Overtoun Malandula G. Jenda is a Malawi-born American mathematician. He is a Professor of Mathematics and Assistant Provost for Special Projects and Initiatives at

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

. Jenda received a

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) is a Presidential award established by the United States White House in 1995. The program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on ...

in 2020 and was elected a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

in 2024.

Early life and education

Jenda was born and raised in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in mathematics from the

University of Malawi The University of Malawi (UNIMA) is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whethe ...

before moving to the United States. He then completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

and PhD in mathematics from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. His PhD was completed under the advisement of Edgar Earle Enochs.

Career

After completing his PhD, Jenda taught at the University of Kentucky until 1988, when he accepted a professorship at

(AU). As he was the only Black faculty member in the department, he was often sought out by Black students for assistance and guidance. In 1994, Jenda established the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program at AU and started a summer internship program for minority students. As the director of LSAMP, Jenda opened and operated a drop-in tutoring center and developed an outreach program aimed at recruiting high-school students interested in engineering. He also established the Summer Bridge Program to help minority students get acclimated to the changes from high school to university. Outside of his work with LSAMP, Jenda was appointed a Full professor in 1997 and became the associate dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics in 2000. Jenda ran the Summer Bridge Program until 2006 when he was appointed AU's associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs. As an associate provost, Jenda established the Provost Leadership Undergraduate Scholarship (PLUS) Program to support underrepresented students. By 2009, PLUS had provided scholarships to 125 students, including 55 first-generation college students. As such, PLUS received the 2009 Scholarship Provider of the Year Award from the National Scholarship Providers Association. In 2011, Jenda co-founded the Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association Masamu project to increase the presence of American mathematical research in Africa. Jenda received a

in 2020 and was elected a Fellow of the

in 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenda, Overtoun Living people Auburn University faculty 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians African-American mathematicians Year of birth missing (living people) University of Malawi alumni University of Kentucky alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science