Editor’s Note: The following actions were taken by the regents at their July meeting.
By Diane Brown, Facilities and Operations,
and Laura Lessnau, News and Information Services
New radiology area creation approved
The regents approved a Hospitals and Health Centers (HHC) project that will create a new radiology area to provide interventional diagnostic and therapeutic services. Two rooms on Level 1 of University Hospital will be combined to create adequate angiography space as well as to accommodate updated imaging equipment. The renovations are estimated to cost $724,000, which will be funded from HHC resources and are scheduled to be completed in late Fall 2002.
Apartment purchase approved
Approval also was granted to purchase the Planada Apartments on East Ann Street from the Draprop Corp. for just under $2.5 million. The existing tenants in the 26 apartments will be allowed to complete their leases. University-owned property surrounds the two parcels, including the soon-to-be-constructed Biomedical Science Research Building across the street.
Endowed professorships
Faculty appointments to endowed and titled professorships approved by the regents include:
Juan R. Cole, professor of history, will hold the Richard Hudson Research Professorship of History, effective Jan. 1, 2003.
Gordon L. Kane, professor of physics, will hold the Victor Weisskopf Collegiate Professorship of Physics, effective Sept. 1.
Sonya O. Rose, professor of history, will hold the Natalie Zemon Davis Collegiate Professorship of Sociology and Women’s Studies, effective Sept. 1.
John H. Vandermeer, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will hold the Margaret Davis Collegiate Professorship of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, effective Sept. 1.
David R. Williams, professor of sociology, will hold the Harold W. Cruse Collegiate Professorship of Sociology, effective Sept. 1.
Cole’s research focuses on the modern Islamic movements in Egypt, the Persian Gulf and South Asia. He is fluent in Arabic, Persian and Urdu and has lived extensively in many parts of the Muslim world. His interests lie in the history of al-Qaida, Egyptian groups such as al-Jihad, and Pakistani groups. He has been in high demand by the media since Sept. 11 for his thoughts on the war on terrorism.
Kane has been teaching at U-M for 37 years. “He teaches with an admirable combination of competence, rigor, friendliness and liveliness,’’ said Terrence J. McDonald, interim dean in LS&A. “Students consistently give him high ratings.” Kane’s research is in the general area of theoretical elementary particle physics. His research has been funded by the Department of Energy since 1965.
Rose has worked to expand graduate programming and curriculum at the U-M. She has chaired, co-chaired or served on more than 50 dissertation committees in history, sociology and other disciplines in her nine years at the University. She specializes in deconstructing the conventional boundaries that structure academic life. “She is now one of the leading historians of modern Britain but she has no formal training in history; she is a renowned analyst of culture who was trained as a structural sociologist,’’ said McDonald. “Professor Rose truly does it all; and we are all vastly enriched by her scholarship, teaching and service.’’
Vandermeer has focused on three areas of ecology: theoretical, tropical rain forest and agricultural. “It is remarkable indeed that he has pursued these disparate areas of study on a regular basis throughout his career and made seminal contributions to all three,’’ McDonald said. Vandermeer held an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship in 1994 and won a Margaret and Herman Sokol Award in 1996.
Williams’s research interests are medical sociology, social psychology, racism and health, and religion and mental health. He has published more than 150 scholarly papers. “He has contributed to the understanding of why high rates of disease, disability, and death persist for economically disadvantaged people,” McDonald said. Now he is studying how exposure to human rights violations and other traumatic experiences affect the mental health of South Africans.
Administrative appointments
Administrative appointments approved by the regents included:
Darrell A. Campbell Jr., professor of surgery, will become the new chief of staff for the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, effective in July 2002.
Deborah E. Goldberg, interim chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will become interim director of the Herbarium in LS&A, effective July 1. Her appointment as interim chair ends Aug. 1.
Abigail J. Stewart, the Agnes Inglis Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies, also will become associate dean for academic affairs, effective July 1.
Eric W. Young, associate professor of internal medicine, also will become assistant dean in the Medical School, effective July 1.
Virginia B. Gordan was reappointed assistant dean for international programs in the Law School, effective Sept. 1.
