Markus Pomper is the new dean for the Indiana University East School of Natural Science and Mathematics (NSM) beginning August 15. He is currently a professor of mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics for the Richmond campus.

Markus Pomper

“IU East is my academic home,” Pomper said. “As dean, my goal is to create a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate experience that includes student research, student community, and co-curricular activities to complement the school’s programs.”

Additionally, Pomper’s goal for NSM faculty and staff is to help them to achieve excellence professionally. For example, he plans to boost development by expanding opportunities for students to research alongside faculty members. He plans to increase student retention, continue creating engaging online courses and earning Quality Matters certifications for a majority of online NSM classes.

The dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics has the administrative responsibility for all aspects of the school, providing leadership for student success and retention,  faculty recruitment, development and evaluation; program development, assessment and improvement; budget management and fundraising; and other matters related to the continuing well-being of the school and its faculty, staff and students.

Michelle Malott, executive director of Academic Affairs, said Pomper’s background and connection to campus makes him an excellent choice to serve as the next dean for NSM.

“Markus brings a level of experience and familiarity with the campus that will serve NSM and IU East well,” Malott said. “Throughout his tenure, Markus has increasingly taken on more responsibilities and provided his expertise in so many different areas – from student engagement to course development and leadership to strategic planning – that we are very fortunate to have him grow into this administrative role.”

Malott added her gratitude to Mengie Parker, director of Institutional Effectiveness, director of M.S. in Criminal Justice and Public Safety and professor of criminal justice, for chairing the search committee, and the members of the search committee for their excellent work.

Pomper has been part of IU East’s NSM faculty for 16 years, over two different appointments. He first worked at IU East from 2000-2014 before he took a position at Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tennessee. He was the dean of Mathematics and Science at Roane State from 2014 to 2019.

In fall 2019, Pomper returned to IU East as a visiting associate professor. He quickly received tenure as an associate professor and was named chair of the Department of Mathematics in January 2020. In April 2021, he was promoted to professor of mathematics.

During his first appointment with IU East, Pomper had achieved tenure and was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in 2006, and he served as department chair from 2012-2014.

He gained experience developing academic programs for NSM and campus-wide. He was the principal designer of the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and the Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics before it transitioned to the collaborative M.A.T. online degree completion program.

As the first coordinator for the First Year Seminar, Pomper designed and implemented the course taught by faculty eager to help students succeed in their first semester.

He has served as president of the Faculty Senate as well as on numerous campus committees for student engagement and retention, academic assessment, and faculty governance.

Pomper has received teaching awards at IU East including the Trustees Teaching Award in 2004; the Horizon Teaching Award in 2002; and he received a Faculty Summer Fellowship in 2001.

Earlier in his career, Pomper was a research assistant and visiting management methods analyst at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Pomper’s research interests include Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the online environment and co-requisite learning support, and development.

He has published articles most recently in the Journal of General Education, Mycologia, and International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. He has written and received several grants and presented at conferences on leadership, course development and teaching.

Pomper received his Ph.D. and his Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.