Rosemary M. Karr
Professor of Mathematics
Collin County Community College
Passion for Teaching Statement
Student Introduction
Acceptance Speech
Video of Acceptance Speech

Rosemary M. Karr took an unusual route to discover that her true teaching passion lay in developmental mathematics. After leaving a four-year university to become professor of mathematics at Collin County Community College, in Plano, Texas, Karr went on to develop Passport Mathematics, a holistic, self-paced program that cuts math anxiety and boosts self-confidence while providing a strong foundation in mathematics.

This nationally recognized program teaches math with the help of real-world examples drawn from movies, NASA space missions and medicine. Participants also put their math skills to work in the community by tutoring at-risk young people and writing about their experiences in journals. Karr’s tracking results show 14 percent higher student success levels in Passport compared to traditional classes, and a greater likelihood, 51 percent, that students will be successful in higher-level math courses in the future.

Widely published in academic circles, she has won numerous awards and was recently named president-elect of the National Association for Developmental Education. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master’s in mathematics education from Eastern Kentucky University as well as a doctoral degree in higher education from the University of North Texas.