Wayne Tarrant, associate professor of mathematics, will engage Rose-Hulman students with opportunities and challenges in the Global South by partnering with Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya as Rose-Hulman’s next Endowed Chair for Innovation in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, also known as the Innovation Chair.

The Innovation Chair recognizes Tarrant’s work as an outstanding teacher and academic scholar. His teaching specialties include financial mathematics, mathematical economics, econometrics, and computational commutative algebra. Tarrant served as a Fulbright Scholar at Strathmore, where his exceptional skills, dedication and passion for teaching left an indelible mark on both the undergraduate and master’s programs where he taught Stochastic Modelling, Discrete Time Models and Credit Risk Modelling.

Endowed faculty chairs honor members of the Rose-Hulman faculty for their exemplary accomplishments outside of Rose-Hulman and further supports their professional activity in both national and international circles of scholarship, according to Richard House, associate dean for professional development and professor of English.

Professors receive annual stipends to continue to excel in their specialized areas, lead conversations with other educators in their fields and support research opportunities with undergraduate students.

As the Innovation Chair, Tarrant plans to work with Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya in a robust partnership that will increase the value of a Rose-Hulman education by enabling Rose students to feel comfortable to work on any continent on the globe.

“Rose-Hulman has been the top undergraduate engineering college for 25 years running, and we have made a difference in other schools in the United States and in the developed world by our collaborations,” said Tarrant. “I am excited that Rose will have an even greater influence by partnering with the Global South to improve education in both areas and to help solve interesting challenges that are unique to developing countries.”

Through virtual classroom interaction with faculty from the Global South, students will learn to be leaders in a global, diverse society. They will interact with a diversity of racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds among students in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, students will more fully develop a mindset of innovation, discovery and entrepreneurship.

“The Western world has a great deal of infrastructure already, and in a sense, we get handcuffed by either building on top of that infrastructure or having to retrofit,” said Tarrant. “Places like Kenya have a blank slate that gives the opportunity to be really creative — something that can inspire our students. We look forward to great opportunities for our faculty and students to invest, to learn, and to help others. This collaboration can make a difference for all involved for years to come.”

“Wayne’s desire to bring faculty from Rose and from Strathmore together to teach classes would help faculty and students to understand other cultures and to work more deeply as they work together,” said Dean of Strathmore Institute of Mathematical Sciences Godfrey Madigu, Ph.D. “The linking of faculty beyond mathematics can cement a relationship between two universities that are the top private institutions in their respective countries, serving as a model for how the developing world and the West can gain from these types of partnerships.”

Established by a bequest in 2015, the Innovation Chair recognizes Rose-Hulman educators for their role as leaders of innovative education in STEM. Current and past Innovation Chairs have been Joshua Holden, an esteemed professor of mathematics, Azad Siahmakoun, a scholar and researcher in optics, micro-electro-mechanical systems, and nanotechnology, and Yosi Shibberu, an award-winning mathematics educator and former Fulbright Scholar.