History of the Department of Statistics

Part 2b

Tom HettmanspergerJim Rosenberger

Part 1

Bill Harkness

Department Head Search

• Interviewed several external candidates during 1987-1989:– William Strawderman– Richard Johnson– Mary Ellen Bock– Friedrich Pukelsheim

• Finally considered internal candidates– J Keith Ord (took head of MSIS in Business)

• Then hired Dennis Lin

– Cliff Clogg– Jim Rosenberger (faculty choice)

Tom Hettmansperger departs

• Tom flew to Europe July 1, 1990 to put space between him and the Stat. Dept.

• I became acting head, a great situation to be in, since you aren’t really responsible yet. I accepted the position, since I didn’t like the alternatives.

• I quickly learned why Tom didn’t want to be head another term!

• Spoiled children would be a good analogy.• During that year, I accepted a full three year term,

from 1991-1994. Gregory Geoffroy was dean.

Dean Gregory Geoffroy

Appointed me in 1990, and 1991, and asked me to serve another term in 1994. Then promptly accepted the provost at UMd.

First Hiring

Joe Schafer 1991 Bing Li 1992

I remember well the faculty meeting to decide who to hire: Bing or the other candidate.

After the Iron Curtain fell

Arkady A. Tempelman, 1992. Ergodic Theorems for Group Actions.

Norwell, Mass.: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

First joint hire with mathematics, engineered with math head Jerry Bona.

Some early memories 1970s

The Chief

I joined Penn State in 1975, after applying to 3 universities. When I interviewed I met: The Chief, Charles Antle, Bob Hultquist, John Wiorkowski, Frank Haight, Tom and Barb Ryan, Marllyn Boswell, GP Patil.

Tom Hettmansperger was on sabbatical at Princeton/Berkeley.

The department was a good place to be: Pond Lab was our home.

Tom could always be counted on to teach a tough course and hold high standards.

Tom and Bill

Picnics

Receptions

Intramural Sports

Patil, Ryan, and Jim

Astro Statistics Conferences

Babu and Feigelson AstroStatistics Conferences and Summer Schools

Building the department from 1990-2006

• Hiring each year, always went for the best.• Improve the department facilities – new building

– Computing, offices, lounges, appearance– Hired our first full time system support person

• Joe Broniszewski, Hension Tan, Jun Recta, Gary Field• Asked dean for funds, went 50/50 • Network of Sun Unix Workstations, later Windows

– Hired top quality instructors/lecturers• Pat Buchanan, Robert Heckard, Mosuk Chow, Laura Simon,

• Open faculty meetings with student reps and minutes. Created a strategic plan, with goals.

Improve reputation of department

• Maximize reputation through publicity about success– Awards for faculty and students– Invitations of eminent speakers and guests

• Continue program of external reviews • Built an early effective web site• Rao brought many visitors, John Nash,

etc.

Program Changes

• 1992 added the undergraduate major– Wanted to be more visible and extend our reach.

Steve Arnold directed the major for years.

• 2001 proposed the Master of Applied Statistics – a professional degree promoted by the Sloan Foundation to improve the workforce skills. – Three years of funding to launch program

• Mosuk Chow, director of program, GJ Babu, faculty in charge

– Promised tuition funds never returned to department on permanent basis. Then decided to focus on WC.

Program Growth with research and collaborative funds

• Research funding grew with improved faculty. Lindsay, Bing Li, Schafer, Patil, Babu, Murphy, provided RA-ships

• SCC expanded mission,

• MAS students and undergraduates provided valuable additional graders, TAs

• Vitality in department came from constant stream of young faculty.

World Campus MAS program

• Spring 2001, began Stat 500 Applied Statistics online.  M. Chow

• Fall 2001 began resident MAS program, 15 students / yr. 

• Spring 2003, Stat 501 Regression Analysis online, L. Simon developed it.

• 2006 began Certificate Program with courses– Stat 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 509

World Campus MAS program (cont.)

• In 2008 added Stat 506, 507, 510, 557

• In 2009 announced MAS online program

• In 2010 semester began admitting students to online MAS.

• In 2010/11 completing development of Stat 414, 415, 580, 581.

• Now have over 30 online MAS students

• Enrollment growing at 25-50% per year.

Eminent Lecture Series

• The Chemerda lectures in the mathematical sciences were presented by Persi Diaconis in 1994/95.

• John Nash was the Chermerda lecturer in 2003/4

• The historian of statistics Stephen M. Stigler in 2010/11

John Nash visit 2003