Mathematics Department Statement of Values
The Math Department is committed to fostering an inclusive community, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to celebrate and expand the power of mathematical thinking. Regardless of our students’ paths, they leave our Department with an enhanced ability to question, analyze and evaluate problems encountered throughout their lives.
We recognize the value of having a diverse department and how individuals from different racial, ethnic, socio-economic, gender-identity and other backgrounds enrich our intellectual community. We also recognize that mathematics as a field and, more specifically, our department at Brandeis, has much work to do in the area of diversity, particularly in bringing in more math majors, graduate students, and faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. To promote greater diversity in our mathematics community, we have committed to the following:
1. Diversity in graduate admissions and hiring: We value and are seeking candidates that represent a variety of social identities, including those that have been underrepresented in higher education, who possess skills that spark innovation, and who, through their scholarly pursuits, teaching, and/or service experiences, bring expertise in building, engaging and sustaining a pluralistic, just, and inclusive campus community.
2. Community building within the department: We currently host a monthly Women in Math Lunch. These lunches provide a casual, supportive space for women in the Math Department to get to know each other, share experiences, and discuss ways in which we might improve diversity and inclusion.
3. Community outreach: We are in the process of researching options for students and faculty to get involved in public schools in the community in order to foster a love of math at a young age, particularly among students who are underrepresented in math.
4. Outreach within the University: We hope to provide a new introductory course that would give students a taste of the creative problem-solving process and the joy of mathematics. This course would be designed to stimulate an interest in and appreciation for abstract mathematics and to act as a non-traditional entry point to the field in the hopes of sharing our love for this subject with as many students as possible.