A recent survey by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACUE) has revealed that over half the high school students surveyed said no one advised them about what mathematics courses to take or about the impact these courses would have on their future opportunities. Failure to take appropriate mathematics in high school effectively closes the door to a large and growing number of high-paying and personally rewarding careers. The Mathematics Department is dedicated to the education of future mathematics teachers, and to increasing the awareness among secondary school students of the importance of mathematics to future career choices.

To many, mathematics is a dry and difficult subject - an unfortunate consequence of an all too common approach of teaching mathematics in isolation from the exciting and profound experiences that have made mathematics such an enduring and constantly evolving discipline. The St. Mary's Mathematics Department is dedicated to creating a teaching, learning, and scholarship environment in which mathematics can make a contribution not only to vocational needs, but also to the intellectual and spiritual needs of our students and our community.

Mathematics is more than just the theory of numbers. It provides the essential tools from which a quantitative understanding of our world is made possible. Moreover, the language of mathematics is truly a universal language, transcending ethnic, societal, and national boundaries. Finally, mathematics is truly a critical filter, opening doors to exciting and high paying careers in business, government, teaching and research.

The Mathematics Department shares in the rich 3,000 year tradition of mathematical study and research in which the human mind has sought Coleridge's "beauty as unity in diversity." Indeed, modern mathematics provides the essential paradigm within which a quantitative understanding of our world is made possible. Moreover, mathematics is the exemplar of a human endeavor that truly transcends ethnic, societal, and national divisions - the language of mathematics is the same in every country, regardless of national tongue.