The Board of Regents also approved the following actions at its Sept. 19 meeting:
Buddha statue to return to Nepal
A 9th-century figure of Buddha — which has been in the U-M Museum of Art’s possession since 2016 — will be returned to the people of Nepal. The repatriation of the statue follows the university receiving information that challenged the credibility of the statue’s provenance and showed the statue was likely taken from Nepal without authorization in the mid-1970s.
— By Dana Elger, Public Affairs
Ross School to lease new location in downtown Los Angeles
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business will lease approximately 19,689 square feet of space for an initial term of 10 years within The Grand mix-use development in Los Angeles, California. This new location will allow the Ross School to create purpose-built educational facilities to support its Los Angeles based Executive MBA program, expand the reach of its executive education programming, and better serve the growing community of alumni on the West Coast. The estimated cost of the leasehold improvements is $12 million, with $984,450 funded through the lease and the rest from Ross School resources. Construction is scheduled to be completed in fall 2025. More information is available on the Ross School website.
— James Iseler, The University Record
2026-27 UM-Dearborn academic calendar approved
The UM-Dearborn 2026-27 academic year will consist of a total of 68 class days in the fall semester and 69 class days in the winter semester. Typically, academic calendar guidance ranges from 65-70 class days for a fall term and 68-72 days for a winter term.
— By Adam Fisher, Office of the Vice President for Communications
SPH Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity naming
The School of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education will now formally be known as the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity to better reflect the field’s evolution and the department’s academic mission and reflects the growth in health equity and social justice efforts in recent years.
— By Adam Fisher, Office of the Vice President for Communications
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointments with tenure
Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, professor of theatre and drama, and professor of music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Peng Zhang, associate professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Named professorships
* Samuel R. Bagenstos, Frank G. Millard Professor of Law, Law School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
James M. Balter, Allen S. Lichter, M.D. Professor of Radiation Oncology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Michael S. Barr, Roy F. and Jean Humphrey Proffitt Professor of Law, Law School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
* Daniel A. Beard, Carl J. Wiggers Collegiate Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Laura N. Beny, Earl Warren DeLano Professor of Law, Law School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Dennis S. Bernstein, James E. Knott Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
Julie S. Biteen, Janine Maddock Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and of Biophysics, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Rita C-K Chin, Louise Tilly Collegiate Professor of European History, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Andries W. Coetzee, Judith T. Irvine Collegiate Professor of Linguistics, LSA, Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
David E. Conroy, Bickner Chair of Kinesiology, School of Kinesiology, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* James T. Elder, Kirk D. Wuepper Professor of Molecular Genetic Dermatology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025.
Stephen A. Goutman, Harriett Hiller Research Professor, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Jonathan W. Haft, Joe D. Morris, M.D. Collegiate Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Barbara Hamilton, Cheryl Huey, M.D. Early Career Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Joel D. Howell, Elizabeth Farrand Collegiate Professor of Medical History, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Sandra K. Hunter, Francie Kraker Goodridge Collegiate Professor of Kinesiology, School of Kinesiology, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Benjamin Hampstead, Myrna R. Fischer Research Professor of Neurology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Junichi Iwata, Robert W. Browne Endowed Professor of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
Rattanamol Singh Johal, Shireen and Afzal Ahmad Professor of South Asian Arts, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Naomi Laventhal, Charles Neil Weller Children’s Development Research Professor, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Stephanie M. Munz, Dr. Walter H. Swartz Professor of Integrated Special Care Dentistry, School of Dentistry, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
* John A.E. Pottow, John Philip Dawson Collegiate Professor of Law, Law School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
* Richard A. Primus, Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor, Law School, effective Nov. 1, 2024, through Oct. 31, 2029.
Cara Rock-Singer, Lama Shetzer Professor of Contemporary Jewish Life, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Michael J. Solomon, Bernard J. Lucci Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Ralf J. Spatzier, Gopal Prasad Collegiate Professor of Mathematics, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Muneesh Tewari, Ray and Ruth Anderson-Laurence M. Sprague Memorial Research Professor, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Nicholas A. Valentino, Donald R. Kinder Collegiate Professor of Political Science, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Johannes E. von Moltke, Rudolf Arnheim Collegiate Professor of German Studies and Film, Television, and Media, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Thomas D. Wang, H. Marin Pollard Collegiate Professor of Endoscopy Research, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Angela M. Washko, Catherine B. Heller Collegiate Professor of Art, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, effective Aug. 26, 2024, through Aug. 25, 2029.
