Past Featured Alumni
John Dossey ’65, M.S. '68
Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
John Dossey ’65, M.S. '68 received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Illinois State and his Ph.D. ’71 from the University of Illinois. He was a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at Illinois State from 1967 until his retirement in 1998, and is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus. During the 1993-94 academic year, he served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dossey’s professional involvements are extensive, including the presidency of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, chair of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences and chair of The College Board’s Mathematical Sciences Advisory Committee. In addition, he has chaired or served on commissions or committees for the National Research Council, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics and the International Educational Evaluation Association.
Dossey is the author of a number of well-known texts spanning the spectrum from mathematics for middle school students to research and graduate texts in mathematics education as well as over 150 articles and chapters in other publications. He has received a number of national, state and university awards, including Illinois State University’s Alumni Achievement Award, the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Max Beberman Award for outstanding research contributions in mathematics education, the Illinois Mathematics Association of Community Colleges’ James Armstrong Award for outstanding service and teaching in mathematics, the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal from the Department of Army and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
