The Mathematical Association of America: Its First 100 Years

This article presents an overview of the history of the Mathematical Association of America as part of the celebration of its centennial in 2015. It describes events this author regards as the most important over the century but the account is certainly not exhaustive; for example, it makes little mention of competitions conducted under the aegis of the Association or of the expanded book publication program. Our account begins with the founding of the MAA and then describes its sections, governance, and meetings. Overarching activities are outlined in two distinct periods, 1916-1955 and 1955-2014, with an explanation for the separation into disjoint stages. The article discusses prizes and awards before ending with a brief mention of MAA headquarters. Founding One of the most historic moments for mathematics in America occurred with the establishment of a national organization on the last two days of 1915. It is rather miraculous that the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) was founded amidst World War I, a year after Canada entered the fray as a Dominion of the British Empire and 16 months before the U.S. Congress declared war. It is important to note that the use of “America ” in the title of the Association includes both Canada and the U.S. As Albert Bennett wrote upon the 50th anniversary of the MAA in 1965, “The phrase ‘of America ’ was interpreted from the start to include Canada and indeed the North American continent ” [3, p. 1]. Since that time, members living in the Caribbean areas belong to the Florida Section of the MAA. The founding of the MAA took the reverse of the usual route whereby an organization is established first and creates its official journal later. For instance, the American Statistical Association was formed in 1839 but did not establish a publication for another 49 years. The American Mathematical Society (AMS) was quicker, being founded in 1888 but creating the Bulletin as its first periodical three years later. Yet the MAA’s official journal, the America