Xun Wu, Robert G. Rodkey Collegiate Professor of Business Administration, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Administrative appointments
** Robert H. Cichewicz, chair, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.
David C. Miller, executive vice president for medical affairs and chief executive officer of Michigan Medicine, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
** Gretchen A. Piatt, chair, Department of Learning Health Sciences, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024.
Stephan F. Taylor, interim chair, Department of Psychiatry, effective Oct. 1, 2024.
Other transactions
Belinda Needham, correction of end date of appointment as chair, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025.
Flint campus
Hua Ming, associate professor of computer science, College of Innovation and Technology, effective Aug. 20, 2024.
** Chris C. Douglas, interim dean, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, effective Aug. 1, 2024.
* Reappointments
** Interim approval granted
Retirements
Sherle Abramson-Bluhm, senior associate librarian, University Library, July 5, 2024. Abramson-Bluhm received her B.A. in English from the University of Virginia in 1983 and her M.L.S. from the University of Maryland in 1988. She worked at the Library of Virginia from 1999 to 2002, and at Rappahannock Community College from 2002 to 2005, when she joined U-M as the head of acquisitions at the University Library. She continued in this role until 2019, when she took on new responsibilities to help wrangle several projects as acquisitions project manager. Abramson-Bluhm is a member of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the Michigan Academic Library Association. She co-chaired the NISO Information Creation and Curation Topic Committee and led a task force to co-author the NISO Technical Report, “Issues in Vocabulary Management.” This work brought together several disciplines to highlight and address the necessity of interoperability of extant data and the need to develop new vocabularies cooperatively. Her leadership in developing an acquisitions program at U-M that eliminated redundant workflows enhanced the patron experience by improving receipt time and resulted in cost savings for the university.
Margo F. Aller, research scientist, astronomy, LSA, June 30, 2024. Aller received her B.A. from Vassar College in 1960, and her M.S. and Ph.D. from U-M in 1964 and 1969, respectively. She was appointed research associate at U-M in 1970 and was promoted to associate research scientist in 1976, and research scientist in 1985. Aller compiled, managed and analyzed the U-M Radio Astronomy Observatory database, a resource that has served for decades as the world’s richest observational record of the time-variable universe outside our galaxy. She has been at the forefront of the development of multi-wavelength astronomy facilitated by the improved access to X-ray and gamma-ray observatories, such as the AGILE and Fermi space telescopes, over the last decades. She has more than 260 publications in refereed journals and more than 120 contributions to proceedings and books, and has delivered numerous invited talks. Additionally, many hundreds of papers by other researchers have made use of this database. These studies have unraveled some of the mysteries regarding the origin of the variability of electromagnetic radiation from active galactic nuclei, helping to reveal the complex structure and dynamics of the jets in these accreting supermassive black hole systems.
Margie C. Andreae, chief medical officer revenue cycle and clinical professor of pediatrics, Medical School, Oct. 1, 2024. Andreae received her B.A. from Kalamazoo College in 1986 and her M.D. from U-M in 1991. She completed a pediatrics internship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak the following year, one year of fellowship training in dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and a pediatrics residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak before joining the U-M faculty as a clinical instructor in 1995. She was promoted to clinical assistant professor in 1999 and clinical associate professor in 2004. In 2010, Andreae was promoted to clinical professor of pediatrics. Andreae is a nationally recognized pediatrician and expert in clinical documentation, professional billing and coding compliance. She has received numerous national and institutional awards, including America’s Top Pediatricians, Consumer’s Research Council of America, the Department of Pediatrics’s Top 10% Teachers for several years, and the Medical School’s League of Clinical Excellence inductee. She has served on several national committees, including as chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Coding and Nomenclature and member of the American Medical Association’s Relative Value Update Committee.
Nancy Bartlett, associate director and archivist, Bentley Historical Library, July 22, 2024. Bartlett received her B.A. in 1979 and her M.A. in 1983, both from U-M. She joined U-M as an assistant archivist and was promoted through to associate archivist and archivist. Her roles at the library included head archivist, Access and Reference from 1985-98, head archivist, University Archives and Records Program from 1998-2013, and associate directorfrom 2014-24. Bartlett’s archival work focused on international collaborations, teaching undergraduates with archives, and archives of creative expression. From 1999-2015, she led the Bentley’s exchange with the State Archives Administration of China, developed and stewarded an annual internship program for graduate students from the French Institut national du patrimoine from 1992-2012, served as a U.S. State Department Fellow in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1994-95, and edited “Comma,” the journal of the International Council on Archives from 2000-04. More recently, she led a five-year grant project that included co-organizing a national symposium in 2017 on “Engaging the Archives: New Partnerships and Understandings of Teaching and Learning with Primary Sources.” She was appointed a fellow of the Society of American Archivists, the organization’s highest honor, in 2006.
