestion was to look into the possibility of offering CEU’s for future professional development workshops, and inviting ATOMIC members to attend the events. Tentatively the spring 2005 meeting will be held at Manchester on April 29; Elaine will contact Barbara Paskov regarding this.
 
Statistics transfer to UConn—
There has been no response to our 11/17/04 letter regarding system assistance in setting up a meeting between CC Math faculty and a representative from the UConn Statistics Department. Diane reported that Barbara Paskov contacted Kate McLaughlin, a recent retiree from the Math Department at Manchester who has taught similar Statistics courses at both Manchester and UConn for many years. Kate has volunteered to be a liaison for Math Issues and UConn. Pat or Elaine will contact Kate; in the case that she is unable to attend the first Committee meeting of 2005, Pat and Elaine volunteered to meet with Kate at her convenience. The group decided to begin with our new common numbers and work backwards from there. We will request that Kate go back to the UConn Statistics Department to get specific questions answered concerning their interests, including the following: (1) What prerequisite is needed? (2) What specific content is necessary? (3) Is there a specific number of credits that they deem essential? (4) Must the course be technology based? If so, is there a specific type of technology/software required?
 
Tech Prep—
Elaine requested that if members had not already contacted their Deans, through the Department Chairs, if appropriate, with the recommendation that came out of the System-wide Professional Day held at Naugatuck Valley on September 24, 2004, that perhaps it is not too late to do so.

Recommendation — Mathematics faculty recommend that Tech Prep credit for mathematics courses be granted to students only if the students demonstrate proficiency in those courses in a manner determined by the mathematics department at the granting community college.

The group asked that she send each of them an email; perhaps the college Presidents should also be contacted.
  
The Pathways Program idea was put on hold until the next meeting.
  
Other—
Pat briefed the group on a session from the AMATYC Conference in Orlando in November that she particularly enjoyed concerning self-directed learning. While the Connecticut Math Curriculum Frameworks is very thorough regarding content for K-12, questions came up of how each district may implement the Frameworks, and whether the State Department of Education also has a document addressing other aspects of student development such as self-directed learning and personal responsibility. Due to the rise in cost of attending 4-year universities, many community colleges are seeing an increase in student population in the 18-19 year old age range, and in conjunction with this are now facing behavior issues that did not previously exist. Pat will be on sabbatical in the spring semester; her project includes meeting with Math Department personnel from her service area in an effort to smooth the transition from high school to college.
 
The idea of a Math Honor Society for high school and college students, where students must have taken a minimum of one course beyond Intermediate Algebra, was discussed. Also the idea of a Math Club, for students who might not yet be eligible for a Math Honor Society; there are NSF materials available regarding this, including sample problems to challenge students who could then give presentations on their findings.
 
Meeting dates for the spring 2005 semester are January 28, February 25, April 1, and May 13. 
  
Agenda items for the next meeting include AMATYC Conference reports from participants, Pathways Program, UConn stats transfer, and the upcoming fall 2005 CSU/UConn/CC/High School Conference.
 
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
 
Respectfully submitted by
Elaine Dinto