Dennis W. Brewer, professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, will retire from the U of A at the end of May after 48 years of service on campus.

A reception for Brewer will be held from 3:15-5 p.m. Monday, May 1, at Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, room 324. 

Brewer attended Sterling College in Kansas, completing his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1971. He then obtained his master's degree and Ph.D. degree both from the University of Wisconsin, the latter in 1975. In the same year, he joined the U of A as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics.

In the many years Brewer has been at the university, he has made a significant impact on the faculty, staff and students. "Dr. Brewer is very respected by both his colleagues and students. We have a great appreciation for his dedication to the U of A, and he will be greatly missed," said Mark Johnson, chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department. Brewer's courses in differential equations, with which he has been mostly associated, are especially popular with students on campus.

Brewer's career at the U of A has included many administrative leadership roles. In fact, he has served in administrative positions at the university continually for the last 27 years. He served as the chair of the Department of Computer Science in 1996, and then as associate head of the new Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering. In 2003, he began a nine-year stint as associate vice provost for research and economic development, the last year of which he also served as the director of research and sponsored programs. Brewer then assumed the position of associate vice chancellor for information technology and director of Information Technology Services. He has been vice chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences since 2017.