All he ever wanted was to be a mathematician, but sometimes life doesn't turn out according to plans.

After 23 years at Humboldt State University, Rick Vrem has become its provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Mathematics career

Vrem, 58, grew up in Portland, Ore., and studied math at Oregon State University, with the idea of going into computers. An abstract algebra class in college convinced him to instead pursue theoretical mathematics.

"It was an epiphany for me," he said.

He went to Colorado to study more theoretical mathematics. Being fairly shy, he was apprehensive about the required teaching assistant job, but "I did it, and it turned out I loved it."

Vrem did use his math skills to work with computers for most of his four years in the U.S. Air Force, after an unfortunate beginning as a clerk-typist.

"I type like this," Vrem said self-deprecatingly, demonstrating typing with just two fingers.

He married another mathematician, and the couple moved to Eugene, Ore., where Vrem completed his doctoral degree while his wife taught high school and middle school mathematics. She's now a professor at College of the Redwoods.

Vrem started teaching at HSU in the fall of 1980. A particular favorite was a class that helped students prepare for the Putnam Exam, a nationwide mathematics exam, which Vrem calls the hardest he's ever seen.

He spent three years as chairman of the mathematics department in the early 1990s -- during which, as now, HSU had to face budget cuts.

"After doing my three years I thought, 'This is the end of my administrative career,'" he said.

But being chairman of an Academic Senate committee led to becoming interim dean of undergraduate studies.

"It was only for a semester," Vrem said. "I thought, 'Yes, I could do that for a semester.'"

But "in a weak moment," he decided to apply for the position, and became dean in 1998.

"So here I was doing administration, which I had felt, as a faculty member, was like going over to the dark side," he said. "I felt like I should have a Darth Vader helmet. It was very strange for me."

But, as dean, he was still able to work closely with faculty. Vrem said it was a chance to get to know colleagues from across the university, not just in the College of Natural Resources and Sciences. And he continued to teach the Putnam seminar.

Becoming vice president

Vrem met Rollin Richmond when he came to campus to interview for the position of HSU's president in February 2002. Vrem was part of the advisory committee helping California State University trustees find HSU's president.

Less than a year later, Richmond asked Vrem to serve as interim vice president for academic. Again, he agreed to take the temporary position -- then decided to apply for the permanent job.

Vrem was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in May 2003. The provost is considered the chief academic officer for the university and acts as president in the president's absence.

He said he enjoys being able to make more decisions and changes at the university. Vrem said staying at HSU for 23 years hasn't been a hard decision.

"Well, I love the place," he said.

But he became vice president at a time when the state -- and thus the university -- was facing a massive budget crisis.

Most of the math Vrem spends time at these days is subtraction. He said it's been difficult, particularly working with deans and department heads who must lay off part-time faculty.

Vrem said he had been looking forward to working with Richmond to expand campus programs, not reduce them.

In the meantime, he wants to try to spend more time with students, perhaps following Richmond's lead in eating lunch with them.

This is the first year he hasn't taught at least one class. Vrem hopes to return to the classroom next fall.

He said too many students see mathematics as just a boring series of calculations, and he tries to show them his enthusiasm for the beauty of mathematics.

"Some people work on puzzles," he said. "In a way, this is like a puzzle."

Vrem tries to spend time working on challenging math problems when he can.

"These are the kind of problems you might work on for one or two years, with very little progress, and then you get this insight moment, that 'ah-ha,'" he said.

But this doesn't always happen. Vrem has yet to find a solution for one problem he's been working on since 1984.

"It's a very frustrating and exhilarating process," he said.

Looking ahead

Future goals include improving HSU's already strong reputation for environmental and science programs, including expanding environmental concepts into non-science fields such as science and economics. Vrem said this is one of many topics on which he hopes to help faculty from different academic departments collaborate.

Vrem shares two of Richmond's other stated priorities: to strengthen ties between HSU and the surrounding communities and to increase the university's commitment to diversity.

"I want us to have a very supportive atmosphere for all of our students and faculty and staff," he said. "I think the campus' heart is in the right place, but there's more that we can do."