End of the Century (1986 - 1999)

The last fifteen years of the century were marked by two major adjustments to the mathematics curriculum. The first had been brewing throughout the 1980's as discrete mathematics was developing in the broader mathematical community. By 1986, the department had both Graph Theory and Combinatorics in the course line-up at the sophomore level. The major curricular adjustment outlined in the 1986-87 catalog required one of these discrete mathematics courses, and for the first time, offered students a separate tract for those interested in computer science. In addition, there was a new distinction program designed for students who wished to go beyond the minimal major requirements.

The major requirements as of 1986 were:

• Students had to take the normal calculus sequence, number theory, and one discrete mathematics course.
• For a major in mathematics, six more courses were required:
  1. Introduction to Mathematical Analysis
  2. Abstract Algebra
  3. one from an analysis group (including vector analysis, fourier analysis, differential equations and probability)
  4. one from an algebraic group (including advanced algebra, geometry, and theory of computation)
  5. two other upper level courses
• For a major with emphasis in computer science, eight more courses were required:
  1. Graph theory or Combinatorics
  2. Computer Science I and II
  3. Probability, Linear Algebra, and Abstract Algebra
  4. Two other computer oriented courses (e.g. Numerical Analysis)

For distinction, students needed to take linear algebra (now at the junior level), complex analysis, and one other senior level course. This was to followed in the senior year with a seminar on a topic chosen by the student.

From the late eighties through the early nineties, the department continued refining and enhancing the course selections. Once again an honors calculus course made an appearance and lasted for a respectable 8 years. Computer science continued its development with a course in the analysis of algorithms, computer graphics, and operating systems. Finally, the history of mathematics reappeared in the curriculum first as a topics course taught by a mathematician and a professor of classics (later by a professor of music), and then as a regularly supported course.

And then there were some innovations. Professor Merrill introduced a semester long seminar course which students took in addition to their regular block courses. The seminar course was designed to help students learn some interesting mathematics by reading original papers drawn from current journals. Professor Watkins utilized graph theory to introduce students to the practice of mathematical research. In the new course, Research in Mathematics, Watkins selected unsolved problems that perhaps were accessible to undergraduate students.

A departmental review in 1994 by visitors from other mathematics departments led to the second major curricular adjustment in this period. The primary recommendation by the visiting review committee was that students take a two-block sequence that allowed more depth in a single mathematical area. What followed in 1995 was the requirement that mathematics students take one of three two block (not necessarily contigous) sequences: Analysis I and II, Algebra I and II, Probability and Mathematical Statistics. Students pursuing computer science had to take either Theory of Computation or Analysis of Algorithms giving some further depth to their theoretical computer science experience. Completing this adjustment in the curriculum were a few minor changes that returned linear algebra to the sophomore level and promoted graph theory to the junior level.

The list of courses for the 1999-2000 academic year was essentially the same save for the formal addition of a few courses that had been taught as topics courses: Object Oriented Programming, History of Mathematics, Mathematical Models in Biology.