Dr. Dale L. McIntyre will be honored as Grove City College’s Professor of the Year at next week’s Recognition Convocation.
A professor of Mathematics with 37 years of service, McIntyre was selected for the award by the College’s chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honorary that has recognized collegiate scholarship, leadership, and citizenship based on nominations from students. He will receive the award at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 in Harbison Chapel on campus.
McIntyre originally joined the faculty of Grove City College in 1985 and left in 1988 to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University. He returned with his doctorate in 1991 and has been a staple of the Mathematics Department ever since.
Over the years, McIntyre has taught more than 15 different courses, including Finite Mathematics, all levels of Calculus, College Geometry, Complex Variables, Abstract Algebra, Classical and Intermediate Analysis, and Mathematics Seminar. He has also served as adviser for several student organizations, including Campus Crusade and Life Advocates.
McIntyre is especially interested in the intersection of mathematics and Christian faith, reflected in academic publications and articles on the way faith influenced scientific and mathematical pioneers like Leonhard Euler and Johannes Kepler. One of the students who nominated him said it is “impossible to not hear about the beauty of the Lord on display in this equation or that proof” in a McIntyre class.
“How does God manifest in mathematics? Its beauty, its order and precision, its changelessness, its clear delineation of right and wrong, its emphasis on objective truth, all reflect these attributes of God,” McIntyre said.
Students also find his sense of humor endearing, citing his habit of learning students’ names and giving them nicknames that he remembers for years. McIntyre said his favorite part of teaching is seeing students get interested, work hard, grow, and “when students smile and laugh at my jokes!”
Asked what his favorite course to teach was, McIntyre said, “I like them all but for different reasons – some for their interesting content, some for the challenge of getting through to students who don’t like math or don’t think they’re good at it, and some because I get to draw pictures!”
“What I hope to accomplish in my teaching: To encourage students in their mathematics and in other areas of their lives, and to enable them to see mathematics as an illustration of God’s common grace,” he said.
Dale’s wife Susan homeschooled their two daughters, taught mathematics at GCC, and is currently teaching calculus at Grove City Christian Academy. Their daughter Katie is a nurse and wife to Frank and mother to Kaleigha (8) and Harmony (6). Their daughter Rebecca is in the US Army and her unit is currently deployed to Iraq.