The new year brought new leadership to the American Mathematical Society, as Professor of Applied Mathematics Donald McClure Ph.D. '70 was appointed the group's executive director.
McClure is leaving the University after four decades of teaching to devote himself to the duties of his new office.
As executive director of the AMS, a Providence-based national institution that promotes mathematical research and scholarship, McClure will have a "very full-time" commitment, he said.
In his new position, McClure will primarily deal with balancing the budget of the AMS and determining the financial direction of the association. He said he will be responsible for allocating resources for crucial initiatives within the AMS, some of which include expanding electronic publishing, engendering research and compiling academic textbooks for both graduate- and undergraduate-level courses.
McClure joined the AMS in 1969 and first compiled statistics on doctoral candidates in math for its data committee, he said, adding that he later served on the board of trustees and as associate treasurer.
Though the term for executive director is technically five years, McClure said it is common for people to stay on longer. His predecessor, John Ewing PhD'71 P'09, served for 13 years.
Through McClure's five years on the board of trustees, he was able to observe Ewing's term. Ewing "was a very effective executive director," McClure said. "I would only hope that I could do as well as he did."
McClure is not the first Brown professor to become an active participant in the AMS. With its headquarters in Providence, the AMS's history is intertwined with the University's. Brown faculty and alumni have held key positions in the development and administration of the association, McClure said.
Perhaps most notable is Otto Neugebauer, a former history of mathematics professor in the 1940s, McClure said. Neugebauer developed "Mathematical Reviews," an AMS database that tracks the tens of thousands of mathematical research papers published each year and serves as an up-to-date resource for the newest literature in mathematics.
Several prominent members of the AMS lauded McClure's appointment.
McClure's ability and experience will "serve him (and us) well in this new position," AMS President James Glimm said in a press release.
"I am sure that (McClure) will do a superb job at the AMS and working to strengthen the mathematical sciences here in the United States and around the world," Professor of Mathematics Joseph Silverman wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. Silverman is a member of the AMS Council, a governing board responsible for approving the selection of the executive director.
McClure said he is unsure how long he will keep his position, but added that it is unlikely his stint at the AMS means the end of his teaching career. "I've always been enthusiastic about teaching," he said. "Friends and colleagues can call me to substitute any time."
