Elaine K. Didier, director of information resources at the School of Business Administration and director of the Kresge Business Administration Library, has been appointed associate dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.
Her appointment, effective Dec. 1, was approved by the Regents at their November meeting.
“I am delighted that Elaine Didier will be coming to Rackham, and look forward to welcoming her as a colleague in the advancement of graduate education here at the University of Michigan,” says Graduate School Dean John H. D’Arms.
“Faculty, colleagues, staff members, administrators and graduate students with whom Elaine has worked closely all give her very high marks, and I know that those who come to know her at the Graduate School in the years ahead will benefit both from her impressive abilities and skills, and from her strong commitment to high academic standards and values.”
Didier holds a B.A with high distinction and honors in English, an M.L.S., and a Ph.D. in library science, all from the U-M.
Through her responsibilities for both academic and administrative computing services, Didier has led the Business School’s implementation of its integrated library automation system and network that has resulted in expanded instruction in the School’s undergraduate, graduate and executive education programs.
She has taught courses on information management and lectured extensively on managing technological change. She has published widely on the new information environment and is consulting editor of the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship.
Didier regards her new appointment “as a wonderful opportunity to learn and to grow. I have wanted to move to the academic side of the house for some time, and this is an excellent opportunity.
“It will be exciting to work with faculty across campus, and the focus on quality graduate education was very much a draw for the position.
“I look forward to the opportunity to build on my existing connections on campus to help the Graduate School, and also look forward to teaching in the School of Information and Library Studies.”
Didier has an extensive record of service both within and outside the Univer-sity, including chairing the Budget Priorities Committee and serving on the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Excellence.
She was president of the Association for Education Communications and Technology in 1986–87 and currently chairs a committee of the Association for College and Research Libraries. In addition, she is president of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor.
