Cornelia Lang appointed Associate Dean by College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Lang, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, will oversee undergraduate education
Friday, May 1, 2020

Professor Cornelia LangThe University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) has appointed Professor of Physics and Astronomy Cornelia Lang to the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, effective July 1, 2020.

Dean Steve Goddard of CLAS welcomed Lang to the college's faculty leadership.

"Professor Lang will be an outstanding advocate for the success of not only our undergraduate students, but also their instructors," Goddard said. "I look forward to our work together on the CLAS Senior Leadership Team."

Lang joined the UI faculty in 2002. Her research interests focus on understanding the astrophysics at the very center of our Milky Way Galaxy and of other nearby galaxies. She uses radio telescopes at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in New Mexico, as well as satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, and several UI Internal Grants. She serves as chair of the Working Group on the Galactic Center of the International Astronomical Union.

Lang enjoys teaching introductory astronomy courses, in addition to teaching and mentoring at other levels. The Director of Undergraduate Studies for her department, she received the Collegiate Teaching Award in 2007 and the President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013. Lang is active in curricular development and assessment, currently serving as chair of the CLAS General Education Curriculum Committee, and has played a key role in developing and coordinating the UI's "Big Ideas" general education courses. She also is co-chair of the Student Success Working Group of the UI Path Forward initiative, which is responsible for implementing the university's strategic initiatives concerning undergraduate education. 

Lang has been committed to outreach and public engagement, receiving the CLAS Outstanding Outreach and Public Engagement Award in 2018. She earned her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.