Marcia P. Sward
Encyclopedia
Marcia Peterson Sward was an American
mathematician
and nonprofit organization
administrator. She had a varied career as a teacher and an administrator of mathematical organizations, culminating in the position of Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of America
. After retirement she started a new career in environmental education
, specializing in children's programs such as GreenKids.
on February 1, 1939.
She received a bachelor's degree
from Vassar College
in 1961. She received a master's degree
in 1963 and a PhD
in mathematics in 1967 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. Her PhD thesis was written under Edward J. Scott and titled The Mixed Boundary Value Problem Along the Line of Parabolicity for a Certain Class of Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations.
Sward died in Washington, D.C.
on September 21, 2008.
in Washington, D.C. She then received an appointment at Trinity College
in Washington, D.C., and worked there from 1968 to 1980 and was department head from 1979 to 1980.
Sward then switched in mid-career from academic
to nonprofit organization
executive
. She stated in an interview with Association Management magazine that one reason was a low threshold of boredom, but also emphasized the need to stretch one's skills. She said, "As a professor I really didn't manage anything. The focus was on the intellectual work. So when I switched to association management, I had to learn how to manage programs, delegate, work with committees, raise money, work with budgets."
Her first executive position was as the first Associate Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of America
. Among the duties of the newly-created position were directing the organization's three journals and creating a newsletter that turned out to be MAA FOCUS
. Sward became the newsletter's first editor and held that position for the remainder of her time as Associate Executive Director.
She left the MAA in September 1985 to become the first Executive Director of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the United States National Research Council
, then returned in 1989 as Executive Director of the MAA upon the retirement of Alfred B. Willcox. During this time she helped create many new programs, for example Project NExT
, for which she persuaded ExxonMobil
to provide funding. She worked with Ed Dubinsky to develop Special Interest Group
s inside MAA. She received the Citation for Public Service from the Council of the American Mathematical Society
in 1992.
In 1999 Sward retired from the Executive Director position and spent a year sailing in The Bahamas
. She switched careers again to work with the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation as senior director for education and environment and then in 2004 became Deputy Executive Director of the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States. She led their Environmental Education department until her death in 2008. During her time there she worked to get the ANS Nature Preschool started, began the GreenKids program (an outreach program that sends naturalist
s to Montgomery County, Maryland
schools), and helped start the Loudoun Environmental Stewardship Alliance. She was influenced by Richard Louv
's book Last Child in the Woods
to work on projects that made a difference in the lives of children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
administrator. She had a varied career as a teacher and an administrator of mathematical organizations, culminating in the position of Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
. After retirement she started a new career in environmental education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
, specializing in children's programs such as GreenKids.
Life and education
Sward was born Marcia Ruth Peterson in Maywood, IllinoisMaywood, Illinois
Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was founded on April 6, 1869 and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 26,987 at the 2000 census.-Overview:...
on February 1, 1939.
She received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1961. She received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1963 and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics in 1967 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Her PhD thesis was written under Edward J. Scott and titled The Mixed Boundary Value Problem Along the Line of Parabolicity for a Certain Class of Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations.
Sward died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on September 21, 2008.
Work
Sward was unable to get an academic job immediately after receiving her PhD, and worked as a housemother at Catholic UniversityThe Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C. She then received an appointment at Trinity College
Trinity Washington University
Trinity Washington University, founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is a Roman Catholic university located in Washington, D.C. across from Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies...
in Washington, D.C., and worked there from 1968 to 1980 and was department head from 1979 to 1980.
Sward then switched in mid-career from academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
to nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
executive
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
. She stated in an interview with Association Management magazine that one reason was a low threshold of boredom, but also emphasized the need to stretch one's skills. She said, "As a professor I really didn't manage anything. The focus was on the intellectual work. So when I switched to association management, I had to learn how to manage programs, delegate, work with committees, raise money, work with budgets."
Her first executive position was as the first Associate Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
. Among the duties of the newly-created position were directing the organization's three journals and creating a newsletter that turned out to be MAA FOCUS
MAA FOCUS
MAA FOCUS is the newsmagazine of the Mathematical Association of America. It carries news items and short articles of interest to the organization's members....
. Sward became the newsletter's first editor and held that position for the remainder of her time as Associate Executive Director.
She left the MAA in September 1985 to become the first Executive Director of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the United States National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
, then returned in 1989 as Executive Director of the MAA upon the retirement of Alfred B. Willcox. During this time she helped create many new programs, for example Project NExT
Project NExT
Project NExT is a program sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America to aid in the professional development of mathematicians, statisticians, and mathematics educators after they receive their PhDs. It involves workshops and lectures on teaching, academic research, academic scholarship,...
, for which she persuaded ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
to provide funding. She worked with Ed Dubinsky to develop Special Interest Group
Special Interest Group
A Special Interest Group is a community with an interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to effect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences...
s inside MAA. She received the Citation for Public Service from the Council of the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
in 1992.
In 1999 Sward retired from the Executive Director position and spent a year sailing in The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. She switched careers again to work with the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation as senior director for education and environment and then in 2004 became Deputy Executive Director of the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States. She led their Environmental Education department until her death in 2008. During her time there she worked to get the ANS Nature Preschool started, began the GreenKids program (an outreach program that sends naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
s to Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
schools), and helped start the Loudoun Environmental Stewardship Alliance. She was influenced by Richard Louv
Richard Louv
Richard Louv is an American nonfiction author and journalist. He is best known for his seventh book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder , which investigates the relationship of children and the natural world in current and historical contexts...
's book Last Child in the Woods
Last Child in the Woods
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is a 2005 book by author Richard Louv that documents decreased exposure of children to nature in American society and how this "nature-deficit disorder" harms children and society...
to work on projects that made a difference in the lives of children.