Mathematics professor Daniel Wulbert was appointed the new provost of UCSDís Revelle College on June 16.
Wulbert, a member of the faculty since 1973, has previously served as vice chair of undergraduate studies in the department of mathematics and chair of the Curriculum Committee at Thurgood Marshall College. He has also served as interim provost at Marshall for short periods totaling less than two years.
ìThe students, staff and faculty of [Revelle] College have a reputation for being dedicated and talented,î Wulbert said after accepting the position. ìIím absolutely thrilled to be working with them to benefit the UCSD education programs.î
Wulbertís appointment has been met with strong support from the faculty and administration.
ìWulbertís past service as interim provost of Thurgood Marshall College and his outstanding commitment to teaching and the UCSD undergraduate college system make him exceptionally well suited to provide leadership in the continued excellence of Revelle College,î said Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Marsha A. Chandler, who will become UCSDís interim chancellor beginning Oct. 2.
Nancy Groves, dean of academic advising at Revelle and a member of the provost search committee, echoed the sentiment.
ìWulbert is truly interested in undergraduates; he literally exudes enthusiasm about them,î Groves said.
Wulbert follows F. Thomas Bond, who retired as provost in June, following two decades in the position.
ìTom Bond was incredibly dedicated to students,î Wulbert said. ìHe is very eager to help and I do intend to tap into that.î
Rather than be compared to Bond, Wulbert hopes ìpeople will just see me as something different.î
Wulbert expressed some trepidation about the lifestyle changes that accompany his transition from researcher and teacher to administrator.
ìIn mathematics, you spend lots of time looking at the ceiling, trying to come up with ideas,î Wulbert said. ìIn administration, you find that there are a thousand little things to do all the time. Youíre absolutely busy all day running around doing things and scurrying back and forth, and when you get home, you canít necessarily think of anything that youíve actually done.î
In addition to overseeing the administration of the college as a whole, provosts act to protect and enhance the campuswide quality of undergraduate education.
Wulbert remarked that ìone of the things thatís exciting about taking this job is the idea that possibly we can have a stronger effect on something at the university, particularly on some things that will benefit undergraduates.î
Wulbert balances his work with cycling. Most days, the six-time amateur national champion commutes 25 miles to UCSD on his bike.
ìI find [cycling] to be an exciting sport,î said the 61-year-old Wulbert. ìTime goes fast, it has a lot of variety in it, and I rather like that.î
Wulbert won the time-trial and placed second in the road race at a national competition in Bakersfield in July 2003. He also took home the best all-around rider award, beating cyclists in every age category.
While stressing the importance of academics in undergraduatesí lives, Wulbert noted that college provides a time of growth outside of the classroom as well.
ìThere are students here who are just incredibly interesting,î Wulbert said. ìIf you can find a few good friends that are interesting and make the world bigger for you, that often you keep for life and becomes a marvelous thing.î
Wulbert attended Knox College, where he received his bachelor of science degree, and the University of Texas, Austin, where he was awarded his Ph.D. Before coming to UCSD in 1973, Wulbert studied at the Teddington Laboratories in England and the University of Lund in Sweden. He was an assistant professor at the University of Washington from 1967 to 1973.
The new provost has also authored approximately 50 works in functional analysis and approximation theory.
