Editor’s note: The following actions were taken by the Board of Regents at its April meeting.
A&A Building to be renovated
The first two floors of the Art and Architecture Building on North Campus will be renovated to support the integration of additional technology into the curriculum of the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning. A new media center, large classroom, design studio for large-scale mockups and testing, computing space, and faculty offices will be established. The project is estimated to cost $650,000, which will be funded by the college and general fund resources. The renovation is scheduled to be completed next winter.
Depression Center design approved
The Board of Regents approved the schematic design for the Depression Center. Regents also approved the revised project budget, from $38 million to $41 million, for additional space and site infrastructure improvements; funding will come from Hospitals and Health Centers’ resources, a National Institutes of Health grant and gifts. Additional space has been added to provide for the future expansion of clinical programs such as bipolar treatment. Regents also approved naming the Depression Center the Rachel Upjohn Building.
A powerful picture: Two new MRI scanners
Two new powerful Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems at the U-M Health System (UMHS) will make it possible to watch blood and electrical impulses flow through the brain, offer glimpses into human thought processes and expand capabilities to image diseases in patients, from neurological disorders to cardiovascular disease.
The Board of Regents approved a renovation project allowing the installation of a 3 Tesla MRI system, provided by Philips for research purposes, that will keep UMHS at the forefront of leading-edge research by incorporating the newest technological advances and high field strength. The system is twice as powerful and faster than standard MRI machines typically used for patient care imaging.
Architectural firm Ann Arbor Architects Collaborative will design the $881,000 project. The renovation is scheduled to be complete by winter 2005.
Another 3 Tesla MRI system at University Hospital already is under construction for clinical use. The Philips Achieva 3T Quasar Dual will be installed and operational for patient use by fall 2004.
Athletic Academic Center going to bid
The three-story, $12 million Academic Center Building to be built on the athletics campus on South State Street will break ground soon. The regents authorized issuing the project for bids and awarding the construction contracts, provided the bids are within the approved budget. The building will provide group study areas, computer labs, meeting rooms for tutorial work and instructional space, as well as staff offices for student athletes and the general student body. Construction is expected to be completed in two years. It will be paid for with Athletic Department resources, private gifts and investment proceeds.
Additional NC stormwater piping to be installed
Underground piping will be installed this summer on North Campus to collect stormwater runoff from the area and convey it to the newly constructed detention pond. The piping will be installed along the north side of the diag and south along Murfin Avenue to the main trunk line under Bonisteel Boulevard. Together with the original piping installation last summer, the stormwater system will collect runoff from 91 acres, retain it in the detention cells and ultimately convey residual waters to the river. The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million and will be funded from investment proceeds.
Utilities work to continue along Greene and Kipke
Telecommunications and data cables will be installed underground along Greene Street and Kipke Drive this summer. The duct run will extend from the work completed last summer along Hoover Street and terminate near the Campus Safety Services Building. The project is estimated to cost $600,000 and will be funded from
ITCom and utility department resources.
Administrative appointments and appointments with tenure
Steven Britton, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Medical School, effective April 22, 2004.
Harry Mobley, professor of microbiology and immunology, chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Frederick G. Novy Collegiate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, effective July 1, 2004.
Janet Smith, professor of biological chemistry, Medical School, effective July 1, 2004.
Lynda Welage, associate dean for academic affairs, College of Pharmacy, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2007.
Anthony England,
associate dean for academic affairs, College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2004-June 30, 2009.
Philip Hanlon, associate provost for academic and budgetary affairs, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective July 1, 2004-June 30, 2007.
Carole Henry, director of university housing and assistant vice president for student affairs, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, effective June 1, 2004.
Lt. Col. Robert Lance Hilton, chair, Army Officer Education Program, effective June 22, 2004.
Reappointments of faculty and administrative staff
Nancy Janz, interim co-chair, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, effective May 1, 2004-Dec.31, 2004.
Kathleen Wade, assistant dean of hospital social work, School of Social Work, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2007.
Marc Zimmerman, interim co-chair, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, effective May 1, 2004-Dec.31, 2004.
Named professorships
Pallab Bhattacharya, James R. Mellor Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2009.
Philip Kerr, Claribel Baird Halstead Professor, School of Music, effective Sept 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2007.
Ronald Larson, George Granger Brown Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2009.
Duncan Steel, Peter S. Fuss Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 200.
Dr. Robert Todd III, Frances and Victor Ginsberg Professor of Hematology/Oncology, Medical School, effective May 1, 2004-April 30, 2009.
U-M-Dearborn
Robert Gassel, assistant vice chancellor for finance, effective May 1, 2004-April 30, 2007.
U-M-Flint
Vahid Lotfi, associate provost, effective July 1, 2004.
Retirements
Paul Bronstein, professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at U-M-Flint, effective Dec. 31, 2003. He joined U-M-Flint in 1981. His research interests focused on the areas of behavioral biology and ecology and comparative and experimental psychology. Bronstein’s recent work involved studying the conditioning paradigm in the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens.
He served as visiting researcher at the University College of Swansea, the University of Parma and the laboratory of Animal Behavior in Nouzilly, France.
