Prof. Woody Dudley Tells Newspaper His Subject is "Beautiful," But Not for Everyone

April 4, 2002

April 4, 2002, Greencastle, Ind. - "There is an impression that people need math to get along in life and that is not true," DePauw University Professor of Mathematics Underwood Dudley tells the Pantagraph of Bloomington, Illinois. He adds, "That is not a popular opinion to be throwing out these days," in an April 3 article entitled "Professor: Math is beautiful, but not essential to success."

The newspaper's story, which previews Dr. Dudley's April 11th speech at Eureka College's Cerf Center. At 7:30 that evening he will appear as part of the William Thomas Jackson lecture series. The Pantagraph's J.W. Shults notes, "Dudley received a doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1965 and has been at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., for 34 years. He is responsible for five books and is the current editor of the College Mathematics Journal."

Don't get Dudley wrong when it comes to the subject he teaches. He tells the paper, "I feel math is the most glorious creation of the human intellect," and says it helps students develop reasoning skills. "Math is beautiful, but most people don't appreciate that. The more math the better. Everybody should study mathematics."

The article continues, "Telling students through the years that they will use algebra or calculus in later life is a lie, however, said Dudley. 'You shouldn't tell people lies,' said Dudley. 'That is what a lot of teachers are doing to make students learn.'"

You can read the Pantagraph article in its entirety at the newspaper's web site by clicking here.

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