Clifford Bergman named next chair of Department of Mathematics
Author:
AMES, Iowa – Professor Clifford Bergman has been named the new chair of the Department of Mathematics at Iowa State University.
Bergman, the Janson Professor of Mathematics, has been an ISU faculty member since 1982. He is a research mathematician and an award-winning teacher. He won an ISU teaching award in 1989 and was selected as a Master Teacher by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2004. He also authored a graduate textbook in universal algebra in 2011.
“I am very pleased that Professor Bergman will become the new chair of the Department of Mathematics,” said Beate Schmittmann, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “He has a wealth of experience as a teacher and researcher, and the department will continue to excel and prosper under his leadership.”
The Department of Mathematics is an academic unit in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ISU.
“A great many of our senior faculty are close to retirement,” Bergman said. “It will be both a challenge to maintain leadership in the department and an opportunity to infuse it with new energy, new ideas and new direction.
“The Mathematics Department has been fortunate to have a series of very good people serve as chair. In my opinion, Professor Kliemann has set a new standard for excellence. His background as associate dean and associate vice provost for research gave him a wide-ranging understanding of the workings of the university. I think that if I can be half as good a chair as Wolfgang, the department will be in great shape.”
Last August, Bergman was named the Janson Professors in Mathematics at Iowa State for his commitment to undergraduate teaching, including encouraging students to major in mathematics. Barbara Janson of Dedham, Mass., a 1965 ISU mathematics graduate, established the professorship, which provides the holder with supplemental funds to advance the teaching and research efforts of the department.
Bergman, who will begin his term July 1, will succeed Wolfgang Kliemann, professor of mathematics.
-30-
About Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a world-class learning and research community. Iowa State’s most academically diverse college, LAS educates students to become global citizens, providing rigorous academic programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within a supportive personalized learning environment. College faculty design new materials, unravel biological structures, care for the environment, and explore social and behavioral issues. From fundamental research to technology transfer and artistic expression, the college supports people in Iowa and around the world.
NEWS RELEASE
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University
Contacts:
Clifford Bergman, mathematics, (515) 294-8137, cbergman@iastate.edu
Jess Knight, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communication, (515) 294-9906, jeknight@iastate.edu