Robert H. Gray was reappointed senior associate dean for research and facilities in the School of Public Health, effective July 1.
George A. Kaplan was reappointed chair of the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, effective July 1.
Douglas S. Kelbaugh was reappointed dean of the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, effective July 1, 2003.
Suellyn Scarnecchia was reappointed associate dean for clinical affairs in the Law School, effective Sept. 1.
Retirements
Eleven faculty members were given the emeritus title. Those retiring are:
Gerald D. Abrams, professor of pathology; Vedat S. Arpaci, professor of mechanical engineering; Eric A. Bermann, associate professor of psychology; Eugene Burnstein, professor of psychology and senior research scientist; Gunter Dufey, professor of corporate strategy, international business and finance; Robert L Kuczkowski, professor of chemistry; Claude R. Martin, Isadore and Leon Winkelman Professor of Retail Marketing and professor of marketing; Ellis Perlman, professor of political science; Kate Perrin Warner, associate professor of urban planning; Ellen A. Woodman, assistant professor of nursing and director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program; and Richard D. Woods, professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Abrams joined the faculty in 1957. His expertise is in the areas of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular pathology. “Prof. Abrams is an outstanding surgical pathologist,’’ the regents said. He helped define the Medical School curriculum for the 21st century as a member of the Dean’s Committee on Curricular Improvement. A classroom was named in his honor as part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration for the Medical School. The 2002–06 Pathology Education Scholarship also will be named for him.
Arpaci joined the faculty in 1959. He is an international leader in thermal-fluid sciences. “His work has had a tremendous impact in both research and education areas of the field,’’ the regents said. He has received many prestigious research and teaching awards, including the Heat Transfer Memorial Award and the Max Jacob Memorial Award.
Bermann joined the faculty in 1964. He taught core courses to generations of clinical psychology doctoral students and was central to the introduction of family system and community mental health perspectives into their curriculum. He chaired 48 doctoral dissertation committees. His publications include such topics as family violence and children at risk in substance-abusing families.
Burnstein joined the faculty in 1962. “He was known for stimulating his students and colleagues with creative insights into psychological processes, often embellishing them with his keen sense of humor,’’ regents noted. He made many contributions to the fields of social psychology, personality and psychobiology. His publications focus on cognition, social influence, persuasion and group decision-making.
Dufey joined the faculty in 1968. He has served on many dissertation committees, mentored students’ research initiatives and developed international opportunities. He was an early participant in the business school’s international initiatives. Dufey has held visiting appointments at institutions in Singapore, Germany, Japan, England, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Kuczkowski joined the faculty in 1966. He made pioneering contributions to the understanding of molecular structure and reactivity through the use of microwave spectroscopy. He directed the research of more than 60 students and postdoctoral collaborators. “Prof. Kuczkowski’s contributions to the department and to the college have been extensive,’’ the regents said.
Martin joined the faculty in 1965. He has made important contributions in telecommunications technology and in the public policy implications and ethical issues associated with advertising research. He has served as a consultant to some of the nation’s prominent corporations, including PepsiCo Inc. and R.J. Reynolds.
Perlman joined the faculty in 1967. He has been a staunch supporter of the development of many academic programs at the U-M Flint campus. He helped create the Master of Public Administration Program and helped develop multi-institutional programs with Mott Community College. “Prof. Perlman is an outstanding contributor, a productive colleague and an effective leader in his academic discipline,’’ the regents said.
Warner joined the faculty in 1970. She taught housing and community development, the core master’s degree course on planning theory and the undergraduate planning overview course. She also led Expanded Horizons trips. In October 2001, she was honored with the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning Distinguished Service Award.
Woodman joined the faculty in 1969. She was instrumental in establishing the R.N./B.S.N. Studies Program at the Flint campus. “Prof. Woodman was a leader with the unique ability to envision the future direction of nursing education,’’ the regents said. The Ellen A. Woodman Transformational Leadership Award was established in her honor in 2001.
Woods joined the faculty in 1967. He has taught 15 different courses, seven of which he developed. His research focused on soil dynamics, foundation engineering and engineering geophysics. His awards included the Collingwood Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Terzaghi Lectureship from the society’s Geotechnical Engineering Division.
