Randy Philipp's new beginning

San Diego State University Professor Randy Philipp has long been legendary among students and colleagues for his ability to recite the first 50 digits of pi while doing handstand pushups. 

So why shouldn’t he be comfortable coming full circle?

As he prepares to officially retire after 35 years as a math educator in the SDSU School of Teacher Education, Philipp finds himself back in the classroom — as a student. 

Philipp is studying clinical counseling in a master’s program at a local university with the goal of becoming a practicing therapist. It’s a dream he’s had ever since volunteering with a crisis intervention helpline in the 1980s.

"I’ve always had an interest in the field, professionally and intellectually,” he explains. “How do people operate? How do people feel and think? When I first started thinking about not working anymore it hit me, hey — maybe it’s not too late.” 

In his classes, Philipp knows he sticks out in a few ways. He’s one of only five men in his program. He’s also Jewish at a Christian liberal arts college. And, at age 67 he can’t help but smile thinking about his place among his mostly twenty-something peers.

“One of the women I sit next to told me that when she turned 25, she cried because she was so old,” Philipp said with a laugh. “But these have become my classmates and my friends.” 

It should come as no surprise. After all, Philipp has never been daunted by the numbers. 

A mathematical life

Philipp grew up in the San Fernando Valley, the son of immigrants who escaped from Nazi Germany. He always had an aptitude for math that quickly became a fascination. 

“Even as a child, I would lie in bed and think about math patterns,” he recounts. “I would think about the numbers from one to 10, and I would think, oh, one and nine is 10. And two and eight, and three and seven, and four and six. So you can make five groups of 10, that’s 50. And you have a five left. So the numbers from one to 10 add up to 55. I would just, you know, play. 

“I think this is going to sound silly, but for me, numbers were like friends that I brought with me everywhere I went.”

He would bring them around the world and back.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a teaching credential from California State University-Northridge, Philipp joined the Peace Corps hoping to make a positive impact on the world. He was sent to the West African nation of Liberia where he worked at a teacher training institute — an experience that foreshadowed his future career. Upon returning to the States, he taught math for four years in urban and exurban Los Angeles schools. 

Philipp left the PK-12 teaching ranks to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His advisor was the late Tom Carpenter, who was renowned for his work in Cognitively-Guided Instruction, a student-centered approach that teaches math by building upon children’s existing mathematical thinking. 

Inspired, Philipp came to SDSU in 1990 with a passion to build a math education research portfolio. He quickly found a home among like-minded faculty within the Center for Research into Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE), which brings together researchers from the College of Sciences and College of Education, and became prolific at securing large federal grants.

“My colleagues have been extraordinary,” Philipp said. “I got really fortunate that San Diego State had CRMSE. It supported the kind of professional direction that I ended up taking.”

His career highlights include working with former colleague Vicki Jacobs to launch SDSU’s math education master’s program. Philipp was also involved with the Mathematics and Science Education Doctoral Program (MSED), offered jointly with UC San Diego. He served as advisor for its very first graduate — Lisa Lamb, now SDSU professor of mathematics education.

“Randy Philipp has been a foundational and inspiring presence in my professional life and in the life of our College of Education,” Lamb said. “On a personal level, with his intelligence, integrity and generosity, Randy has modeled what it means to be a colleague. His infectious enthusiasm for learning, genuine joy in others’ successes and unshakable belief in people’s potential have inspired and uplifted us all.”

Philipp has served in multiple leadership roles, including as director of CRMSE and as president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE). In 2016, he was named the College of Education’s recipient of the Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions.

“As a leader, Randy has been a giant — someone whose impact is felt not through self-promotion, but through deep, sustained contributions,” added Lamb. “We also experience his influence daily in those one-on-one conversations where we leave feeling heard and thinking more deeply. His presence has infused our community with excellence, warmth and care.”

Throughout his career, Philipp said he has been inspired by students above all.

“My students at San Diego State have been fantastic,” Philipp said. “They’re not all the same color that I am — we have a lot of Latino/Latinx students, which is wonderful — but they’re a lot like me. They’re children of immigrants. They’re working class. They’re humble and hardworking.”

Full circle

Now back to being the student after decades as a professor, Philipp has remained humble. He’s always sure to call his instructors doctor or professor, even when they tell him that’s not necessary. During his first week, he also made it a point to learn the names of all his classmates.

“I always want to remind everybody that I know that I’m a student, and that’s it,” he explains. “But they’ve been very kind to me.”

And what do his SDSU colleagues think of this unexpected turn?

"They’ve been very encouraging,” Philipp said. “I’ve had some other friends tell me this is crazy, but what they’re really saying is, ‘This would be crazy for me to do.’ 

“Retirement means you get to do what you really want to do — and this is what I really want to do.”