The following items were approved by the Board of Regents at its Dec. 13 meeting.
Regents cancel formal session for January
The Board of Regents has canceled its Jan. 17 formal session in Ann Arbor and will instead meet in a two-day strategic session Jan. 17-18.
The special informal session will take place in Los Angeles so regents can meet with major donors, alumni and thought leaders in higher education who are based in California.
The board will resume its regular schedule of informal and formal sessions Feb. 21 in Ann Arbor.
UM-Dearborn changing name and scope of School of Education
Regents approved the UM-Dearborn School of Education becoming the College of Education, Health and Human Services, effective September 2013.
It has been UM-Dearborn’s longstanding goal to develop a suite of health programs to meet increased student and industry demand, grow enrollment and provide distinctive programs in southeast Michigan.
The change comes after work by a UM-Dearborn Health Programs Committee consisting of faculty representing scholarly disciplines across academic units and colleges as well as key staff members. The committee recommended 10 potential interdisciplinary health-related programs, and recommended that such programs be housed in a revamped college.
Along with adding health programs to the education curriculum, the university will offer an undergraduate social work degree on the UM-Dearborn campus in collaboration with the UM-Flint Department of Social Work. Through this innovative partnership, students will have the opportunity to earn an accredited undergraduate social work degree.
Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory moving to NCRC
The Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory (EMAL) will relocate from the Carl A. Gerstacker Building and the Space Research Building to Building 22 at the North Campus Research Complex to accommodate the lab’s equipment.
A renovation of approximately 8,900 gross square feet on the ground and first floors of Building 22, including mechanical system and networking upgrades, is planned to create the new home for the EMAL. The $4.375 million project is being funded by the College of Engineering and the Medical School and is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2014.
Life safety improvements planned for Martha Cook
A fire suppression system will be installed at the Martha Cook Building, a residence for approximately 140 students, as part of the ongoing Residential Life Initiative. The $2.3 million project is being funded from University Housing resources and is scheduled to be completed next fall.
New regional chiller plant to serve South and West quads, Michigan Union
A new regional chiller plant will be constructed within the lower basement of South Quadrangle to serve that building, as well as West Quadrangle and the Michigan Union. University Housing resources will fund the $8.5 million project which is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2014.
Schembechler Hall project moves forward
The Board of Regents gave final approval for the Glenn E. Schembechler Hall entrance and museum renovation project that will create a new entrance for the home of Michigan football that integrates the building’s museum area.
The $9 million project will add approximately 7,000 gross square feet of space to Schembechler, as well as renovate approximately 7,000 gross square feet of existing space. Athletic Department resources and gifts are funding the project, which is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2014.
Final approval given for Wall Street parking structure
Authorization to issue bids and award construction contracts was received for the Wall Street East Parking Structure project. The project will add 530 spaces to the university’s parking system near the medical campus. Parking resources will fund the $34 million project, which is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2014.
Central Power Plant improvements planned
The Central Power Plant boiler feed water system will be upgraded to increase boiler system efficiency, reliability, life expectancy and redundancy through the replacement of the existing 1940s deaerators with modern units. Utility resources will fund the $5.75 million project that will be completed in the fall of 2014.
ANN ARBOR CAMPUS
Faculty appointments and promotions with tenure
Dr. Michael W. Quasney, professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases, Medical School, effective Dec. 1.
Named professorships
* Robert F. Beck, Richard B. Couch Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, College of Engineering (CoE), effective Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2017.
* Peter F. Green, Vincent T. and Gloria M. Gorguze Professor of Engineering, CoE, effective Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2017.
* John E. Laird, John L. Tishman Professor of Engineering, CoE, effective Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2017.
* Alnawaz Rehemtulla, Ruth Tuttle Freeman Research Professor of Radiation Oncology, Medical School, effective Dec.1, 2012-Aug. 31, 2017.
Administrative appointments
* David Canter, senior associate vice president and executive director, North Campus Research Complex, Health System, effective July 19, 2013-July 18, 2016.
* Laura Lein, dean, School of Social Work, effective Jan. 1, 2014-Dec. 31, 2018.
* Jerry A. May, vice president for development, Office of the Vice President for Development, effective Feb. 1, 2013-Jan. 31, 2018.
* Trivellore E. Raghunathan, chair, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2013.
Kim F. Hayes, chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, CoE, effective Jan. 1, 2013-Aug. 31, 2016.
Silke-Maria Weineck, chair, Department of Comparative Literature, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2013-June 30, 2015.
Debra A. Kowich, interim associate vice president and deputy general counsel, Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, effective Jan. 7.
DEARBORN CAMPUS
* Michael D. Harkness, chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Business (COB), effective Jan. 1-Aug. 31, 2013.
Lee S. Redding, associate dean of academic affairs, COB, effective Jan. 1-June 30, 2013.
