Dr. Jim Barta is a visionary educator who brings a wealth of experience to Bemidji State University.  Jim’s work with mathematics and indigenous cultures is recognized internationally, and he knows Bemidji State and our unique region. Jim also led the American Indian Teacher Education Program at Utah State University–Eastern.

“All my life, I have been motivated to make a difference. I want to be part of a team that rises every morning trying to position the university and its students to be 21st-century difference makers,” Barta said.

Barta has developed a national and international reputation for his work in ethnomathematics, the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture with a focus on indigenous cultures in the United States, Canada and Central America. For eight years, he led teams of educators providing professional development for Mayan charter school teachers in the rural Highlands of Guatemala. Since 2012 he has served as vice president of Teachers-2-Teachers Global, which develops teams of mathematics coaches who travel to rural villages throughout the world to provide professional development to teachers.

He also serves on the boards for the United States National Commission of Mathematics Improvement and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Committee on Global Diversity.