Professor, Mathematics Department
1975
Bio:
Dr. Mehlenbacher joined the University of Detroit in 1945 as Associate Professor and Chairman of the Mathematics Department and was promoted to full Professor in 1948. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from New York State College for Teachers at Albany in 1931; from the University of Michigan he received his maters in mathematics in 1934 and his doctorate in mathematics in 1936.
Named as Coordinator of Sponsored Institutes and Special Programs in 1957, Dr. Mehlenbacher left the position of Chairman of the Mathematics Department which he had held for thirteen years. The Mathematics Institutes which he began in 1958 were designed to assist mathematics teachers to improve the quality of their instruction. He received National Science Foundation grants to support high school teachers of mathematics to be full time graduate students and to support participants in an In-Service Institute for High School Teachers of Mathematics. The institutes were part of an extensive program of the Foundation to upgrade the mathematics and science teachers throughout the country.
A University of Detroit press release announced that “Dr. Lyle E. Mehlenbacher was named Associate Dean of the University of Detroit Graduate School by Rev. James V. McGlynn, S.J., Vice President of Academic Affairs in September 1966. Fr. McGlynn said in making the announcement: “As associate dean for special projects Dr. Mehlenbacher will deal with various government foundations and agencies in setting up special academic programs. He has served as U-D liaison with the National Science Foundation and other agencies. In 1968 he received a grant from the United States Office of Education to support fifteen teachers with three years of teaching experience to complete the requirements for a Master of Arts in the teaching of mathematics (elementary level).
In an August 24, 1972 press release, the university announced his appointment as Director of Grants Administration where he was put in charge of obtaining funds from the federal government and private foundations for proposed academic programs and research projects. Between 1958 and 1972, Dr. Mehlenbacher, received over 65 grants. One program which met with enthusiasm among the University’s science faculty was ‘Scientific Stuff” which was “designed for the students interested in attacking societal problems from a scientific standpoint rather than from students who intend to specialize in biology, chemistry, or physics on the graduate level.”
Dr. Mehlenbacher served as Chairman of a National Science Foundation advisory panel in 1970, a panel to evaluate proposals submitted to the Undergraduate Division’s Instructional “Scientific Equipment program, on the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America (1962-1965); and Committee for Educational Testing Services at Princeton which prepared a new Graduate Record Examination in Mathematics.
He was a member of many professional and scientific societies including the Mathematical Association of America, the American Mathematical Society, the American Association of University Professors, the Michigan Academy of Sciences, the Knights of Columbus, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Phi Kappa.
Dr. Mehlenbacher is the author of several works on higher mathematics including Foundations of Modern Mathematics, and co-authored Mathematics of Finance, and College Business Mathematics. He has written articles for the American Journal of Mathematics and the American Mathematical Monthly.
In addition, a March 16, 1968 issue of Saturday Review article “The New Math at 33 1/3” the author noted “RCA Victor, now in the field of educational records, has come out with a set of eight albums which should prove a boon to harassed parents whose children are involved with the mysteries and intricacies of new math. Called simply The New Math, and subtitled “A Guide for Student, Parent, Teacher,” it is an efficient and pleasant way to enter and comprehend this strange new world. One author is Dr. Lyle E. Mehlenbacher, professor of mathematics at the University Detroit and associate dean of the graduate school…These have been designed to bring Michigan elementary and high school teachers abreast of the latest developments in the teaching of the new math.”…”there is really nothing new in mathematics; what is new is the emphasis on the foundations. The shift is from “how” an operation is performed to “why” it is performed as it is.”
In a letter dated November 13, 1975 from Malcolm Carron, S.J., President, University of Detroit, Dr. Lyle Mehlenbacher was informed that he was honored with “Emeritus Professor” status by the Board of Trustees. Fr. Carron noted “You certainly have earned this honor for your many years of meritorious service and your faithfulness to the ideals of this University. Your sense of duty over the years extended well beyond the classroom as you served the University so well in your several positions.”