The Mathematics Department has been in existence at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro since its opening as the State Normal and Industrial School in 1892. Its first department head was one of the charter members of the faculty, Gertrude Mendenhall. The department began to transform in 1965 with the addition of new classes in applied mathematics. In 1967-1968, the department created its first master’s degree programs.
Statistics courses were introduced to the curriculum in the mid- to late-1960s. In 1972, a statistical consulting center for faculty and students in all fields was created.
In the 1980s, computer sciences was added to the Department of Mathematics curriculum. By 1993, the Department included three distinct sub-disciplines: mathematics, computer science, and statistics. In 1994, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Mathematical Sciences.
Department of Mathematics Heads/Chairs:
- Gertrude Mendenhall (1892-1926)
- Virginia Ragsdale (1926-1928)
- Helen Barton (1928-1960)
- Anne Louise Lewis (1960-1965)
- Eldon Eugene “Gene” Posey (1965-1980)
- Richard B. Sher (1980-1986)
- Paul F. Duvall (1986-1994, continuing as department head after name change)