“And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T.S. Eliot - After 11 years as Department Head, we wish a fond farewell to Dr. John Stufken as he seeks new challenges as the Charles Wexler Professor of Statistics at Arizona State University. The impact he has had on our department is beyond words and his dedication to the department beyond measure. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Beginning August 1, 2014, Dr. Nicole Lazar took the reigns as Interim Department Head for 2014-15 as a search is conducted over the next year for a permanent department head. Dr. Lazar earned her PhD in Statistics from the University of Chicago in 1996 and gained experience as an Assistant and later an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. She joined the Department of Statistics in 2004 and has since served on various committees including the Research Development Committee, the Personnel Committee, and the Graduate Committee; she has also served as head for the Capstone Course for six years. Dr. Lazar was recently named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and she was recently named the next editor of The American Statistician. We also welcome Dr. Paul Schliekelman as the new Associate Department Head who took over for Dr. Dan Hall on August 1, 2014. Dr. Schliekelman earned his PhD in Biomathematics from North Carolina State University in 2000 and joined the department in August of 2001. He has been an active member of the department serving as a member of the Research Development Committee, the Infrastructure Committee and various search committees. This next year will certainly be one of transition, but under the guidance of Dr. Lazar and Dr. Schliekelman, we are optimistic that the department will continue to grow and advance with the changing times.
