Colorado College received a $5.6 million donation honoring Professor Steven Janke of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department, who is retiring this year after 41 years at the college. $3.1 million of the donation will go towards financial aid and $2.5 million will be directed to a chaired professorship in honor of Janke.
“I am very pleased, of course, and I don’t know how to internalize it,” said Janke, “I think it’s going to be a plus for the college.”
The donor, a member of the Class of 1982, said, “when I was a student at Colorado College, Steven Janke changed everything. I had not been a successful math student, and he helped me regain my confidence. He also piqued my interest in Computer Science. His advice and encouragement shaped my career.”
Professor Janke finds that many students struggle with confidence in the Mathematics and Computer Science discipline. “Part of the problem of taking Mathematics and Computer Science is that people have a lot of anxiety,” said Janke. “Part of what we do in the department and as a whole is try to allay that anxiety, so that students can think how they want to think. I think that has been a plus in this department and for this student, as well.”
Janke was originally hired as a statistician and then taught the department’s first Computer Science course. Computer Science became an option as an emphasis in 1989 and as a major in 2005.
Janke said, “I hope that it does mean that Computer Science in particular keeps growing because it has been, but we have been having a little bit of trouble getting extra faculty. But, it looks like we are. So, I hope that works. But, it is also a real plus for the Mathematics and Computer Science Department.”
Janke emphasized that the combined departments of Mathematics and Computer Science are important and that this cross-relationship should remain.
“At a small college, [everything] is always constrained by resources and how many faculty and so forth,” said Janke. “The department keeps changing slightly; it went a little more into Applied Math from more pure Math. Then, Computer Science started up and now they are both doing well. There are opportunities for math students to take computer science and vice versa. All kinds of opportunities for courses that are a little broader then you would have thought in the Math Department. Like courses on human and computer interactions. I hope the Department continues into the same direction and doesn’t split into two and that it gets a few more faculty, so that it is a pretty vibrant department that is self-sustaining.”
President Jill Tiefenthaler on her blog writes, “His commitment to excellence in teaching led him to be one of the pioneering members of the steering committee that created the Teaching and Learning Center. Because of his wide-ranging interests and talents, Professor Janke’s mark is evident in many campus innovations and endeavors. And thanks to this gift in his honor, he will continue to have an impact on campus as well as through his graduates, well beyond his retirement.”
Professor Janke is elated about the donation and believes it will be beneficial for the college and department. “I have never thought about a legacy,” said Janke, “I just think it’s very nice and I am a little overwhelmed, so I don’t know how to think about it another way.”