Celebrating the Legacy of Dan Solomon

The Department of Statistics hosted a reception to honor Dan Solomon during the annual departmental beach trip festivities in September.

Solomon, who served as the inaugural dean of the College of Sciences and also as a professor of statistics, stepped down from the deanship during the summer. He has made an integral impact on the Department, having served as department head from 1981 until 1993.

During his 34 years as an administrator at NC State, Solomon was a driving force in developing and promoting effective teaching methods, expanding research and graduate programs, and propelling the university-wide emphasis on convergence science that solves societal problems. He also stressed the importance of diversifying the sciences. He promoted, developed or led a wide array of activities designed to diversify the sciences workforce pipeline, student body and faculty; created a more inclusive and welcoming community; and enhanced work-life balance. Solomon is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and a 2010 winner of its Founders Award. He was a key figure in the founding of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences. In recognition of his accomplishments and support, the Statistics Commons in SAS Hall was renamed after him.

The new dean of the College of Sciences is William Ditto. Ditto, who joined NC State in September after serving for four years as dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is recognized internationally for the development a new type of computer based upon nonlinear dynamics and chaos. His findings have been used to study new ways of controlling heart arrhythmias, seizures and epilepsy. In recognition of his research achievements, Ditto has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, among numerous other awards.

The Department celebrates the legacy of academic excellence that Dan Solomon leaves behind and thanks him for his outstanding service to NC State for the last 34 years. We welcome Dean Ditto and look forward to his leadership of the College of Sciences.