Faculty Chair, Associate Professor of Mathematics

  • Office: Sutton Science Center
  • Department: Division of Mathematics & Computer Science
  • Phone: 865-981-8165
  • Email: dan.ross@maryvillecollege.edu
  • Education: B.S., Martin Luther College M.S.T., University of Missouri Ph. D., University of Missouri

About Dr. Ross

As a child of two teachers, I have known for a long time that I wanted to teach mathematics. Whether as a student helping out fellow classmates, or as a classroom teacher working with a group of students, it has always been a great experience for me to help someone reach that moment when everything comes together and understanding blooms. Seeking out opportunities to help others truly understand mathematics has led me through a number of teaching positions, and ultimately here to Maryville College.

As an undergraduate, I attended a small private college, Martin Luther College, in New Ulm, MN. There I studied to be a high school math teacher. My first teaching position was at a small high school on the south side of Chicago, IL. After one year there, I went to teach at another small high school in the cornfields of Waco, NE. Along with teaching mathematics, I coached football, basketball, and track, taught art, was the Vice Principal, and even drove the bus.

I enjoyed teaching high school very much, but couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to study graduate level mathematics and education at the University of Missouri – Columbia with Dr. Robert Reys and Dr. Doug Grouws, legends in the field of mathematics education. My graduate research focused on high school mathematics curriculum being used across the nation. I also had the opportunity to teach both mathematics and education courses at Mizzou as a graduate student.

As I finished my graduate studies at Mizzou, I sought opportunities to teach in a setting like I experienced as an undergraduate. Maryville College seemed like a perfect fit in many ways. I have the opportunity to teach mathematics and education courses and be involved with many aspects of campus life. My wife, children, and I love riding our bicycles to the Crawford House for some climbing; going for a walk in the College Woods; or attending music, drama, or athletics events. But what I am most interested in are the opportunities to work closely with students who are passionate about teaching and about mathematics. Now that I have been at Maryville College for a number of years, I have found and appreciated many such opportunities and have developed relationships with the next generation of math teachers. These opportunities and relationships are a part of why Maryville College is a special place. I hope that our paths can cross here at MC and that we can spend some time together learning!