Karen S. Strandholm, interim chair, Department of Management Studies, COB, effective Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2013.
FLINT CAMPUS
Don Straube, associate professor of physical therapy, School of Health Professions and Studies, effective Dec.1.
* Lauren D. Friesen, chair, Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1-Dec. 31, 2013.
Michelle O. Rosynsky, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, effective Nov. 5.
* Reappointments
Retirements
Dr. Barbara S. Adams, clinical professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases in the Medical School, effective Oct. 31. She joined the university in 1975. Adams’ research and clinical work focused on juvenile rheumatoid and idiopathic arthritis. She has been project director of the Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship since 1999. She served as medical director of the Pediatric Multispecialty Clinics from 1996-2005 and as division director of pediatric rheumatology. Adams authored 18 peer reviewed articles, three book chapters, scientific abstracts, and presented more than 50 lectures at national or international venues. She has received several awards and is a member of the medical advisory board of Arthritis Today.
Thomas M. Annesley, professor of pathology, Medical School, effective Dec. 31. Annesley joined the university in 1981. He has served as director of the Drug Analysis and Toxicology Laboratory and head of the Division of Clinical Chemistry Laboratories. He was a scientist in residence at Pfizer Global Research and authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, two books, nine book chapters, 56 abstracts, has served on several editorial boards and in leadership positions in the Association for Clinical Chemistry and with related professional organizations. His awards include the Alvin Dubin Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession and a Presidential Citation from the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry.
Sidney M. Bolkosky, professor of history in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, UM-Dearborn, effective Dec. 31. He joined the university in 1972. Bolkosky taught a wide range of courses on European intellectual thought, world history and the Holocaust. An early adopter of distance learning, he developed a Renewed Expectations for Adults in Continuing Higher Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Project housed in the Mardigian Library. His service included chairing search committees for a dean, provost and chancellor. He has received the Distinguished Teaching Award, the Distinguished Service Award, and the Distinguished Career Metropolitan Impact Award.
Bunyan I. Bryant Jr., Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of natural resources, School of Natural Resources and Environment, effective Dec. 31. Bryant joined the faculty in 1972. He was named Arthur F. Thurnau professor in 2001. Bryant has built a national reputation in the field of environmental justice and was instrumental in establishing the school’s Environmental Justice Program. He was co-founder and director of the Environmental Justice Initiative, and helped create the Environmental Justice Certificate Program. His awards included the Harold R. Johnson Diversity Award, the Students for SNRE Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, and the William D. Milliken Distinguished Service Award.
Albert C. Cain, professor of psychology, LSA, effective Dec. 31. Cain joined the faculty in 1962. He is known for his groundbreaking studies of children who have experienced loss, and published extensively on the effects of divorce and parental suicide on children. He served as chair of the Department of Psychology, and consistently earned rankings within the top three university programs nationwide. He other service includes chair of a task force on primary prevention for the American Orthopsychiatric Association and on national mental health association committees. Cain received the Edwin Shneidman Award from the American Association of Suicidology and the LSA Excellence in Education Award.
Dr. Vincent M. Cimmino, clinical professor of surgery in the Medical School, effective Dec. 31, 2012. He joined the faculty in 1994. Cimmino developed an instructional video for medical students on abdominal examination, and developed the Surgical Minicamp fourth-year elective for students planning a surgical career. He has been active in professional organizations including the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society since 2005. Cimmino has authored more than 47 peer-reviewed publications, and has served in several editorial roles. He received the Silver Shovel Award given by the Galens Medical Society to recognize outstanding teaching and dedication to medical student education, and the Medical School’s Kaiser Permanente Award for excellence in teaching.
Gillian Feeley-Harnik, Kathleen Gough Collegiate Professor of Anthropology and professor of anthropology, LSA, effective Dec. 31. She joined the faculty in 1998. Her research and writing focused on religion, ritual and the Bible, politics and economic development and cultural ecology. Two of her books have become anthropological classics. More recently, her work explored the influence of 19th-century paradigms of science, religion and descent on the evolutionary writings of Charles Darwin and Lewis Henry Morgan. Feeley-Harnik has published more than 40 articles and book chapters, presented at scores of national international professional meetings, and received the John H. D’Arms Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring in the Humanities.
Diana R. Gannett, professor of music (string bass) in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective Dec. 31. Gannett joined the faculty in 2001. As a chamber musician, she has performed with several artists including the Borodin Trio. Her solo work has included appearances with orchestras. Gannett has performed and taught in Scotland, Taiwan, Poland, Brazil and Israel. Her successful recording projects include “Ladybase” and “Duetti Dolci.” Her students have been finalists and winners in competitions and have had success in professional orchestras in the United States and abroad. She was the first woman president of the International Society of Bassists and is currently chair of its International Competitions division.
