After 32 remarkable years at NDNU, Greg White, our NDNU Provost and Senior Vice President, will be retiring in March 2026. From his early days as a math faculty member to helping steer the university through pivotal moments—including the transformative shift to a graduate institution—Greg has been a steady hand and a visionary leader known for his wit and wisdom.
Here are highlights from a recent interview with Greg about his special NDNU memories
and plans for retirement. Enjoy!
(Editor’s Note: for an earlier profile of Dr. White, please click here.)
Looking back on your three decades of service, what are some career standouts?
There’s nothing more important than helping to create the vision for what the University
could be. When NDNU was considering whether or not to close its doors in 2019, I co-authored
a white paper that laid out a few ways to survive, including selling the campus and
becoming a graduate institution. We were basically looking at academic programs we
could run without a campus, while remaining focused on our mission and the values
of the Sisters. Since then, I have been one of many people supporting the University
though the transition process by helping to keep people organized and on board.
When I first joined NDNU, then College of Notre Dame, as a math professor and department
chair, my predecessor told me that I “could do anything I wanted at CND as long as
it didn’t cost money”. I was bound and determined to find ways to secure the financial
resources to turn that perception on its head so faculty and staff could have more
to work with. Suffice it to say, I’ve written many a federal and foundation grant
proposal in my day!
Overall, I’d like to be remembered as someone whose work helped others do their jobs
more efficiently and effectively—and maybe even enjoy the ride a little more.
What are you going to miss the most about NDNU?
So many things. I will definitely miss the people who made my job so much fun—and
sometimes challenging too—for so many years. I will miss the work itself; looking
back, it seems that my skills and talents have been uniquely honed for what I do.
What plans do you have for retirement?
I’m going to play more golf, exercise, play as much table tennis as my knees allow
and spend a month in Paris. I’m also looking at more opportunities for music, maybe
picking up another orchestra or group to play French horn with. Should grandchildren
come, of course I’ll be involved with them.
Math is going to play an active role in my retirement. I would like to be more directly
involved with the California Mathematics Project, which provides high-quality research-based
professional development for K-12 teachers throughout the state. Currently, I am on
the statewide Advisory Board, but I would like to get closer to the action. I am especially
interested in seeing how Artificial Intelligence can be helpful in math education.
If that doesn’t keep me busy enough, there’s a famous math problem that I would like
to delve back into. It’s been nominally solved, but doesn’t have a simple proof—that’s
what I would like to develop.