Faculty Focus Friday is a Q&A series that highlights individual faculty members in various academic programs around Spalding University. Today’s featured faculty member is Jeremy White, Associate Professor of Mathematics in the School of Natural Science. Dr. White holds a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Louisville.
What do you like about working and teaching at Spalding?
I enjoy mathematics and how it’s a big puzzle with several pieces, which allows me to explain math in several different ways. I like interacting with students, and I enjoy presenting mathematics in an enthusiastic way to give students a positive experience. Additionally, the small class size allows me to see students progress and catch students who need additional help.
What is your academic specialty, areas of expertise or research?
My PhD is in Mathematics, and here at Spalding I teach fundamentals in the School of Natural Science. My research area is in Lattice Theory, which involves discrete mathematics, which deals with analyzing math structures.
Why is your college/school a good option for new students to consider as their major?
The sciences are an exciting area and lays a good foundation for all students. This could be beneficial for someone who is interested in the medical field, but it may be a longer path because it is a general degree. If a student is unsure but is interested in sciences, this would be beneficial especially if they were interested in medical school, dental school or physical therapy or another health profession. We try to prepare students to be successful in graduate school.
What is an interesting thing that you keep in your office?
I have an American bald eagle touch lamp that I received from running in a race. I used to be a runner, and I went to a race in Shelbyville and won my age bracket. Instead of an award, they laid out items on picnic tables and said to pick something, so I picked out this lamp.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Helping students make connections within mathematics is rewarding. For instance, oftentimes students just need to be shown math in a different way than what they were taught in high school to understand the material. For a lot of students, I may be teaching their last math class they will ever have to take, so maybe they will leave the math classroom without a bad taste.
At Spalding, we like to say, “Today is a great day to change the world.” How do you think your role at Spalding is helping you change the world or the world of your students?
I am hoping that students will not be afraid to ask questions because math is not easy. I want my students to know that I still have to work through problems just like they do. Everyone has to work through the early stages of math and work through the problems. Hopefully they leave feeling more confident about not just mathematics but other areas of study.