By Jonathan Wenger, Contributing Writer
On Oct. 2, Gettysburg College hosted a dedication ceremony for the new Donna Jean Brogan Center for Quantitative Learning. The Quantitative Learning Center is located on the ground floor of Glatfelter Hall and is open to all students 24 hours a day.
Professor of Mathematics Dr. Darren Glass opened the proceedings by welcoming everyone and outlining the purpose of the new learning center.
“The dream for the center is for students to have a central, accessible, flexible space where they can enhance their quantitative skills in a variety of ways,” said Glass. “Whether it’s using these high capacity computers to manipulate large datasets, to seek support for courses in any discipline that involves quantitative work, or just to meet friends to work on problem sets together.”
The new learning center features a whiteboard space around the perimeter of the room, as well as tables and spaces that promote collaboration. The room is also outfitted with computers and a printer. In addition, students can access peer-learning and review sessions for quantitative courses.
President Iuliano addressing the crowd at the Dedication Event. (Photo Jessica Chernoff/The Gettysburgian)
President of Gettysburg College Bob Iuliano spoke on the importance of quantitative literacy in the current world.
“According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, two thirds of all occupations in the state will require quantitative skills and quantitative literacy is one of the top things that employers are looking for,” Iuliano said.
Iuliano further argued that the increased demand for quantitative literacy gives importance to the establishment of the new quantitative learning center.
The learning center is named after Donna Jean Brogan ’60, who financially supported the project. Brogan is a Gettysburg alumnus, graduating in 1960 with a degree in Mathematics. She received her Masters in Statistics from Purdue University in 1962 and her PhD in Statistics from Iowa State University in 1967.
Brogan was an associate professor of biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for four years before becoming an associate professor of Statistics and Biometry at Emory University. She has over 140 publications and is a fellow with the American Statistical Association.
In her remarks, Brogan spoke of her time at Gettysburg College as well as her love for mathematics and statistics.
“Now I love math because to me, it’s logical,” Brogan said. “There is a sense of certainty about math. Proof of a mathematical theorem is either right or wrong.”
It was this lifelong love of mathematics that led Brogan to donate to the new quantitative learning center as well as falling quantitative literacy rates in the US.
“I’ve been concerned for several years about the low level of quantitative literacy in the United States, among adults and children,” Brogan said.
She hopes this new learning center will provide Gettysburg students with the chance to enhance their quantitative skills.
The learning center has been open since the start of the semester and is already a popular study space. Professor of Mathematics Dr. Benjamin Bartlett Kennedy shared how the space is being used.
“I have been down here at night and it’s humming,” Kennedy said. “So we’re off to a very good start. I have come down and seen many different groups working together and the boards getting covered with great stuff. I really think so far the space is very promising.”
As the quantitative learning center grows through the years, Iuliano hopes that the message and life story of its namesake will encourage students.
“We hope that her name and her accomplishments will inspire students with the confidence that they need to overcome their own obstacles. To achieve great things and make an impact in the world, just as Donna has done,” Iuliano said.
Students, faculty, staff, and community members at the dedication event.(Photo Jessica Chernoff/The Gettysburgian)
(Editor’s Note: This article was edited at 9:22 a.m. on October 5, 2023 to correct a misspelling of Donna Jean Brogan’s name. – L. Franchetti)
