The following items were approved by the Board of Regents at its Nov. 18 meeting.
Renovations planned at Modern Languages Building
LSA will renovate approximately 24,000 gross square feet on the basement and second levels of the Modern Languages Building to house its Instructional Support Services Media Center, currently in leased space, and the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures Film Editing group, currently at the Argus II Building. The $2 million project will be funded from LSA resources and is scheduled to be completed next summer.
Fireworks display approved for Big House hockey game
Pre-game, in-game and post-game fireworks will be on display at “The Big Chill at the Big House.” Regents approved the use of close-proximity fireworks for the Dec. 11 outdoor hockey game between Michigan and Michigan State at Michigan Stadium. ACE Pyro, LLC Company, which is based in nearby Manchester, will execute the fireworks show.
New library planned at School of Education
The School of Education will renovate approximately 4,800 gross square feet on the second floor of the School of Education Building to create the Brandon Professional Resource Center and Archive, a 21st century education library to house digital records of professional practice and study resources and provide student study and collaboration areas. The $1.4 million project will be funded by a gift, the School of Education and university investment proceeds, and is scheduled to be completed next fall.
Property purchases approved
The regents approved the university’s purchase of three properties in Ann Arbor. Two apartment buildings adjacent to the Institute for Social Research, 439 South Division Street and 443 South Division Street, will be purchased for the negotiated prices of $919,425 and $805,575, respectively. A single-family house at 963 Wall Street contiguous with university property will be purchased for the negotiated price of $350,000. All three purchases will be funded from university investment proceeds.
Ann Arbor Campus Faculty appointments
Lique Coolen, professor of psychology, LSA, effective Jan. 1, and professor of molecular and integrative physiology, Medical School, effective Dec. 1.
Administrative appointments
Lois Brako, assistant vice president for research, regulatory and compliance oversight, Office of the Vice President for Research, effective Dec. 1.
Lori Isom, assistant dean for graduate studies, Medical School, effective Nov. 1.
Joseph Krajcik, acting associate dean for research, School of Education, effective Jan. 1, 2011-May 31, 2011.
Named professorships
Karen Farris, Charles R. Walgreen III Professor of Pharmacy Administration, effective Dec. 15, 2010-Dec. 31, 2015, professor of social and administrative sciences, College of Pharmacy.
Ronald Gilgenbach, Chihiro Kikuchi Collegiate Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, College of Engineering (CoE), effective Nov. 1, 2010-Dec. 31, 2015.
Vonnie McLoyd, Ewart A.C. Thomas Collegiate Professor of Psychology, LSA, effective Nov. 1, 2010-Aug. 31, 2015.
Penny Von Esehen, Riehard Hudson Research Professor of History, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2011-May 31, 2011.
Flint Campus
Donna Kay Fry, interim dean, School of Health Professions and Studies, effective Oct. 6, 2010.
Retirements
John Faulkner, professor of molecular and integrative physiology, Medical School, and professor of biomedical engineering, CoE, retired from active faculty status June 30. Faulkner joined the faculty in 1960. He made significant contributions as a scholar, teacher and administrator in the molecular and integrative physiology and biomedical engineering departments and in the Institute of Gerontology, which he helped lead to national prominence. In 1995 and 2000 he was principal investigator of a National Institute on Aging grant that led to the institute’s funding as one of the Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Biology of Aging. Faulkner played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 1996. An internationally recognized expert in the fields of exercise science, muscle physiology and biogerontology, Faulkner has served as an editor or on the editorial boards of the most prestigious journals in his field, and has published more than 130 journal articles and some 70 book chapters and reviews. In 1997 he received the university’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.
Roberto Kampfner, associate professor of computer and information science, College of Engineering and Computer Science, UM-Dearborn, retired from active faculty status Aug. 31. He joined the faculty in 1987. Kampfner’s research interests focused on the application of biological information processing principles and mechanisms to the analysis and design of information systems in modern organizations. His work contributed to understanding how knowledge about the structure of control and function of an organization can help determine its information processing requirements. Colleagues say Kampfner was a dedicated instructor valued by staff and students who believed in the importance of the analytical approach to the core information systems courses he taught. He also made substantial service contributions at the department, school and campus levels.
Robert L. Simpson, professor of biology and environmental science, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters; professor of science education, School of Education; and former provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, UM-Dearborn, retired from active faculty status Aug. 31. Simpson joined the faculty in 1991. His research focused on freshwater wetlands, with emphasis on the ecology of tidal freshwater wetlands of the upper Delaware River estuary. His work addressed a range of topics, including life history strategies, production processes, nutrient and heavy metal cycling and marsh paleoecology, and produced a significant record of research and publications. He headed significant capital outlay projects and played a major role in developing a sense of campus life by instituting forums on faculty research and scholarship, supporting presentations of undergraduate research projects, and sustaining efforts to enhance ethnic, gender and cultural awareness.
