It all adds up
New dean is
methodical about
moving his college
ahead
positions at the University of
Southern California as chair
of mathematics and dean of
faculty at the College of Letters,
Arts and Sciences.
By Tom Reynolds
Prior to his appointment at
WSU, he was a faculty member
and founding director of the
School of Mathematical and
Statistical Sciences (SoMSS)
at Arizona State University
(ASU). During his three years
of leadership at SoMSS, the
number of math majors at
ASU increased by more than
50 percent, an achievement
he calls his proudest career
accomplishment to date.
Raskind attributes the growth
in math majors, in part, to the
engagement of SoMSS with the
whole university.
Wayne Raskind demonstrated
his proclivity for mathematics
at an early age when his uncle
gave him $3 for his birthday.
"I will spend one-third and
save the other two-thirds,"
announced the confident
3-year-old.
In 1973, the then 14-year-old
Raskind took his passion for
numbers to the top, shattering
the world record for reciting,
by memory, 1,220 places of
pi. The previous record was
850. It's perhaps not surprising
that his favorite number
is pi because, he says "It's
fundamental to mathematics,
it's unique, it's not a rational
number."
Today, following an impressive
career in higher education from
coast to coast and overseas,
Raskind leads Wayne State
University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences (CLAS). The
path to WSU has been an
interesting ride for the 53-year-
old Medford, Mass., native.
After earning a bachelor's
degree in mathematics from
the University of Pennsylvania
and a Ph.D. in mathematics
from the University of
Cambridge in England, Raskind
joined Duke University's faculty
as a visiting assistant professor
of mathematics. Then it was
on to Harvard University as
an assistant professor, a four-
year association that he fondly
remembers as a return to his
Boston roots.
Following Harvard, Raskind
held research fellow positions
at various universities,
including the Mathematical
Sciences Research Institute
(Berkeley, Calif.), University
of Tokyo, University of
Cologne (Germany) and
University Paris-Sud. He held
faculty and administrative
As dean of Wayne State's
largest college, a position he
assumed in August, Raskind
wants to build on CLAS's
excellent reputation and pursue
an agenda of growth in several
areas, particularly research.
"One of my priorities as
dean is to harmonize the
research efforts of Wayne
State University — with a
commitment to educating a
broad spectrum of students,"
says Raskind. "This includes
greatly expanding the
undergraduate research
program."
Wayne Raskind, Ph.D.,
Center in Farmington Hills and
Macomb Education Center
in Clinton Township. These
sites provide extensive course
offerings as well as executive
and professional development
programs for Wayne State
students.
Another priority is recruiting
and retaining students, and
increasing Wayne State's
graduation rates.
Another tool for reaching a
broad spectrum of students is
what Raskind calls "blended
instruction." This type of
instruction is what the name
implies: a blended approach to
teaching consisting of lecture
and online delivery. He says
a blended approach can be
very effective in achieving
good results in the classroom.
"Homework and quizzes can
often be delivered effectively
online, while live classroom
lectures can inspire students
and provide an excellent forum
for answering questions and
discussing the course material."
Raskind also would like to
see further development at
the university's extension
centers, such as the Oakland
Raskind sees CLAS as the core
of the university with its 19
departments and more than a
dozen programs, centers and
Over the next five years,
he hopes to ramp up the
research enterprise in CLAS
by pursuing opportunities for
growth in collaboration with
the university's schools and
colleges. Raskind's personal
research interests have included
algebraic geometry, number
theory, algebraic K-theory,
partial differential equations,
cryptography and mathematics
education.
institutes. "Our college has
a responsibility to reach out
and collaborate with the other
academic units at Wayne State
University. I am proud to be
leading this effort on behalf of
the college."
Reynolds is associate director
of public relations for Wayne
State University.
Apply by
November 16
for optimal
scholarship
consideration.
wayne.edu
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