Receiving a quilt from department administrator Tracy Moloney has become a rite of passage for many in the Department of Mathematics.
During nearly 21 years with the department, Moloney has created countless quilts for the children of math faculty, commemorating milestones like bat mitzvahs and college graduations. She has made others that decorate the walls of the department.
Before she retires in August, Moloney plans to finish several more, including a reproduction of the Graeco-Latin squares in Kemeny Hall—a mathematical construct that graduate students turned into a colorful display decades ago—that will hang in a stairwell within the department.
When Moloney isn’t quilting, she supports math faculty, students, and staff in myriad ways to ensure their success. In any given week, this could include handling finances and the budget, scheduling events, coordinating searches for new and visiting faculty, managing classroom schedules, providing support for new members and roles in the department, and playing a crucial role in conference planning and implementation.
“It can be the most rewarding and challenging job at the same time,” Moloney says.
Along with administrative assistant Jennifer Kobayashi, systems administrator Šarūnas Burdulis, and web/department information manager Mits Kobayashi, Moloney and her staff colleagues “do everything except teach, so that faculty only have to focus on teaching,” she explains. “I take great pride in knowing faculty can focus on teaching while I assure them all the other aspects of the department are taken care of.”
At one point, Moloney also led and organized the department’s move from their old building to their new home in Kemeny Hall, while temporarily covering administrative responsibilities for the Department of Computer Science.
According to colleagues, her biggest contribution to the department is the sense of community she has built.
“In her time with the department, Tracy has been our heart and soul,” says Dan Rockmore, a professor of math and computer science and the director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science. “Department members who couldn't get home for holidays celebrated at her home. She helped department members who had health problems with rides to the doctor and other logistical arrangements. She originated and kept alive a tradition of end-of-term parties that were attended by department members and their families. She made sure that the department was inviting and open to all.”
Moloney started the end-of-term parties for faculty, staff, and graduate students and their families soon after she joined the department in 2004.
“This is in addition to running one of the largest departments on campus in terms of both enrollments and faculty size, and never missing a beat as we transitioned from chair to chair,” Rockmore continues. “Everyone relies on Tracy. She is an extraordinary combination of intelligence, efficiency, and warmth.”
Since 2011, Moloney has also worked closely with professor Rosa Orellana and graduate students to organize the annual Sonia Kovalevsky Day at Dartmouth. Originally designed to inspire young women’s interest in the mathematical sciences, the event features hands-on workshops and talks for middle and high school students of all genders and their teachers.
“Tracy’s tireless dedication, warmth, and attention to detail have transformed these events into welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring experiences for all who attend,” says Orellana. “From learning every participant’s name to ensuring that every student feels seen and supported—even staying with them until their parents arrive—she has gone far beyond expectations. Her thoughtful planning of meals and creation of meaningful opportunities for students to socialize have made each event not only successful but unforgettable.”
To mark their last Sonia Kovalevsky Day together, Moloney presented Orellana with a quilt pieced together with event T-shirts gathered from throughout the years.
Following her retirement from Dartmouth, Moloney plans to move to Massachusetts to be closer to her son and daughter-in-law. She looks forward to long walks with her husband and their dog, Harmony, tending to her garden every day, and finishing her quilts within a single week.
While she is ready for her next adventure, she knows it will be hard to leave campus. “They have a saying for alumni,” Moloney says. “They always put up these signs that say, ‘welcome home.’ Now I know what it means.”