This lecture series, dedicated in honor of Dwight Lahr, the first African American professor to receive tenure in a mathematics department at an Ivy League university, comprises two distinct presentations. The first is a public talk designed to be accessible to individuals without a mathematical background. The second is a colloquium-style presentation aimed at a broad spectrum of mathematicians including beginning graduate students in all fields. Speakers in this series are leaders in their field and have significantly contributed towards diversity and inclusion in the mathematical community.

C. Dwight Lahr was named Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth College when he retired from teaching in 2014. He first joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1975 as an assistant professor. Dr. Lahr was promoted to associate professor in 1981 and assumed the roles of associate dean of faculty for sciences and dean of graduate studies. He was named full professor and dean of the faculty in 1984, thus becoming the first Black professor to get tenure in an Ivy League School department of mathematics.

Dwight never forgot his roots and remained deeply committed to improving inner city public education and making math accessible and understandable to all levels. Beginning in 1994, he founded and directed CLIPP, a Dartmouth Summer Institute to develop computer literacy for inner city public school teachers. CLIPP also provided computer equipment to their schools.

In 2020, the department was pleased to announce the establishment of an annual lecture series, to be called the C. Dwight Lahr Lecture Series, in memory and honor of Dwight’s contributions to the Department of Mathematics and to the College, and in recognition of his commitment to inclusivity and diversity. Dwight retired from our department in 2014 and passed away in 2016, so not all of us had the privilege of knowing him. The brief obituary contains a further link to an outline of his academic career, stating “Those who grew to know him better and interact with him daily describe him as an outstanding faculty member and professional who played a great role in pushing for the growth and support of diversity at Dartmouth.”

Mathematics at Dartmouth

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