James J. Duderstadt, president emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, Aug. 21, 2024. Duderstadt received a B.Eng. in electrical engineering from Yale University in 1964 and an M.S. and Ph.D. in engineering science and physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1965 and 1967, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1969 in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and was promoted to professor in 1976. He became dean of the College of Engineering in 1981, provost and vice president for academic affairs in 1986, and was named president of U-M in 1988 and served in that role until 1996. He held a faculty appointment as University Professor of Science and Engineering, co-chaired the university’s Program in Science, Technology and Public Policy and directed the Millennium Project, a research center exploring the impact of over-the-horizon technologies on society. Duderstadt’s teaching and research interests spanned a wide range of subjects in science, mathematics and engineering, including nuclear fission reactors, thermonuclear fusion, high-powered lasers, computer simulation, information technology and policy development in areas such as energy, education and science. He published extensively in these areas, including more than 30 books and 200 technical publications.
Steve Kronick, clinical professor of emergency medicine, Medical School, Sept. 30, 2024. Kronick received his M.D. at the University of Texas Health Science Center in 1986. In 1993, he obtained his M.S. in clinical research design and statistical analysis at U-M. He completed an internship in internal medicine in 1987 and completed a residency in internal medicine in 1989, both at U-M’s Department of Internal Medicine. In 1997, he completed a residency in emergency medicine at the Henry Ford Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine. In 1989, Kronick was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Surgery at U-M and in 1995 was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He was appointed as a clinical assistant professor in 2002, a clinical associate professor in 2012 and a clinical professor in 2023, all in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He has served as service chief in emergency medicine since 2011 and has been an instructor for the advanced trauma life support course since 1990.
Clayton A. Lewis, curator, William L. Clements Library, June 30, 2023. Lewis earned his B.F.A. from the Swain School of Design in 1982 and his M.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design in 1985. He joined the Clements Library in 2002 to manage the library’s visual collections, retiring as curator of graphics in 2023. He was responsible creating the Graphics Division from a wide range of disparate smaller collections, and adding to it with strategic acquisitions of prints, photographs, sheet music and other printed material. He was instrumental in facilitating the donation of visual materials valued at close to $10 million. Lewis is a respected authority in the fields of 19th century American visual culture, printmaking and illustration. For more than 20 years he has been an active member of the American Historical Print Collectors Society, of which he is currently president. He also has been active in connecting the university to the work of the Michigan Photographic Historical Society, organizing a series of co-sponsored lectures and internships that has spanned two decades. He has published articles on early American visual culture, 19th century photographs, and the work of teaching undergraduates with primary sources.
Darlene Nichols, librarian, University Library, May 31, 2024. Nichols earned a B.A. from Princeton University in 1979 in East Asian studies, and an M.A. in sociology in 1984 and an M.L.S. in 1985, both from U-M. Nichols began her professional career as coordinator of the Peer Information Counseling Program in the Undergraduate Library at U-M in 1985. She became the social work, education and psychology librarian from 1989, and in 1998 was appointed coordinator of graduate library instruction, and psychology and sociology librarian at the Hatcher Graduate Library. In 2010, she became the librarian for diversity and inclusion, and staff development librarian for the U-M Library. In 2014, she was appointed foundations and grants librarian and supervisor of the Foundation Center Funding Information Network. Since 2017, Nichols was the social work librarian at the Hatcher Library. Nichols has been active in several professional associations, primarily sections of the American Library Association. Her notable contributions to U-M include serving on the School of Social Work’s Curriculum Committee from 2017 until her retirement. Nichols was active in the U-M Human Resources Advisory Group as co-chair from 2013-15 and as chair from 2015-17.
Robert Rayher, lecturer IV in film, television and media, LSA, May 31, 2024. Rayher received his B.A. in English from McGill University in 1979. He then earned an M.A. in in media studies and English literature from the State University of New York, Buffalo in 1986. He was an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1986-92 and joined U-M in what was then known as the Program in Film and Video Studies in 1992, where he taught until 2024. Montreal’s McGill University exposed him to the American avant-garde filmmaking tradition, and he showed his first “experimental” film at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 1978. From college onward his films were screened widely across Canada, at the essential U.S. experimental film venues, and in some shows in England, Switzerland and Korea. His fundamental realization was that the university is a movie studio, although it doesn’t know it. As an educator, his greatest legacy is the idea that despite the penchant for universities to create specialized knowledge, students crave to collaborate and conquer together.
