PAMS dedicates statistics commons in honor of Dean Dan Solomon

The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences has dedicated the fifth floor commons room of SAS Hall as the Daniel L. Solomon Statistics Commons in honor of Dean Solomon’s critical role in the building of SAS Hall and for his continued leadership and service to the college and NC State.

The dedication was announced at a January 11 reception in the new Solomon Commons. In addition to faculty and staff from the Department of Statistics and the PAMS Dean’s Office, the event was attended by a number of VIPs, including Chancellor Randy Woodson and Ann Goodnight, a member of the UNC Board of Governors and a longtime friend of the college.

The naming of the room was made possible by anonymous donations to endowment funds in  the college, according to PAMS Associate Dean for Advancement Anita Stallings.

“When we started to share the idea of honoring Dan in this way, the response was overwhelming,” Stallings said in her remarks at the dedication reception. Directing her remarks to Dean Solomon, she continued, “In addition to your great leadership and vision for the future, it is your genuine compassion and respect for every person you come into contact with that made these friends so eager to honor you in this way.”

In her comments, Statistics Department Head Montse Fuentes thanked Dean Solomon specifically for his unwavering support of the academic discipline they both share.

“As department head for over a decade then later as associate dean and, eventually, dean of the college, Dan has continued to promote excellence in teaching, research and outreach in the mathematical and statistical sciences,” Fuentes said. “We’re very proud that our department is now home to this special gathering room named in Dan’s honor.”

A plaque unveiled at the reception included the following tribute to Dean Solomon: “In honor of his extraordinary vision and leadership in building a new home for the mathematical and statistical sciences and his tireless efforts and longstanding commitment to the generations of faculty, staff and students responsible for NC State’s legacy of excellence in the sciences.”

You can view photos of dedication reception here.

About Dean Dan Solomon

Daniel L. Solomon is professor of statistics and dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at NC State University. Solomon began his career in 1968 at Cornell University, moving through the ranks to professor of biological statistics and heading the Biometrics Unit there from 1977 to 1981. In 1981, he came to NC State as head of the Department of Statistics, a position that he held until 1993 when he moved into the position of PAMS associate dean for academic affairs. He was named dean effective July 1, 2000. On July 1, 2013 he will become the inaugural dean of NC State’s new College of Sciences.

Solomon is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and has served that association in many capacities. He is a 2010 winner of its Founders Award. He is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He has been editor of Biometrics, the journal of the International Biometric Society, and a member of its International Council. He has been on several panels of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, including its Panel for Information Technology, the Committee on National Statistics, the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics, and its Panel on Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences. He currently chairs the Governing Board of the National Science Foundation funded Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute.  Among other service to his profession, Solomon was instrumental in the founding of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, and continues to serve in various capacities on its Board of Trustees.