February 13, 2024

Dear Members of our Campus Community,

I am deeply saddened to share with you that Professor Emeritus Bill Jacob of our Department of Mathematics passed away in January.

Professor Jacob joined our faculty in 1989. In addition to his outstanding research on quadratic forms and division algebras, Professor Jacob was an inspirational teacher and mentor for our students, and especially devoted to educating future teachers and improving K-12 education in our community. He helped to advance our Department of Mathematics and our university in countless ways, providing visionary leadership as Chair of our Senate Committee on Enrollment, Admissions, and Relations with Schools; Chair of the systemwide Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools; and Chair of the UC systemwide Academic Senate, among many other contributions.

Our hearts go out to his wife, Debbie, and their family and friends, and to all those who were fortunate to work with him and learn from him. He will be greatly missed by our university community. In his honor, our campus flag will be lowered on February 15.

I am honored to share the following tribute from our colleagues in the Mathematics Department.

William Jacob 

William Jacob was a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) since 1989 and until his retirement 2021. Professor Jacob received his Bachelors from the University of California, Berkeley (1974), and his Ph.D. from Princeton University (1979). Prior to his arrival at UCSB, he was a Hedrick Assistant Professor at UCLA (1979-81), a NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley (1981-82), and an Assistant/Associate Professor at Oregon State University (1982-89). He received the American Mathematical Society Centennial Fellowship in 1987-89, which he spent in residence at UC Berkeley.
 
His research focused on algebraic theory of quadratic forms and the structure of finite-dimensional division algebras. At UCSB he supervised several PhD and master theses. Professor Jacob made K-12 mathematics education a major part of his career. He was a main contributor in a study of elementary school students and teachers, called Math in the City, in which he co-authored the curriculum series Contexts for Learning Mathematics.

At UCSB, Professor Jacob was dedicated to preparing students who were considering mathematics education as a career choice. He directed a number of projects to develop the curriculum and expand courses within the Mathematics department for undergraduates interested in K-12 teaching. He has significantly impacted to mathematics thinking and learning of numerous students here at UCSB, especially undergraduate math majors in the High School Teaching Concentration and credential candidates in the Teacher Education Program. In addition, Professor Jacob was responsible for bringing sizable grants from the Educational Advancement Foundation that support undergraduate courses, a collaborative with the Teacher Education Program, and workshops for mathematics teachers in the Santa Barbara area.

While at UCSB he served as a higher education representative on a number of California Department of Education Mathematics Education committees, gave an invited hour address at the 2000 International Congress of Mathematical Education in Tokyo, and received the 2005 Walter Denham Award for Public Service from the California Mathematics Council.

Professor Jacob served as vice-chair (2013-2014) and chair (2013-2014) of the UC systemwide Academic Senate. He also played a leadership role in multiple local Senate committees and councils including the Santa Barbara Divisional Undergraduate Council and the Committee on Enrollment, Admissions, and Relations with Schools (2004-2008), which he chaired while serving as a Santa Barbara Divisional representative to the systemwide Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), from 2006 to 2008. He subsequently served as vice-chair (2008-2010) and chair (2010-2012) of BOARS.

Professor Jacob is survived by his wife, Debbie Katzburg, his sons, Michael and Adam, and four grandchildren.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor