Ray Ahmadnia Times may be tense between the United States and Iran, but if Ray Ahmadnia is any indication of what is to come, things look optimistic. Ahmadnia came to the United States in 1974 on a scholarship from the Iranian government. He earned two master's degrees and was working toward a PhD in applied math when the government was overturned in 1978, so he started working to cover expenses. “I don’t compare here and Iran,” Ahmadnia says of his educational experiences. He values education very highly and believes students should appreciate what they have and respect the fact that higher education is available to everyone. Ahmadnia tries to help new students who may not know where their college education is going. He tells them college is the best time in their life to challenge themselves, but only if they want to. Ahmadnia received a bachelor’s degree in math while in Iran. But when he got his first full-time teaching position at the University of Minnesota in 1982, the math and computer science departments were combined. So he began to teach computer science. “Every minute technology is changing,” he says. “My job is to be updated all the time.” Ahmadnia does so by reading books and journals about the field. He says it is all a part of the job. After two years in Minnesota, Ahmadnia and his wife moved to southern California, where he taught at various universities, including ULV part time on Friday nights. “That was the only free time I had,” he says. He became a full-time professor at the University in 1997. “I like this school; I enjoy the people, I enjoy the staff,” he says. “I love teaching. I have a good passion about teaching instead of working in the industry.” Having taught at various public schools, Ahmadnia says he sees a lot of qualities at La Verne that one would not find at public institutions. Among those things are class sizes and the attention students receive from the faculty. He also enjoys the friendly atmosphere in class where students know each other by name. “If you look at student evaluations, they always characterize me as a caring person who can control the students on Friday and keep them in class until 10,” Ahmadnia says. Because of his schedule, Ahmadnia most often teaches a Friday night class until 10, leaving little time to spend with his family. “By the time I get home the only one who is waiting for me is my wife,” he says. “I prefer to stay home on Saturday and Sunday to spend time with my family.” Ahmadnia values family as well as education. He enjoys spending time with his son and daughter as much as he can. Together they enjoy shopping and going to restaurants. Ahmadnia’s son has also influenced his teaching methods. While in college, when he would complain about a teacher, Ahmadnia would try to correct himself. “I really consider to make sure that things I put in my exam are the things I cover in class,” Ahmadnia says, as a major result, “I make sure the students are prepared.” “Time you spend in school is always dedicated to the students,” Ahmadnia says. His door is always open. RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:AHMADNIA@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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