Faculty are People Too – Glenn Berman
Our latest Meet the Faculty session had us learning more about Professor Glenn Berman. Born and raised in Richmond California to Catherine (Cathy) and Sanford (Sandy) Berman, both of whom were CHSSA Hall of Fame debaters, Professor Berman’s passion for games started at a very young age under the influence of his father. Mr. Sanford Berman sadly had Gaucher’s disease, which rendered him wheelchair-bound. Unable to partake in more traditional and physically demanding outdoor activities, the Bermans instead bonded over a variety of card and board games. The elder Mr. Berman did not go easy on his progeny during any of their games, teaching him both the value of strategy and nurturing a sense of competition within the young man.
Mathematics and debating ran strongly in the Berman genes, with Mr. Sanford actively teaching math well into 2006.This would influence Glenn to seek a degree in Mathematics at the Santa Cruz California University where he met his future wife Jill Berman in their first year. As with many other things in Glenn’s life, their romance kicked off over a mutual interest in games and roleplaying.
From Santa Cruz, both Glenn and Jill moved to West Virginia to finish their degrees. While there, Professor Berman decided to go to Graduate school while teaching math on the side. It was around the same time that the Berman couple welcomed their daughter, Alexis to this world. Aside from bringing the usual love and joy to their lives, Alexis introduced something else to the Berman household – Anime. Father and daughter continue sharing a fascination for Japanese animation and manga to this day.
After West Virginia, the Berman family moved to Louisiana where Glenn finished his math degree at Louisiana State. With his degree finished, Professor Berman taught for 3 years at Lynchburg University before moving to the wonderfully exciting town of Madison, South Dakota.
Through his many years here at Dakota State, Professor Berman has been more than a professor. Taking a keen interest in his student’s success, both in and out of the classroom, Professor Berman spends a lot of his time socializing and interacting with many of the clubs on campus. The Gaming Club is favored haunt, being both the advisor and a very, very active member in it though; it is not his only extra-curricular obligation. Professor Berman is an advisor to KDSU as well as an active member of DSU’s Alliance (formerly the GSA).He has also been a part of organizations like Habitat for Humanity where he, together with several DSU students, volunteered in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurrican Katarina. Professor Berman helped create and manage Nanocon, South Dakota’s biggest gaming convention, which is now into its 12th year. Off campus, Professor Berman enjoys participating in Renaissance Fairs and taking care of a veritable zoo of pets, ranging from felines to canines to serpents.
However, do not use just this article as your guide to Professor Berman. Come down to Game Nights on Thursdays and have a chitchat with our amazing Math Professor. You are guaranteed to learn something new. Just don’t expect him to take it easy on you should you decide to play chess.
