May 15, 2005
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.—Gregory S. Call has been appointed dean of the faculty at Amherst College. Call, who has taught in the department of mathematics and computer science at Amherst since 1988, has served as interim dean since 2003.

"It has been a privilege to serve the faculty, our students and the college community for the past two years," Call said, "and I am honored to have the opportunity to continue."

In a message to the college announcing his appointment of Call, Anthony W. Marx, the president, wrote, "During the last two years, we have all benefited from his many talents as a scholar, teacher and administrator; from his understanding of Amherst's unique culture; from his devotion to the college; and from his dedication to supporting the work of faculty, students and staff."

A professor of mathematics with special interests in algebraic number theory, arithmetic geometry and cryptography, Call received an A.B. degree summa cum laude in mathematics from Dartmouth College and A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. Call previously served as Amherst 's dean of new students for two years.

The dean of the faculty is the second-ranking officer of the college and works closely with the president on all the college's business, administers departmental budgets and oversees the academic departments in the preparation of tenure cases and in faculty searches. The dean also serves on many college committees. A college-wide examination of the academic program and priorities in the context of long-range planning is underway at Amherst, and Call will participate in that discussion as well.

Founded in 1821 for the "education of indigent young men of piety and talents," Amherst College is now widely regarded as the premier liberal arts college in the nation, enrolling a diverse group of approximately 1,600 young men and women. Well known for its academic excellence, Amherst is also consistently ranked among the very best schools in the country in terms of accessibility: The college's financial aid packages are consistently the most generous in the U.S., and among its peer universities and colleges Amherst has the greatest economic diversity. Diversity, in its broadest sense, is fundamental to Amherst 's mission. The college enrolls students from every state and more than 40 countries, and for the past several years more than 35 percent of Amherst 's students have been students of color. Amherst offers the B.A. degree in 33 fields of study.

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