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SANFORD N.C. — Dane Peterson loves math. He also loves helping students who have had a hard time with math find success. 

Peterson, the chair of �ڰ�������’s Academic Transitions Department, is the recipient of the college’s Faculty Member of the Year award for 2025-26. 

“He’s known across campus for his ability to make even the most intimidating math concepts approachable and understandable,” said Claudia Clayton, �ڰ�������’s Dean of Career and Academic Engagement. “Through humor, calm explanations, and consistent encouragement, Dane helps students who have historically struggled with math succeed — many for the first time in their academic careers.” 

Academic Transitions provides classes that help students transition in or out of community college. Among those offerings are �ڰ�������’s first-year experience course, as well as math and English classes that help some students make up for skills or requirements they are missing from high school.

At �ڰ�������, Peterson teaches these students and leads other faculty in his department. He has also played a major role in the department’s adoption of a new model for the classes it offers.

In the past, some of those classes were “prerequisites” at �ڰ�������, meaning that students were required to take them before they could move on to other required math and English college courses. Now, �ڰ������� has a fully “corequisite” model, where students take support classes alongside their college-level math or English courses. That strategy has been showing promise in helping students succeed, locally and nationally.  

Peterson collaborated with others at �ڰ������� to develop, promote, and provide training on the new model. 

“When my students pass, I’m happy for them, hopefully as happy as they are,” Peterson said. “And when they don’t, I hurt, just like they hurt.”

Peterson first arrived in Sanford as a teenager, after moving nearly 1,000 miles south from Gilmanton, a small town in New Hampshire. In college at UNC-Wilmington, he majored in math but didn’t have a concrete plan for his career.

Later, after he moved back to Sanford, he applied for a job with �ڰ������� that involved running the tutoring center on the Chatham Main Campus. Taking that part-time job in 2011 led to an opportunity to teach a math class in an earlier version of the department he leads today. 

Peterson was excited — and petrified. 

“I was given a textbook and a roster and told, ‘Go for it,’” he said. “I fell in love immediately.” 

He was inspired by students who have different learning experiences than he did. 

“Math was always easy for me,” Peterson said, then corrected himself. “Not always easy. Math is hard and that’s why I like math. It can be cruel and unforgiving, but it’s beautiful when you make it past the difficult parts. I don’t think I realized the challenges others faced, and I wanted to help them overcome those challenges.” 

By day, Peterson took on a series of full-time jobs with �ڰ������� in student affairs and student services. At night, he taught math classes to �ڰ������� students. 

Later, while continuing to work at �ڰ�������, he completed a Developmental Education Specialist Certification from Appalachian State and a Math Education Master’s Degree from NC State. 

That helped him land a full-time faculty position teaching at �ڰ�������, leading to his current role as Chair of the Academic Transitions Department. In that role, he continues to teach, while leading other faculty in the department. 

Peterson said his many years of experience in student affairs and student support services influence his current work. 

 He’s done things he’d never imagined, like helping students fill out FEMA paperwork after a flood.

 “I try to support them,” he said, “Not just with math content, but as people as well.”