Stephen Kaplan, professor of psychology, LSA, and professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering (CoE), effective Dec. 31. Kaplan joined the faculty in 1962. He has made fundamental contributions to the development and vitality of environmental psychology and the process of positive environmental change. His influential work on attention restoration theory and the Reasonable Person Model have spawned far-reaching research programs. Kaplan’s books are widely used and cited, as are many of his 120 other publications that have been praised for their clarity and applicability. Kaplan received the Distinguished Service Award in 1965 and the Career Award from the Environmental Design Research Association in 1992.
Philip Kerr, professor of theatre and drama in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective Dec. 31. Kerr joined the university faculty in 1984. He held the Claribel Baird Halstead Collegiate Professorship for 15 years. Kerr had an active and successful stage career, appearing in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. He appeared in theatres across the United States and Canada, and on CBS, WNET and BBC television. A director since 1984, Kerr has supervised numerous student productions at U-M, in addition to performances around the U.S. Within the Department of Theatre and Drama, Kerr has taught a broad range of acting courses.
Diane E. Larsen-Freeman, professor of education in the School of Education, research scientist, English Language Institute and professor of linguistics, LSA, effective Dec. 31. Larsen-Freeman joined the university in 2002. She is recognized for her work in second language acquisition, for integrating advances in linguistic understanding with principles of foreign language teaching, and her incorporation of complex systems into theories of language learning. She has written several groundbreaking books, including “Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics,” co-authored with Lynne Cameron. Among her many honors are the 2009 Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize from the Modem Language Association and the 2011 Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award from the American Association of Applied Linguistics.
Daniel L. McShan, professor of radiation oncology in the Medical School, effective Dec. 31. McShan joined the university in 1984. He is known internationally for his contributions to the development of an interactive 3D radiation therapy treatment planning system known as UMPlan. He has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, has served as a grant reviewer for the National Cancer Institute, and since 1989 has participated in a National Institutes of Health study section for the treatment planning tools contract at Bethesda, Md. He is a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, a member of several professional organizations, and is a frequently invited speaker.
Charles R. Meyer, professor of radiology in the Medical School and professor of biomedical engineering in the CoE, effective Dec. 31. Meyer joined the faculty in 1981. He established the Digital Imaging Processing Laboratory within the Division of Basic Radiological Sciences. His research focuses on aspects of image registration, especially three-dimensional imaging. He has developed techniques to optimize comparison of images on the same modality over time, and comparison of images of the same tissue obtained on two different imaging modalities. These techniques have been particularly useful in imaging oncology patients. The Medical School in 2011 recognized him as a founding inductee in its League of Research Excellence.
L. Nathan Oaklander, David M. French Professor and professor of philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences, UM-Flint, effective Dec. 31. Oaklander joined the faculty in 1972. He was named David M. French Professor in 1990. Oaklander taught courses ranging from Introduction to Philosophy to Logic, Modern Philosophy and Metaphysics. He was a devoted mentor to students and junior faculty, and authored 14 books, 23 book chapters, 40 refereed articles and numerous other articles and critical reviews. He presented more than 50 invited international lectures. Oaklander was active with professional organizations, served multiple terms as department chair, and received the UM-Flint Faculty Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Creative Achievement four times.
Sallyanne Payton, William W. Cook Professor of Law and professor of law in the Law School, and professor of art and design in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, effective Dec. 31. Payton joined the university in 1976. She is a leading figure in both academic and professional circles in the areas of administrative law and health care law. Recently she has focused on the regulation of the health care industry and welfare policy issues, and on more visually based methods for publishing legal and government information. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, professor of Japanese literature, LSA, effective Dec. 31. She joined the faculty in 1987. Rarnirez-Christensen is a leading authority on pre-modem Japanese literature, with special expertise in the genre of renga, or collaborative verse, a forerunner of haiku. She was highly regarded as both a translator and a literary critic. She authored numerous publications and monographs, including the award-winning translation “Murmured Conversations: A Treatise on Poetry and Buddhism by the Poet-Monk Shinkei,” and “Emptiness and Temporality: Buddhism and Medieval Japanese Poetics.” Ramirez-Christensen was a dedicated teacher of generations of undergraduate and graduate students, and was an active faculty associate of the Center for Japanese Studies.
Linda Strodtman, assistant professor of nursing in the School of Nursing and clinical nurse specialist at the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, effective Dec. 3. She joined the faculty in 1970. Strodtman made considerable contributions to the School of Nursing’s teaching mission and taught a variety of courses. She is a regular guest lecturer for courses in other disciplines, advises master’s students and has served on doctoral dissertation committees. Strodtman’s scholarly career has culminated in addressing palliative and end-of-life care issues. She is a co-founder and archivist of the Nursing History Society of U-M and was awarded the School of Nursing Excellence in Interprofessional Collaboration for Better Patient Care Award.
