Dr. Robert P. Moses

A two-day summit on the importance of Math Literacy will be presented by Mission Health & Hospitals and the University of North Carolina Asheville Wednesday, Feb. 27, and Thursday, Feb. 28. Both the Department of Mathematics and Multicultural Student Programs at UNC Asheville are involved. Educators, community leaders, and professionals working with children of all ages are encouraged to attend.

The summit, entitled “Math: The Liberating Art,” will open with a free public lecture by noted Civil Rights leader and MacArthur Fellow Robert P. Moses, Ph.D., to be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at UNC Asheville's Lipinsky Auditorium. Moses will discuss the Algebra Project, a successful program he founded to help inner city and rural children succeed in algebra and college preparatory mathematics.

On Thursday, Feb. 28, a business breakfast for community leaders will be held at 7:30 a.m. in UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union. It will be followed by a series of workshops from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. These will focus on Math Literacy and its connections to workforce development, social justice issues, media literacy, and health and financial decision making. Cost for the workshop is $25 for adults or $10 for students.

Math Literacy, also called numeracy, includes arithmetic skills, mastery of basic statistical concepts, problem solving skills, and the ability to communicate effectively in quantitative terms. It an essential skill in today’s highly competitive, technology-driven world.

“Math affects every one of us every day,” says Samuel Kaplan, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics at UNC Asheville. “Things like pricing decisions at the grocery store, determining the right medication dose for a child, or understanding how interest rates on credit cards affect our personal finances -- all involve math skills. We are using this summit to focus the community’s attention on the issue of math literacy and its importance in developing a competitive, healthy workforce.”

Improved math literacy would directly benefit Asheville's growing health care industry, according to Biltmore Park resident Joseph F. Damore, President and CEO of Mission Health & Hospitals, which is sponsoring the event.

"Math literacy is a critical skill in virtually every area of the hospital and in physician practices," he said. "Yet too many bright people of all ages struggle with even basic math concepts and skills. We hope this conference will help our community understand that basic math literacy is just as important to the men and women who make up our workforce as the ability to read and write. We hope that our community will make the commitment to ensure that all students today graduate with math literacy. It will make them better able to compete in the job market, and it will help them manage their personal finances more successfully."

Kaplan and UNC Asheville's Department of Mathematics began a community outreach program last year called the Asheville Initiative for Mathematics (AIM). Its goal is to improve math literacy among students, teachers, parents and all other residents of Asheville and Buncombe County.

For more information on the math summit and workshop topics, contact Kaplan at 828/232-5192, or e-mail skaplan@unca.edu.