Indiana Section of the Mathematical Association of America
Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics

Citation to

Jeffrey Watt

The Indiana Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics annually recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of Section members who have been identified as extraordinarily successful teachers in the mathematical sciences and whose teaching effectiveness has been shown to have had influence beyond their own institutions.

This year’s recipient is an excellent classroom teacher who has taught over 25 different classes at his institution, ranging from freshman courses such as finite mathematics to upper level courses such as abstract algebra and the history of mathematics. He has performed brilliantly in the capacity, having won six different teaching awards from his institution. According to one of his annual reviews, our recipient “is the finest example of a faculty member… He devotes much of his time and efforts to our students and the advancement of their education. His drive for excellence in all areas of faculty engagement sets him apart as an educator, making him a highly valuable asset for our university.”
The key to our recipient’s teaching success is his ability to engage students, even in large sections, in discussions of the concepts that must be inculcated and how these concepts relate to other disciplines. His students write that he is “exceptional…able to relate on a one to one level in a class of 300,” and that “rarely does an instructor exhibit mastery…, effective teaching style, [and] ability to make the class interesting” like our recipient.

Our recipient’s influence is diverse and extends well beyond classroom teaching. As a direct result of his efforts, our recipient’s department has tripled its yearly number of graduates over the last seven years. He founded a high school math contest in which 400 students participate yearly. He is a university consultant for the Indiana Department of Education on K-12 mathematics, gives workshops for in-service K-12 teachers during the summer, and is a participating in a new program to train math teachers through the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teacher Fellowships.  He has run ‘Saturday Academy’ programs in math for high school students.

Our recipient is clearly deserving of our Section’s Distinguished Teaching Award. It is my privilege to present this award to Jeffrey Watt, of IUPUI.

Patricia Oakley, Chair
Indiana Section of the Mathematical Association of America
March 20, 2009