Born in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Berdahl received a
Bachelor of Arts from
Augustana College in 1959. Additionally, he obtained a
Master of Arts from the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1961. He would later follow
Otto Pflanze to the
University of Minnesota where he received his doctorate in 1965, with a dissertation on the Prussian Conservative Party during German unification circa 1870. Berdahl was an assistant professor of history at the
University of Massachusetts from 1965 to 1967. In addition, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of
Lam Research Corporation. In December 2011, the
Oregon State Board of Higher Education asked Berdahl to serve as the president of the
University of Oregon on an interim basis. The presidency of the University of Oregon had recently been vacated by Richard Lariviere following his early termination by the state board. Three months into Berdahl's presidency the faculty voted to form a union affiliated with the
American Federation of Teachers and
American Association of University Professors, and a month later Berdahl agreed to end efforts to prevent certification by the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Michael R. Gottfredson succeeded Berdahl effective August 1, 2012. ==Works==