Rate My Professor Barbara Leitherer

Barbara Leitherer is a Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) in Baltimore, serving since August 2000. She holds the position of Chair of the International Mathematics Academic Network at the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). At CCBC, she is a member of the School of Mathematics and Science (SOMS) DEIB Inclusive Curriculum subcommittee. Her academic contributions emphasize global learning in mathematics education, undergraduate research opportunities at two-year colleges, climate change integrated with global perspectives, and initiatives to recruit and retain women and underrepresented groups in information technology, computer science, engineering, and related fields. Leitherer has compiled comprehensive lists of peer-reviewed resources to support the globalization of mathematics curricula, incorporating cultural contexts, international assessments like PISA and TIMSS, and preparation for 21st-century workplaces through enhanced global competence.

Leitherer's scholarly output includes six publications on ResearchGate, garnering 13 citations. Notable works feature 'Conceptualization and Challenges from a Global Undergraduate Research Study' (2024), presented at the Third International Symposium on New Ways of Teaching & Learning in Bologna, Italy; 'Global Learning and Climate Change: Undergraduate Research Reflections from Student Scholars and Faculty Advisors at a Two-Year College' (2023), from the International Symposium Innovative Teaching Practices in Oxford, UK; and 'Undergraduate Research in a 2-Year College: Climate Change, Global Learning, Process and Observations' (2022), delivered at the International Conference Building on the Past to Prepare for the Future in Cambridge, UK. Earlier publications address equity in technology education, such as 'Strategies for Increasing IT Enrollment: Recruiting, Retaining and Encouraging the Transfer of Women and Underrepresented Groups to Four-Year Colleges' (2010) and 'Patching the Pipeline: A Community College Approach' (2009). The latter details the Grace Hopper Scholars Program (GHSP), initiated in 2003 at CCBC with NSF funding (DUE-0302845), where she served as principal investigator. This program supported 74 scholars through recruitment, mentoring, tutoring, bridge sessions, social activities, career guidance, and tuition aid, achieving a 34% transfer rate to four-year institutions—exceeding CCBC averages—and stabilizing female enrollment in technology fields. Through these efforts, Leitherer has advanced inclusive excellence and global perspectives in community college mathematics.