Robert M. Berdahl facts for kids

Robert Max Berdahl (born March 15, 1937) is a retired American leader who worked at colleges and universities. He held important positions like president and chancellor at several well-known universities across the United States.

Robert Berdahl's Life and Career

Early Life and Education

Robert Berdahl was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He went to Augustana College and earned his first degree in 1959. He then continued his studies, getting a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1961. Later, he earned his highest degree, a doctorate, from the University of Minnesota in 1965.

Teaching and Leadership Roles

Berdahl started his career as a history professor. From 1965 to 1967, he taught at the University of Massachusetts. Then, from 1967 to 1986, he was a history professor at the University of Oregon. While at the University of Oregon, he also became the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1981 to 1986.

After that, Berdahl moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He served as the vice chancellor for academic affairs there from 1986 to 1993. This role meant he helped manage the academic side of the university.

Leading Major Universities

Robert Berdahl became the president of the University of Texas at Austin in 1993, serving until 1997. After that, he became the chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley from 1997 to 2004. A chancellor is like a chief executive officer for a university campus.

From May 2006 to June 2011, he was the president of the Association of American Universities. This group includes many of the top research universities in North America.

Interim President at University of Oregon

In December 2011, the Oregon State Board of Higher Education asked Berdahl to return to the University of Oregon. He served as the interim president, meaning he took on the role temporarily. This happened after the previous president, Richard Lariviere, left the position.

During his time as interim president, the faculty at the University of Oregon voted to form a union. This union joined with the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors. A month later, Berdahl agreed to let the union be officially recognized. Michael R. Gottfredson took over as president on August 1, 2012.

Robert Berdahl is now retired from his university leadership roles. He also served on the Board of Directors for Lam Research Corporation.

Writings

Robert Berdahl has written several academic works, mostly focusing on history. Some of his notable writings include:

• "New Thoughts on German Nationalism," published in The American Historical Review in 1972.
• "Conservative Politics and Aristocratic Landholders in Bismarckian Germany," published in The Journal of Modern History in 1972.
• "The Stände and the Origins of Conservatism in Prussia," published in Eighteenth-Century Studies in 1973.
• The Politics of the Prussian Nobility: The Development of a Conservative Ideology, 1770-1848, a book published in 1989.