Sipser appointed Acting Dean of the School of Science
Sipser appointed Acting Dean of the School of Science
Effective Dec. 16, 2013, Michael Sipser, head of the Department of Mathematics, will become the interim dean of the School of Science according to an MIT News Office press release.
His interim appointment comes several weeks after Marc A. Kastner, his predecessor, was nominated to lead the Department of Energy’s Office of Science by President Barack Obama.
According to Sipser, “The School is in great shape, and I aim to keep it that way.” His responsibilities will include working with department heads and directors, advising the senior administration officials like the president and provost, and setting priorities for allocation resources within the School of Science.
According to the MIT News Office, a search committee will be formed to find the new permanent dean. In an email to The Tech, Sipser said he intends to be a candidate for the position, “along with others who are highly qualified for the position.” He expresses interest in continuing to engage with MIT students, whether through administration or teaching.
Sipser joined the MIT faculty in 1980, after completing a Bachelors of Arts in mathematics from Cornell University in 1974 and PhD in engineering from UC Berkeley in 1980. According to the MIT News Office, under his leadership as department head of Mathematics, the department secured enough funding to provide fellowships for first-year graduate students. In addition, the number of undergraduate mathematics majors has increased 54 percent since 2004 to 287 students.
—Anthony Yu