History of the Department

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy has a rich history of contributing to the education of cadets as confident problem solvers and developing its faculty as effective teachers, leaders, and researchers. The story of mathematical education at USMA is full of interest: faculty curriculum developments, teaching methods and tools, and technological equipment. Many of its advances have been exported outside the academy to other civilian and military educational institutions.

The Department's Beginnings

Mathematics teaching at West Point dates from even before the academy was established. In 1801, George Baron taught a few Cadets of Artillery and Engineers some fundamentals and applications of algebra. USMA was instituted by an act of Congress and signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson on March 16, 1802. The first acting mathematics professors were CPT Jared Mansfield and CPT William Barron, who taught the first few cadets algebra, geometry, and surveying.

Leaders of the Nation

Department faculty have been notable military leaders for the country. Omar Bradley served as an instructor for four years, Harris Jones and William Bessell were deans of the Academic Board at USMA for a total of 15 years, and department heads Harris Jones, William Bessell, Charles Nicholas, John Dick, and Jack Pollin served impressively during two world wars.

The unique technical curriculum during the mid-19th century produced many successful mathematicians and scientists for the country at large. West Point graduates Horace Webster, Edward Courtenay, Alexander Bache, James Clark, Francis Smith, Richard Smith, Henry Lockwood, Henry Eustis, Alexander Stewart, and William Peck filled positions as mathematics or college presidents at schools such as the U.S. Naval Academy, Geneva College, University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, University of Mississippi, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Columbia, Virginia Military Institute, Cooper Institute, and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Alden Partridge founded and became the first president of Norwich University, and David Douglass served as president of Kenyon College in Ohio for four years. 

Jared Mansfield was appointed surveyor-general of the Northwest Territory, and Ferdinand Hassler became superintendent of the U.S. Coastal Survey. The West Point model of undergraduate mathematics education was exported nationwide by capable individuals such as these.

While USMA faculty has been primarily military, the department has benefited from civilian visiting professors since 1976. As part of the goal to civilianize 25% of the faculty by 2002, beginning in 1992, the department established a Center for Faculty Development in Mathematics in 1994. This center established faculty development models and curricula and provided for the development of the "Davies Fellows," who serve as rotating civilian faculty members.

Curricular Developments

After Sylvanus Thayer, the "Father of the Military Academy" and superintendent from 1817-33, studied Europe's military and educational systems, he reorganized the academy according to the French system of the Ecole Polytechnic. The Department of Mathematics faculty (which included distinguished scientist and surveyor Andrew Ellicon as a professor and the famous French mathematician Claude Crozet whom Thayer recruited to bring his expertise in descriptive geometry, advanced mathematics, and fortifications engineering to USMA) combined the French theoretical mathematics program with the practical methods of the English to establish a new model for America's program of undergraduate mathematics. 

It was Crozet and other professors at USMA who first used the blackboard as the primary tool of instruction. 

The instruction program grew over several decades and was emulated by many U.S. schools. The initial purpose of the Military Academy was to educate and train military engineers. Thayer instituted a four-year curriculum with supporting pedagogy to fulfill this purpose. The curriculum was very heavy in mathematics; until the late 1800s, cadets took the equivalent of 54 credit hours of mathematics courses. Topics included algebra, trigonometry, descriptive geometry (engineering drawing), analytic geometry, and calculus. 

Over the years, entering cadets became better prepared, and fewer elementary subjects were needed. During Charles Davies' tenure (1823-37), calculus was required and used in developing science and engineering courses. The time allotted for the mathematics curriculum decreased to 48 credit hours by 1940 and 30 credit hours by 1950. During the 1940s, probability, statistics, and differential equations were added to the core curriculum, and a limited electives program was offered to advanced students. 

During William Bessell's tenure (1947-59), the mathematics classrooms in Thayer Hall (a converted riding stable) were modernized with overhead projectors and mechanical computers. He also helped establish a computer center at West Point.

In the 1960s, department head Charles Nicholas wrote a comprehensive mathematics textbook called the "Green Death," which cadets used during their core mathematics program. With this text, he could adapt the mathematics program to keep up with the increasing demands of modern science and engineering.

In the 1970s, academy-wide curricular changes allowed cadets to major in mathematics. During the 1980s, a mathematical sciences consulting element was added, allowing faculty members and cadets to support the Army's research needs. This research continues today in the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Mathematical Sciences Center, and the Operations Research Center (ORCEN). 

In 1990, the department introduced a core mathematics curriculum, including a discrete dynamical systems course and embedded linear algebra. That same year, the department was renamed the Department of Mathematical Sciences to reflect broader interests in applied mathematics, operations research, and computation.