Carmen Latterell, MAA-NCS Distinguished Teaching Award
The North Central Section is proud to announce Dr. Carmen Latterell of the University of
Minnesota Duluth as our 2013 Distinguished College or University Teacher of Mathematics.
Carmen has been inspiring students of mathematics and mathematics education at UMD as well
as K-12 teachers and fellow colleagues for many years. A colleague wrote this about her
teaching: “From the lowest level liberal arts course to courses for math education majors and
courses for math and statistics majors, Carmen's teaching evaluations are extraordinarily
outstanding and remarkably consistent. Her academic file includes a large number of unsolicited
letters and comments describing her as amazing, caring, passionate, great, clear, and the ‘best.’"
These letters are best summed up by two former students: “She maintained clear and challenging
expectations for her students and used a variety of teaching methods including a mixture of
lecture, engaging whole class discussions, and student presentations. The classroom environment
was one of mutual respect between instructor and students, woven by a scholarly thread. In no
other class did I feel my presence was as respected and appreciated…” and “She encouraged
interaction and meaningful discussion, incorporated stories of mathematics history, differentiated
between major and minor topics, and did it all with a wit and enthusiasm that pulled one into the
learning experience.”
Carmen's love of mathematics and learning is a continuous process throughout her career in
which she is a leader in curriculum reform. She received a $3,000,000 five-year NSF grant,
entitled K-12 Fellows in Science and Mathematics Education, to improve mathematics and
science teaching in K-12 schools. As stated in the nomination narrative, “She has combined
teaching and scholarship in two books she has written: How to Prepare for College Mathematics
Placement Tests: A Guide for Teachers and Parents to Help Students (2007) and Math Wars: A
Guide for Parents and Teachers (2005, 2008).” She has won both the UMD's highest teaching
award and the University of Minnesota system's highest teaching award, the Morse-Alumni
award. Carmen continues to be involved in developing the UMD mathematics curriculum and
improving mathematics instruction.
Carmen’s teaching and related activities in mathematics education are an inspiration to us all.