The First Year Mathematics Team was honored with the Governor's Award for Excellence at a ceremony held at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix on Monday, November 16th, 1998.  Governor Jane Dee Hull hosted the awards ceremony, at  which many in Arizona's public sector are recognized for their respective efforts.
     The FYM Team was formed in 1995 with a mandate to improve undergraduate mathematics education at the university.  Many new faculty members were hired under the auspices of Dr. Tom Trotter, then Department Chair, and Dr. Marylin Carlson, then Director of First Year Mathematics, to improve teaching, evaluate the curriculum and increase access to tutoring resources in the College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, College Mathematics, Intermediate Algebra and Mathematics  Education courses.  Class sizes were decreased, faculty were given more direct control over the courses, and progressive teaching methods were utilized, with outstanding results.
     Pass rates in each of the FYM courses have increased over the past 3 years since the creation of the FYM Team.  In some instances, courses were structured in order to create a more cohesive overall structure.  Also of importance, the success of the FYM program has gained the department recognition from around the university as well as from other schools, eager to use ASU's FYM as a model for their own programs.
     The Governor's Awards of Recognition and Excellence are a yearly event to honor Arizona's employees from all levels, including academic, social, governmental and law enforcement.  Television personality Heidi Fogelsong was the Master of Ceremonies for  the event,  while Governor Hull say for photos of each of the honored teams.