Nadine B. Sarter, Richard W. Pew Collegiate Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, professor of industrial and operations engineering, and of aerospace engineering, College of Engineering, Sept. 2, 2024. Sarter received her B.S. in 1981 and M.S. in psychology in 1983, both from the University of Hamburg, Germany, and her Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering in 1994 from The Ohio State University. She joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor in 1996. In 1999, she became an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at Ohio State and was promoted to associate professor in 2002. Sarter joined U-M as an associate professor of industrial and operations engineering in 2004 and was promoted to professor in 2011. She also held an affiliate faculty appointment in robotics. Sarter’s research focused on supporting safe and effective human-machine interaction and human-autonomy teaming by studying performance effects of system complexity, operator trust in (semi)autonomous systems, multimodal display design, interruption management, and the design of decision aids for high-tempo operations. She was director of the U-M Center for Ergonomics from 2015-23 and a member of the College of Engineering Executive Committee from 2021-24.
James P. Simmer, professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, Sept. 30, 2024. Simmer received his B.S. in zoology in 1976 and D.D.S. in 1980, both from U-M, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Wayne State University in 1990. His postdoctoral training was at the University of Southern California’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology from 1991-93. He was an assistant professor in pediatric dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from 1993-99 and was promoted to associate professor in 1999. He joined U-M’s School of Dentistry as an associate professor in 2002 and was promoted to professor in 2006. His academic journey was marked by his commitment to education, innovative research and decades of continuous National Institutes of Health funding pioneering the field of dental genetics. Simmer is internationally recognized for his research on genetic regulations of tooth development and biomineralization. A 2023 bibliometric analysis described him as the most influential scholar in the field of tooth development.
David C. Smith, professor of internal medicine and of urology, Medical School, Sept. 20, 2024. Smith received his B.S and B.A. from Seattle University in 1981, and his M.D. from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1985. He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at Washington from 1985-88, and fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology at Duke University Medical Center from 1989-92. He was an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1992-95 and joined U-M in 1996 as an assistant professor of internal medicine and surgery. He was promoted to associate professor of internal medicine and of surgery in 1999, with his secondary appointment transferring to urology in 2001. He was promoted to professor of internal medicine and urology in 2005. Smith was associate director of the General Clinical Research Center from 2002-07, medical director of the Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office from 2003-10, clinical director of the Ravitz Family Foundation Phase I Center from 2007-13, associate chief for clinical services from 2014-20, and service chief for the Division of Hematology/Oncology from 2016-20. In 2019, he was named associate chief clinical officer for cancer services and, in 2022, chief medical officer/associate director of the Rogel Cancer Center.
Denise G. Tate, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Medical School, Sept. 30, 2024. Tate received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1978 and completed her clinical postdoctoral work in psychology at MSU and U-M. She joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1986, was promoted to associate professor in 1994 and professor in 2002. She focused her career path on research, teaching and clinical care, serving as the chief psychologist for the spinal cord injury unit at University Hospital while maintaining her role as PI on several grants, including research training grants for more than five years. She served as the associate chair for research in physical medicine and rehabilitation from 2006-20. Additionally, she was the PI for the U-M SCI Model System from 1995-2016. Tate received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Psychological Association and a Distinguished Member Award from ACRM. In 2001, her T32 program received the designation of NICHD MENTOR Award for Excellence in Research Training. Her achievements and publications have garnered recognition and have played a vital role in shaping the landscape of SCI research.
Edwin G. Wilkins, professor of surgery, Medical School, Sept. 21, 2024. Wilkins received his B.A. from Davidson College in 1977, and his M.D. from Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in 1981. He received his M.S. in evaluative clinical science from Dartmouth College in 1999. He had an internship in general surgery at Charlotte Memorial Hospital from 1981-82, before joining their residency program from 1982-86. He joined Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for a plastic surgery residency from 1986-88, followed by a microsurgery fellowship at the University of Louisville School of Medicine from 1988-89. Wilkins joined U-M as an instructor in the Section of Plastic Surgery in 1989. He was appointed an assistant professor in 1992, promoted to associate professor in 1995, and professor in 2009. Wilkins’ clinical focus has been in breast surgery, performing mastectomy reconstruction, microsurgery and gender-affirming surgery. His research during this time has centered on the assessment of patient-reported outcomes of these procedures. He has conducted large, multicentered, prospective studies to evaluate the impact of mastectomy reconstruction and gender-affirming “top surgeries” on patients’ psychosocial well-being, body image and overall health-related quality of life.
— Compiled by James Iseler and Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
