Thomas Sprague, Ph.D.
Professor of Mathematics, Mathematics Coordinator
Division:
Kinesiology, Science & MathematicsDegrees:
B.S. (Math & Chemistry, Central Mich Univ), M.A. (Dallas Theol. Seminary), Graduate Study (Math, U of Texas at Dallas), M.A. (Math, Mich State U), Ph.D. (Math & Computer Science, Western Mich Univ), Graduate study in linguistics (Univ N Dakota)
Career Path
I’ve taught at several colleges and universities including junior colleges, private liberal arts schools, and research universities. I started at Brookhaven College (Dallas, Texas), then Michigan State and Western Michigan Universities, followed by Alma College and Cornerstone University. In addition, I grew up as a farmer, later worked as a mechanic as a student, and more recently as a part-time pastor.
Academic History & Involvements:
As a seminary student I took a part-time job tutoring mathematics and computer programming at a local junior college, and fell in love with teaching! I’ve been active in teaching mathematics, computing, and biblical studies ever since.
My research interests have ranged widely. In mathematics and computing, I’ve worked at the interface of approximation and graph theory with computing. I’ve designed algorithms and computer programs for automatically fitting curves to experimental data with guaranteed accuracy and “shape” constraints. I’ve also produced a number of publications in the general area of combinatorial optimization, especially routing and scheduling problems with constraints. My current research in this area centers on mathematical and computational models for rapid speciation in genetics.
Outside of mathematics and scientific computing, I remain active in Biblical Studies. I’ve had long-term interests in languages and linguistics, literature, and especially biblical narrative. I’ve also been doing some informal research in historical perspectives of Pneumatology.
Courses Taught:
Mathematics: MAT 107, 110 core mathematics courses. MAT 131, 132, 233, 333 Calculus, Differential Equations and Analysis. MAT 241 Linear Algebra. I’ve also taught courses in Numerical Analysis, Scientific Computing, and Mathematical Methods of Physics here and “abroad.”
Computer Science: CSC 121, 131, 132, 221, 224, 323 (and others) which are courses in programming on a variety of platforms in these languages: C, C++, Pascal, FORTRAN, MATLAB, and Java. CSC 151 Introduction to Hardware, CSC 231 Data Structures and Algorithms, CSC 451 Theory of Operating Systems. Finally, I’ve done special topics courses in compiler construction, theory of languages, and computational graph theory.
Bible: REL 100, 101 Christian Foundations I & II (Old and New Testament surveys). I’ve taught courses in Systematic Theology and Luke-Acts in various other locations.
Personal Information:
I have three great children, and I am married to woman more wonderful that I deserve! We home-school our children from K-12. The oldest is a student at Cornerstone University.
Other Interests & Pursuits:
Being raised on a farm, I learned to enjoy the outdoors early! I like camping, hunting, and fine guns. But I love teaching so much that most of my free time is spent with volunteer teaching, preaching, and other ministry opportunities.
Comments:
If you want great employment opportunities or just love to learn about all kinds of things, mathematics is a great choice for a major! There are natural connections to all kinds of fields. My own experiences have touched on computing, physics, chemistry, engineering, languages and linguistics, military strategies, philosophy, and even management! There is simply no better field for the person who wants to develop a broad understanding of the world around them. For this reason, a mathematics degree is preparation without equal for professions in medicine, law, and theology. Finally, the payoff for teachers is great employment opportunities! Even in the days when Michigan was sending away half of its new teachers to other states for lack of work, we couldn’t begin to fill the demand for mathematics teachers in Michigan. That demand has continued to increase.
Phone:
616.949.5300 x1312
