Necole McGary has a BS in Business Management and an MS in Mathematics from Northern Illinois University, a Masters of Ministry from Temple Baptist Seminary (through Tennessee Temple University), and an MDiv (Masters of Divinity) from Piedmont International University. She is currently working on her PhD In higher education and has been with DMACC since 2011 where she teaches mathematics, serves as mathematics group leader at Urban campus, and is a member of the Curriculum Commission.
McGary loves what she does and the students she works with, and it shows. “I absolutely love it!” she says.
Determined to help all students get math, she has been instrumental in creating new pathways for success. McGary helped develop curriculum for a Math Study Skills course and created and piloted an Accelerated Math HiSet (High School Equivalency Test) program, which led to more students passing the mathematics portion of the test.
More recently, McGary created and piloted Math Express, a learning community that combines the two most basic level developmental math classes and enables students to take just one semester of developmental math courses before they choose their career path. “Math Express has enabled students to graduate faster and also be better prepared for some of the science classes they may have to take,” she said.
“I have been in their shoes,” said McGary. “I know what it is like to struggle in math, have self-doubt in one’s abilities, feel totally lost in class, have a panic attack during an assessment, and have to push through that to rise to the occasion.”
Taking her enthusiasm and passion to students beyond DMACC, McGary taught a “Fundamental Fridays” math class on the DMACC Urban campus to teenagers from Des Moines’ Oakridge neighborhood. It gave high school students exposure to college and encouraged them to further their education after high school.
McGary also actively participates in hiring committees for faculty, staff, and administrative positions. She has been part of the Leadership Institute for a New Century (LINC) program offered through Iowa State and represented DMACC Urban during the recent Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation process.
“We are a loving community that celebrates the individual successes of our students, no matter how great or small,” said McGary. “Every small step forward is a step of progress in the right direction.
“I genuinely care about my students as people first, and then their academic endeavors. I find that when I show students that I am genuinely concerned about them as a human being, then they are more willing to work hard for me...and for themselves.”
Contact Necole McGary at nsmcgary@dmacc.edu or (515) 697-7773.
DMACC STEM
