Dr. Wanda Jo Weidemann
Dr. Wanda Jo Weidemann was born to Joe Henry and Martha Arney Weidemann. A Simpson County, Kentucky, native, Wanda came to WKU in 1973. While on the Hill, she studied mathematics and was active as a member of Pi Mu Epsilon, an Honorary Mathematics Society. She graduated magna cum laude in 1976, before earning her Master of Arts in teaching from the University of Louisville in 1977. She returned to the Hill in 1978, to pursue an education specialist degree. After graduating in 1982, she became a student at Vanderbilt University in 1985. She attained her Master of Science in mathematics in 1987, and her Doctor of Education in mathematics education in 1990.
Wanda began her teaching career in 1977, as a seventh grade mathematics and remedial mathematics teacher at Russellville Independent Schools in Russellville, Kentucky. From 1978 to 1985, she taught at Russellville High School as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. In 1989, she started teaching at WKU. She taught mathematics classes, primarily classes for prospective elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. She taught both undergraduate and graduate courses including face-to-face classes, interactive television classes, and online classes. She was made associate professor in 1995, granted tenure in 1996, and made professor in 2000. She retired in 2012, after 23 years of service to the university.
Wanda is a devoted member of her community. From 2005 to 2011 she was a member of the Kentucky Committee on Mathematics Achievement, which was established as an advisory group to Kentucky legislature. From 2009 to 2010, she was Algebra I chair on a Kentucky Department of Education grant to develop sample units and professional development training in preparation for state end of course assessments.
Over the years, Wanda has earned many accolades for her work. In 1991, she and another professor were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to work with math faculty in higher education with new approaches to teaching future teachers active, more hands-on approaches in teaching math. She was the recipient of the Faculty Award for Public Service in 1995. The Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics awarded her the Mathematics Education and Service Achievement Award in 1997. In 2012, Wanda was inducted into the $1 million club by the Office of Research for having reached the milestone of $1 million or more in external funding awards during their tenure at WKU.
To honor her dedication to the university, Joyce Weidemann Young, Wanda’s sister, established the Dr. Wanda Jo Weidemann Scholarship Fund in 2020. The fund assists deserving, full-time, incoming freshmen who are majoring in mathematics or mathematics education at WKU. Students must also be graduates of Franklin-Simpson High School or a high school in Warren County, Kentucky, and have a 3.0 high school GPA. Through this fund, Wanda’s legacy on the Hill lives on in perpetuity.