Meet the dean of arts and sciences

Patrick J. Van Fleet, Ph.D., serves as the second dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Prior to joining UHSP, Van Fleet served as the dean o the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences a the University of Indianapolis (UIndy). He has also had a storied career in academia which has spanned more than three decades.

As Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UInday, Van Fleet worked to improve policies and processes within the college and has been actively engaged with the Provost’s Council to provide leadership for the academic arm of the university. He also worked to promote external opportunities for students and faculty in biology and chemistry, history and forensic science.

Prior to his time at UInday, Van Fleet spent 23 years at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he served as Director of the Endowed Center for Applied Mathematics and as Chair for the Department of Mathematics. While at St. Thomas, he developed courses to support the University’s applied mathematics major, published several papers in the research areas of wavelets and spline theory, authored three books on wavelets, and received $1.3 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation. He also facilitated the development of an actuarial science program at the university that is recognized today as one of the strongest in the nation.

Van Fleet holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, as well as a B.S. in Mathematics from Western Illinois University.