SACUA elects Silvia Pedraza chair through 2022, Durga Singer vice chair
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs has elected new leadership for the 2022-23 school year. Silvia Pedraza, professor of sociology and American culture, will become chair of SACUA May 1. She will serve a partial term through Dec. 31, at which point current chair Allen Liu will return to the role. Kanakadurga (Durga) Singer, associate professor of pediatrics with a secondary appointment in molecular and integrative physiology, will serve a full one-year term as vice chair that begins May 1. Pedraza and Singer were elected at the April 11 SACUA meeting. Pedraza joined SACUA in February, filling the position of another member who took a temporary leave of absence. Because her term ends at the end of 2022, Liu, associate professor of mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering and biophysics, will serve as chair Jan. 1-April 30, 2023. SACUA is the nine-member executive arm of U-M’s central faculty governance system.
Spring commencement plans and speakers announced for UM-Dearborn
Abdullah Hammoud, Dearborn mayor and UM-Dearborn alumnus, will be the commencement speaker for UM-Dearborn spring graduates at the campus’ three ceremonies April 30. Hammoud will deliver pre-recorded remarks at 11 a.m. for all graduate and doctoral degrees, 2 p.m. for College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and College of Education, Health, and Human Services undergraduates, and at 5 p.m. for College of Business and College of Engineering and Computer Science undergraduates. The student speaker will be Halle Mancuso, who is graduating from College of Engineering and Computer Science. The ceremonies will take place behind the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse and will also be shown on Facebook Live through facebook.com/UMDearborn/. For more information, visit the UM-Dearborn website.
Partnership to explore cultural and social impact of U-M historic structures
The U-M Museum of Art is partnering with the nonprofit public art and history studio Monument Lab to examine the role of U-M historic structures in upholding social and cultural systems and narratives. The initiative, which will include new research, community engagement, and the development of a newly commissioned art installation, will be led by Paul Farber, director and co-founder of Monument Lab, and Ozi Uduma, UMMA’s assistant curator of global contemporary art. The partnership supports critical dialogues about the responsibilities of public institutions as cultural history makers and stewards, and is part of UMMA’s ongoing efforts to challenge its own history and approaches in order to be more reflective of its community and honest in its explorations of art, culture and society. Read more about this project.
Proposals sought for next round of OVPR Anti-Racism Grants
The Office of the Vice President for Research is seeking applicants for its Anti-Racism Grants that aim to catalyze innovative research and scholarship efforts that advance knowledge and understanding around complex societal, racial inequalities that can inform actions to achieve equity and justice. These grants were developed in partnership with the Provost’s Anti-Racism Initiative and are jointly administered in partnership with the National Center for Institutional Diversity’s Anti-Racism Collaborative. Grant awards are available at two levels: $25,000-$50,000 and up to $100,000. The application deadline is June 1. A key goal for the OVPR Anti-Racism Grants program is to support rigorous, innovative and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in relation to racial equity and justice in society. For more information and to apply, visit research.umich.edu/rci/anti-racism-grants/.
Grant will assist efforts to address workforce development for Black youth
The School of Public Health is working with Focus: HOPE, a Detroit-based civil rights and human services organization, to investigate factors that affect how Black youth participate in and benefit from workforce-development programs. Enrique Neblett, professor of health behavior and health education, will lead the project, which is funded by a $650,000 Institutional Challenge Grant from the William T. Grant Foundation, Spencer Foundation and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The project aims to understand and address how Black youth’s stress burden and mental health affects participation in and the outcomes of workforce development programs through community-based participatory research. Read more about this project.
Wolverines repeat with pair of national titles in cheer competitions
The U-M spirit team continued its string of success in the National Cheerleaders Association & United Dance Association Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship with two national titles April. The Wolverines took home a Coed Division IA and Game Day victory for the second straight season. The pair of titles gives U-M 10 NCA championships since 2013. The Wolverines have won seven Coed Division IA titles, with four straight in 2013-16 and 2019 and 2021. Previous Game Day wins came in 2019 and 2021. The championships were not held in 2020 due to COVID-19, and Michigan competed in the virtual divisions in 2021.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
