Jim Leitzel: An Appreciation
by T. Christine Stevens and Alan Tucker

Jim Leitzel's record of service in collegiate mathematics education was second to none. He was a member of the writing team for virtually every report in this area in the 1990's. He chaired the major education committees of the Mathematical Association of America: the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM), the Committee on the Teaching of Undergraduate Mathematics (CTUM), and the Committee on the Mathematical Education of Teachers (COMET). Under his leadership, COMET worked effectively with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to produce A Call for Change, recommendations for teacher preparation consistent with the goals of the (then new) NCTM Standards.

But Jim Leitzel's "MAA resumé" only hints at the impact Jim had on collegiate mathematics and the national community of scholars working to improve mathematics instruction. Jim was hard-working, conscientious to a fault, and selfless. Working with Jim on any endeavor was always a joy. Part of the joy came from his enthusiasm and continual high spirits, which Jim imparted to his collaborators. Part of the joy came from the "high", like a runner's high, that a well-done, team effort of hard work produces. Most important, joy came from just being in the presence of such a fine human being.

Our interactions with Jim were all at professional meetings. We never saw him in a classroom. Yet his caring for students was evident in everything he did and said. While CUPM was the MAA's most famous committee, Jim seemed more interested in the efforts that he oversaw as chair of the committees concerned with teaching students (CTUM) and preparing students to be teachers (COMET). Project NExT, his greatest joy, involves nurturing young faculty.

In retrospect, it seems only natural that the talents of someone like Jim, who gave so unstintingly to the mathematical community, should find their fullest expression in a project like NExT, which welcomes new faculty into that community. Jim was truly the cornerstone of Project NExT. His organizational efficiency, his encyclopedic knowledge of mathematics education reform, his incredible work ethic, his amazing ability to learn people's names -- all of these combined with Jim's genuine love for people to make Project NExT the success that it is. He took an unaffected delight in the Fellows' companionship and in their accomplishments, and it was wonderful to witness that delight and to share it with him. Most remarkable of all was the joy that Jim, who so rightfully prided himself on his attention to details, found in letting go and letting Project NExT take on a life of its own.

Even in the midst of their grief, Jim's friends began to talk about establishing a memorial to his contributions to the mathematical community, and we have no doubt that a suitable project will be chosen. Yet the most important memorial to Jim may be one that already exists. As one of the Project NExT Fellows remarked in a recent issue of the Young Mathematicians Network newsletter, "As a result [of Project NExT], the professional careers of many young faculty members have been launched along a trajectory concerned with issues and innovations in teaching. I estimate that most of the recent Ph.D.s in academic positions have a 'Leitzel number' of 1 or 2 -- meaning that they or someone they know has had their career directly influenced by Jim Leitzel." Another Fellow put it this way:

I have no doubt, with Jim's big heart, that he has performed a million deeds of kindness, but by itself, the one simple act of creating Project NExT gives me cause to marvel -- Jim has not only touched hundreds of lives but has changed the way mathematics is lived out and taught across the country.

Truly one can say of Jim Leitzel, that builder of mathematical communities, what was said of another great builder, Christopher Wren: If you seek his monument, look around you. You will find it in the lives and careers of the Project NExT Fellows.

A central tenet of much instructional rethinking in collegiate mathematics is that how you teach is as important as what you teach. Jim's legacy to the mathematical community reflects this tenet. Much though his educational projects and their reports influenced current instructional practices, it was not merely what he did that his friends will long remember, but, even more, how he did it.

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An effort is currently underway to raise funds in order to endow a lecture fund which would sponsor a yearly lecture in honor of Jim Leitzel. The proposal has been approved by the MAA Board of Governors contingent on sufficient funds being raised. For more information, see the Leitzel Fund Page or contact Lisa Kolbe at MAA Headquarters.

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