Mathematics and Statistics Department

Problem Solvers. Pattern Finders. Future Leaders.

Valpo’s Mathematics and Statistics Department empowers students to explore the beauty and utility of math through flexible programs, real-world problem solving, and a supportive faculty. Students gain analytical and communication skills that serve them across industries and throughout life.

About the Department

Mathematics is at the heart of higher education.

The mathematical sciences are sometimes considered a human endeavor in which people create mathematical structures to investigate. Other times, they are considered a science focusing on theorems and ideas that people discover, much the same way that we investigate the world around us. And still at other times, the mathematical sciences are developed as tools for use in other disciplines.

Whichever view you take, these three perspectives put mathematics and its related disciplines at the intersection of three major parts of a university: arts and humanities, natural sciences, and professional studies.

Explore Programs

A Flexible Program in a Versatile Discipline

Valparaiso University’s mathematics and statistics department takes the central role of the mathematical sciences seriously. Mathematics and statistics curricula are designed to provide students with the maximum flexibility to integrate their mathematical studies with other programs; we routinely graduate students with double majors in fields as diverse as music, meteorology, and mechanical engineering as well as those who pursue graduate study in mathematics. The academic programs we offer allow students to focus on any of these areas:

Actuarial science (a separate B.S. major)
Data science (a separate B.S. major)
Statistics (a separate B.A. or B.S. major)
Operations research
Scientific mathematics
Secondary education
Preparation for graduate school in mathematics

Mentoring and Advising

The department’s strong academic advising program guides students who have many different interests and goals. Through frequent conversations with their official advisor and other faculty in the department, students are assisted in the process of identifying a vocation. They are provided information about many career paths, encouraged to explore all of their options, given shortcuts through bureaucracy, and offered candid assessments of their progress towards their life and academic goals.

Finding Confidence Through Mathematics

Our department helps students discover the elegant power of mathematics and statistics. An inclusive approach, flexible programs, and a welcoming faculty ensure that students master quantitative and communication skills that serve them well for the rest of their lives.

News & Stories

Department Highlights

Alum Recognized as Teacher of the Month

Ashley Hire, who graduated from Valpo in May 2020 with a double major in mathematics and secondary education, received the Elkhart High School November 2021 Teacher of the Month award. Congratulations to Ashley!

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3 Faculty Recognized at Convocation

Three faculty from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics were recognized at opening convocation on August 24, 2021. Lara Pudwell and Daniel Maxin were recognized for their promotion to full professor, while Jon Beagley was officially awarded tenure.

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Two people walk past a large brick campus building surrounded by autumn trees and bushes.

Pudwell Named Executive Director of MathPath

Professor Lara Pudwell was recently named the fourth ever executive director of MathPath, a long-standing national residential summer camp for middle schoolers who love mathematics. More information about MathPath can be found at https://www.mathpath.org/.

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MST department is hiring!

Valparaiso University invites applications for a 2-year position of Visiting Instructor or Visiting Assistant Professor, in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. (www.valpo.edu/mathematics-statistics ).

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MST faculty win campus-wide awards

Two MST faculty were recently recognized with campus-wide awards for their work beyond the classroom.

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Mathematics & Statistics Department

Dive Deeper

Research – Right Away

Turbocharge Your Career

Meaningful Impact

Shining Brightly, Together

Voices of Valpo

Mathematics and Statistics Department

“My friends and I attended my professor’s office hours so regularly that we started calling it our weekly math party.”

— Cecilia LaCroix ’16

Experiential Learning

Hands-on Learning

Students engage in undergraduate research, present findings, attend conferences, study abroad, and participate in national competitions—all while applying mathematical theory to real-world settings.

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Contact the Department

The Valparaiso University mathematics and statistics department welcomes inquiries from prospective students, fellow researchers, and community members.

Department Chair, Tiffany Kolba, Ph.D.

tiffany.kolba@valpo.edu

Gellersen Center Room 112
1900 Chapel Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383