Saturday, December 30, 2006
Douglas Faires is the driving force behind an effort to enhance math education.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- For the past two years, mathematics students at Youngstown State University received a record-setting five awards for "outstanding presentations" at the national MathFest competition.
That's the annual meeting of the Mathematics Association of America and Pi Mu Epsilon, the honorary national mathematics society.
Before YSU reached the unprecedented achievement of five awards for the first time in 2005, no college participating in the event had ever won more than three awards at a single meeting.
It's that level of excellence in mathematics that Dr. Douglas Faires wants to see maintained, and he's putting up a substantial amount of money to see that it is.
Math center
The retired professor of mathematics and statistics at YSU (he technically retired in July) is the driving force behind the creation of The Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics at the university.
The YSU Board of Trustees made it official earlier this month, voting to establish the center in recognition of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics' successful approach to education.
"It's been an idea of mine for a long time," Faires said.
He wants YSU students to be able to continue competing in programs for national awards and to get exposure beyond just the Mahoning Valley.
Many local YSU students are products of local high schools, and they don't often get the opportunity to get out and find out how good they are on the national and international scenes, Faires said.
They do extremely well in those competitions, he said, adding that he would like to continue getting them out of Youngstown to perform on a bigger stage, and then get them back to live and work here.
To maintain that effort will require a means to support it, Faires said, explaining the theory behind The Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics.
Financial help
Faires has been very philanthropic to Youngstown State University, said Paul McFadden, YSU chief development officer.
Faires is the author of a number of math textbooks, and proceeds from his work, to the tune of more than 100,000, have been given to the university, McFadden said.
That money will help endow the math research center which, in addition to helping students get to regional, national and international competitions, will also provide funds for student and faculty enrichment and perhaps a mathematics symposium, McFadden said.
The goal is to create an excellence in mathematics that goes beyond the classroom, he said.
Faires has been the principal investor in the project, but many of his former students are sending contributions of their own after finding out about the program, McFadden said. To date, funding has reached about 120,000, and more has been pledged, he said.
Faires, a 1963 graduate of YSU, said he initially came to the university because it was a convenient place to get a college education.
When he completed his undergraduate degree and left Youngstown to attend graduate school and then earn his doctorate, he found he had been very well prepared to continue his education.
He came back to YSU as an assistant professor in 1969 and stayed.
Faires has been a "deeply passionate" faculty member who wants to see the students in math and statistics continue to do well, McFadden said.
gwin@vindy.com