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Bruce Torrence, Ph.D. |
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Muscoe Garnett '30 |
Randolph-Macon College Professor of Mathematics Bruce Torrence, Ph.D., has been named the first recipient of the Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professorship in Mathematics. College President Robert R. Lindgren presented Torrence with the award on Friday, May 1, 2009 in the McGraw-Page Library.
“It is my pleasure to congratulate Professor Torrence on this most impressive distinction,” said Lindgren. “His teaching, scholarship and service, together with his exceptional role as a mentor to students and faculty within his department and throughout the College, eminently qualify him for this distinguished Randolph-Macon professorship.”
Torrence joined the faculty of Randolph-Macon in 1993. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Tufts University, a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in mathematics from University of Virginia.
Torrence served as a mathematics representative to the Teaching, Learning and Technology Project of the Central Virginia Faculty Consortium from 1993-2007, and in 1994 he was appointed chair of the Mathematics Assessment Committee. He served as an associate faculty marshal and faculty marshal at R-MC from 1995-1997, and he was an instructor for the Randolph-Macon Initiative for Successful Education (RISE) program at the college from 1995-1998. He was the chair of the Mathematics Search Committee from 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2004-05 and 2007-08. Torrence served as the co-director of the Honors Program from 1997-2000.
Torrence was the assistant chair of the R-MC mathematics department from 1997-1999 and in 1999 he was named the chair of the department, a position he continues to hold. He was an elected member of the College Life Committee from 1994-1998, and from 1994-2000 he was an elected member of the Resources and Plans Committee. In addition, Torrence is a member of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.
Torrence and his wife, Randolph-Macon College Professor Eve Torrence, Ph.D., are the authors of The Student’s Introduction to Mathematica – A Handbook for Precalculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra (1999, Cambridge University Press). A second edition of the book was released in January 2009.
During his tenure at Randolph-Macon College, Torrence has been the recipient of numerous awards. In 1995 he received the Mednick Fellowship, Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. In 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006 and 2008 he was awarded the Walter W. Craigie Grant from R-MC, and in 1996 he received a $41,597 grant from the National Science Foundation for a new Macintosh computer classroom. The classroom was renovated in the summer of 2000 and is used for teaching courses in calculus, statistics, modeling, linear algebra and differential equations. In 2001-'02 Torrence received a Rashkind Grant.
Torrence is co-editor of Math Horizons, the Mathematical Association of America's journal for undergraduates. In 2008 the organization presented him with the John M. Smith Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching for the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. area. Torrence has also published numerous articles in mathematics journals. In 2001, a research project that Torrence collaborated on with two of his students won first place in a national competition. Their team was one of two in the U.S. to attain the "Outstanding" designation in the MathServe competition sponsored by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP).
Randolph-Macon College Provost William W. Johnston lauded Torrence's talents and achievements at Friday's installation. "Dr. Torrence is an extraordinary teacher, beloved by his students as a mentor and a gifted lecturer, and also someone who creates a classroom experience for them where they learn by doing mathematics," said Johnston. "Bruce is a steady and effective leader who has served as chair of the mathematics department for ten years. Ask any of the mathematics faculty and they will testify to his influence to make the department run smoothly, as a place filled with collegial service and appreciation for what each faculty member brings. It is a pleasure for me, as I teach mathematics at Randolph-Macon, to serve under his direction."
Torrence accepted the professorship by thanking his colleagues, friends and family for their support. "It is a great privilege to stand before you this afternoon, and I do so with humility, respect and a profound sense of awe for the generosity and foresight embodied in the very nature of this award," he said. Torrence recounted his early days at R-MC: "The quality of this academic community, the beauty and scale of Ashland itself, my first R-MC football game, the sense of purpose that was so clearly manifest in faculty, staff, administration and students...these had a profound impact on me."
He also highlighted the recent achievements of his mathematics department colleagues. "I am most comfortable accepting this award on behalf of the entire mathematics department," said Torrence. "My colleagues in mathematics have been a continuing source of inspiration for both me and for our students."
In closing, Torrence said, "I wish to express my gratitude to all those individuals who made this award possible, and to acknowledge Henry Simpson, an alumnus and friend of the Garnett family, and Robert VanCott, a nephew of the Garnetts who came from New York to be here today. I wish to thank President Lindgren and Provost Johnston for their careful administration of the award. And finally, I wish to thank my family: my wife, Eve, and children Robert and Alexandra, for all they do every day to inspire me."
The Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professorship in Mathematics was established in 2008 through the generous bequest of Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett ’30. “Of all the gifts a college receives, none makes a more profound difference than the gift of an endowed professorship,” said Lindgren. “Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett, in creating this professorship, clearly recognized the important role professors play in developing the minds and character of our students and producing outstanding graduates and community leaders. On behalf of the College, I thank them most sincerely for their generosity and commitment to this wonderful college.”
Representing the Garnetts at the ceremony was Henry Simpson, a member of the Class of 1952 and a friend of the Garnett family. Simpson spoke of the Garnett's generosity and their unwavering loyalty to Randolph-Macon College. Following Simpson's remarks, Frank Donnelly '12 led the audience in the singing of the Alma Mater.
To read Dr. Bruce Torrence's acceptance speech, please click here