Denise Halloran: Working in the Spirit of Mary Dolciani

By Don Albers

Mary P. Dolciani and James Halloran, 1980.
(Photo courtesy of Denise Halloran)

As a young woman with a master’s degree in psychology working as a police officer in Detroit, Denise Halloran never dreamed of being chief executive officer of a foundation devoted to promoting mathematics education. Fate intervened when her father, James J. Halloran, married Mary P. Dolciani, the legendary mathematician whose textbooks have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. In 1982 the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation was established. Mary died in 1985, and in 2005 Denise succeeded her father as CEO of the Foundation upon his death.

By 2005 Denise had gained considerable administrative experience managing programs for children’s protective services and child care for the state of Washington, and her 19 years as a trustee of the Foundation gave her a good understanding of its workings.

Still, she is quick to admit, “I’m not a specialist in math, nor are any other members of the Foundation Board. What we do have to guide our work is the goal that Mary set for the Foundation—to support organizations that will benefit the greatest number of people in the advancement of mathematics or mathematics education. In addition, we have the counsel and support of the MAA in achieving that goal.”

Denise says, “I felt confident in the MAA because of Mary’s confidence in the MAA. Mary had earlier provided funding to start the Dolciani Mathematical Expositions book series and made a generous gift toward the purchase of what became the Dolciani Mathematical Center—MAA Headquarters. Our collaborative relationship with the MAA has made it possible for the Foundation to support excellent programs that are in the spirit of Mary Dolciani. The MAA has worked with us to effectively support different groups of constituents; it is the main link to working with those groups.”

"How Does This Benefit Students?"

By any measure, the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation has been wildly successful in pursuit of Mary’s goal. The past several years have seen a burst of Foundation activity, reflecting Denise’s leadership skills in full flower. When she looks at new ideas about mathematics education, she always asks, “How will this benefit students?” Her energy, insight, and complete dedication to the Foundation’s goal make the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation a standout among private foundations. Consider the following list of recent accomplishments:

Project NExT, a program that fosters the development of new Ph.D.s as teachers, was initially funded by the Exxon Education Foundation (now the Exxon Mobil Education Foundation) starting in 1994. Project NExT is frequently cited as one of the most successful programs in the history of the MAA. More than 1,400 NExT fellows are teaching in colleges and universities.

The Foundation is now the most generous funder of Project NExT, supporting 31 Dolciani fellows this year alone; more than 250 fellows have been sponsored by the Foundation since 2001. The Foundation led the way for other organizations in providing financial support for Project NExT.

In August 2009, Denise attended the Portland MathFest to see Project NExT in action. She came away convinced that the Foundation had invested in a great program that was making significant contributions to the teaching of collegiate mathematics and, by extension, to the education of prospective high school teachers who were in the classes of Project NExT fellows.“Meeting NExT fellows and the leaders of NExT was stimulating and inspiring. Joe Gallian and Aparna Higgins are phenomenal role models,” Denise says. “Mary would have loved interacting with the fellows who are so enthusiastic and full of ideas. It made me more excited about supporting NExT. It also convinced me of the importance of site visits to our grantees.”

Enrichment Programs

Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grants (DMEG) aim at funding projects designed to develop mathematical enrichment programs for talented students in middle or high school. Proposals are sought from college and university faculty working in partnership with middle and/or high school mathematics teachers. After reading some of the DMEG proposals, Denise says, “I can almost visualize Mary talking with DMEG grantees. How excited she would be to hear their new ideas for reaching kids.”

Denise is gratified that the first recipient of the Mary P. Dolciani Award was named at the 2012 MAA MathFest. The award is given to a research mathematician who is making distinguished contributions to mathematics education across all levels from primary to secondary to college. Denise believes that progress in mathematics education depends upon collaboration between teachers and administrators in schools, colleges, and universities. She notes, “We’re all in this together.”

The first winner was William G. McCallum, a number theorist and chair of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Arizona. He has been a champion in getting university faculty to help in solving problems of mathematics education. In 2006 he founded the Institute for Mathematics and Education at the University of Arizona.

The first recipient of a Dolciani Visiting Mathematician Grant is James Tanton, who is based at MAA Headquarters. He is a prolific author and founding director of St. Mark’s Institute of Mathematics, and he has extensive experience working with school mathematics teachers and talented students. His plan is to implement initiatives that foster meaningful discussion and cross-pollination of ideas between the college and secondary mathematics teaching communities, and to promote rich mathematical experiences for students at both levels.

Mary Dolciani has taken on almost iconic status for Denise. When asked what was so special about Mary, Denise responds: “She had enthusiasm for teaching, students, and colleagues. She was fully committed to kids learning mathematics. She had a childlike glee in learning new things. She was kind and caring. She was a truly rare person.”

After chatting with Denise about the Foundation, it is abundantly clear that the spirit of Mary runs deep within her. For her, it is reflexive and simple. She says with passion, “I never forget that the Foundation is due to Mary. I always try to remember where the money comes from and what Mary wanted.” She adds that “the needs in mathematics education are extreme, especially during these challenging economic times, and I wish that the Foundation had more funds to disburse.”

Future Directions

What does Denise see as the goals of the Foundation over the next five to 10 years? She ticked off a short list:

Given the track record and drive of the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation, there is every reason to believe that Denise and her board will achieve these goals. The MAA is grateful for the tremendous assistance that the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation continues to provide in advancing mathematics and mathematics education, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.

Halloran2

Mary P. Dolciani and Denise Halloran, Puerto Rico, 1984.
(Photo courtesy of Denise Halloran)

Don Albers was Director of Publications from 1991 to 2006.