Robert Case

  • Emeritus

Department

Born and raised in Boston, Robert Case attended public school from kindergarten until graduation. Dr. Case spent much of his youth playing baseball and hockey on the playgrounds and frozen ponds in and around Boston—but remembers how fortunate he was to have extraordinary, inspiring teachers during that time, especially his math teacher, Arthur Leary, at Hyde Park High School. Encouragement and support from his teachers led to a PhD from the Belfer Graduate School of Science at Yeshiva University in New York City.

While teaching math courses at Northeastern, Dr. Case connected with countless like-minded individuals who cared deeply about providing opportunities for the next generation of students. Joining forces with Dr. Donald King and a handful of others, Dr. Case reached out to best practice groups across the country, including teachers, faculty, and university students, to begin building an alliance to bring rigorous math programs to high schoolers—which eventually led to Bridge to Calculus.

Dr. Case has seen a drastic change in Boston since his upbringing. Today, he sees the pipeline carrying first-generation college students from high school to universities, like Northeastern, shifting to provide more access to Black, Latinx, and Asian-American populations. Realizing that the enormous potential of this population would otherwise be untapped—which he saw as a grievous blow to both racial justice and the vitality of society—Dr. Case was eager to create a group at Northeastern that was looking to bring a college pathway to all.