Richard G. Cornell, professor of biostatistics at the School of Public Health, will be recommended as interim dean of that school. If approved by the Board of Regents at its June meeting, his appointment will begin Sept. 1 for one year.
“This recommendation follows a call for nominations from the faculty of the School following the decision of June Osborn not to complete her second term as dean,” Provost Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr. said.
“Prof. Cornell’s candidacy received widespread support from the faculty as well as the endorsement of the School’s Executive Committee. I am pleased that Prof. Cornell has agreed to serve the School and the University in this next period of transitional leadership.”
Cornell joined the School as professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics in 1971 and served as chair until 1984. He also served as director of the Biostatistics Core of the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center, 1977–88; the Michigan Multipurpose Arthritis Center, 1988–89; and the Michigan Cancer Center since 1988. Since 1990 he also has served as interim chair of the Department of Biostatistics.
His scholarly interests include the health applications of decision analysis, and the design and analysis of biomedical experiments. His research projects have included medical decision making and the study of heterosexual transmission of AIDS.
He has been a member and leader in a number of professional associations.
He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester in 1952, his M.S. in 1954 and Ph.D. in statistics in 1956 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Following service in the Commissional Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Communicable Disease Center, Cornell began his academic career at Florida State University in 1968.
Art Prof. Allen J. Samuels will be recommended as dean of the School of Art to the Regents at their June 10–11 meeting. If approved, his appointment will begin July 1 for a five-year term.
In recommending Samuels, Provost Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr. said: “This recommendation follows a national search for a new dean. Although that process yielded some individuals with outstanding credentials, the finalists who emerged did not have the background in a research institution that I believe is essential to lead the School of Art at this time in its history.
“Therefore, with the concurrence of President James J. Duderstadt, I concluded that it was in the best interest of the University and the School to conduct an internal nomination process among the School’s faculty. Prof. Samuels’ candidacy received very strong and widespread support in that nomination process, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to serve as dean.”
Samuels, who joined the faculty in 1975, teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in basic design and those dealing specifically with product design. He also has taught courses or parts of courses in the College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and School of Business Administration.
“Recently he has initiated and developed a dual degree program in mechanical engineering and industrial design,” Whitaker noted. “This innovative program should produce a new designer able to provide a more comprehensive approach and leadership for design practice now and in the future.
“Concurrent with his faculty appointment, he has continued to consult with a number of corporations, thus maintaining his professional design experiences for the benefit of his teaching and his scholarly work.”
Samuels is a member of several professional organizations and has received a number of design awards. He has often been invited to lecture on creativity and design topics. He has had his design work supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Samuels received his bachelor of fine arts degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois in 1966. He had extensive professional experience in product development and design before beginning his academic career at Carnegie-Mellon University in 1974.
