College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
About the Department
1. Welcome to The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science!
Department Chair: Kung-Sik Chan
Director of Graduate Studies: Aixin Tan
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Statistics & Data Science: Sanvesh Srivastava
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Actuarial Science: Elias Shiu
Graduate Advisor for Statistics: Aixin Tan
Graduate Advisor for Actuarial Science: N.D. Shyamalkumar
2. 2023 Fall Count |
|||
| Faculty & Staff | Students | ||
| Tenure-Track Faculty | 14 | Ph.D. Students | 13 |
| Instructional-Track Faculty | 3 |
MS Statistics Students MS Actuarial Science Students |
14 10 |
| MS Data Science Students | 17 | ||
|
BS/MS U2G (Data Science) BS/MS U2G (Statistics) |
13 1 |
||
| Affiliated Faculty | 2 | Undergraduate students in Statistics | 74 |
| Adjuncts and Visitors | 1 | Undergraduate students in Actuarial Science | 41 |
| Graduate Assistants (TA, RA, Graders) | 37 | Undergraduate students Actuarial Science Interest | 114 |
| Administrative Staff | 3 | Undergraduate students Data Science | 73 |
| Professional Advisors | 1 | Total Undergrad Students | 289 |
| Total Graduate Students | 68 | ||
3. Mission
The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science has four interrelated missions by which it serves the University, the state, and the world. These four missions are:
- to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with strong degree programs and excellent instruction in probability, statistics, and actuarial science;
- to conduct and publish outstanding research in probability, statistics, and actuarial science;
- to promote the solid practice of statistics at the University and beyond; and
- to produce leaders in the insurance, pension, and actuarial consulting industry.
4. Department Chairs, since 1965
Bob Hogg, 1965 – 1983
John Birch, 1983 – 1986
Joe Sedransk, 1986 – 1989
Dick Dykstra, 1989 – 1992
Bob Hogg, 1992 – 1993
Jim Broffitt, 1993 – 2004
Luke Tierney, 2004 – 2010
Dale Zimmerman, 2010 – 2011
Luke Tierney, 2011 – 2015
Joe Lang, 2015 – 2019
Kung-Sik Chan, 2019 –
5. Distinguished history of the Department
Year |
Event |
|---|---|
|
1847 |
The University of Iowa is founded. |
|
1902-03 |
The first actuarial course, entitled "The Mathematical Theory of Insurance," is taught by Dr. Westfall. (Actuarial courses have been taught at Iowa every year since 1913.) |
|
1910 |
Department of Mathematics offers "Least Squares and Statistics," the first statistics course at Iowa. |
|
1918 |
Henry Lewis Rietz is appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics. |
|
1947 |
Robert V. Hogg arrives at Iowa to study actuarial science. |
|
1965 |
Department of Statistics is established. |
|
1981 |
Actuarial Science major is established; department is renamed: Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science. |
|
2009 |
Designated by the Society of Actuaries as one of its 12 inaugural Centers of Actuarial Excellence. |
|
2014 |
Renewal of designation as a Center of Actuarial Excellence. (Through December 2019) |
|
2015 |
Semi-Centennial Symposium, April 24-25. |
| 2018 | Data Science major is established. |
| 2020 | Renewal of designation as a Center of Actuarial Excellence. (Through December 2024) |
| 2020 |
75% of classes taught by Online and Hybrid teaching due to Covid-19 |
| 2022 | MS in Data Science approved by the University of Iowa Board of Regents, classes will start in the fall of 2022. |
| 2022 | The SOA has granted us University-Earned Credit (UEC) status for four exams: FM (ACTS:3080), FAM (ACTS:4130 & 4150), ALTAM (ACTS:4280), and SRM (STAT:4560 & 4561). To obtain UEC credit for an exam, a student must score at least 85% in the corresponding university course(s). More information about SOA's UEC program can be found in https://www.soa.org/education/resources/uec/uec-program |