Ayanna McConnell named acting president, CEO of Alumni Association
Ayanna McConnell has been named acting president and CEO of the Alumni Association of U-M. McConnell, who has served as the Alumni Association’s vice president for university relations since 2021, has more than 20 years of experience leading student alumni programs at U-M and Eastern Michigan University. She first joined the association in 2011 to design the student community for the LEAD Scholars program. As vice president for university relations, McConnell has overseen all aspects of the association’s university relations, student and development programs. She has also led its diversity, equity, inclusion and justice strategic initiatives. McConnell replaces Corie Pauling, who resigned on March 16. Pauling said she is leaving the association to stay in North Carolina to focus on her family and take on a new career opportunity. The Alumni Association Board of Directors has engaged the executive search firm Russell Reynolds to begin the process of finding a permanent CEO.
Center for Interprofessional Education announces 2023 award winners
The Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education has recognized those who have made outstanding contributions in advancing interprofessional education and practice with the Awards for IPE Innovation & Excellence. They include medical student Nikki Trupiano, Student Award for IPE Innovation and Excellence, and the Health and Disabilities Team, Faculty/Staff Award for IPE Innovation and Excellence. That team consists of Jillian Woodworth and Laura Smith of the UM-Flint College of Health Sciences, Jeanne Andreoli of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, and Steven Erickson of the College of Pharmacy. The awards were established to recognize and celebrate demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship or leadership in the areas of interprofessional education or interprofessional practice across the University of Michigan health science schools. The awards were presented during U-M Health Professions Education Day on April 4. Read more about the recipients.
UM-Flint offering two new health care-related graduate certificates
UM-Flint will begin offering new graduate certificates in the health care field for fall 2023. The Health Care Supply Chain Management Certificate and Public Health Certificate will prepare students for in-demand careers and allow current health care professionals to expand their job opportunities and prepare to take on leadership roles. Both certificates can be completed entirely online and could stack with two different master’s degrees, including the new Master of Science in Health Services Administration. The 18-credit Health Care Supply Chain Management Certificate offers an interdisciplinary curriculum with classes taught by faculty from UM-Flint’s School of Management, School of Nursing and College of Health Sciences. The 10-credit Public Health Certificate will give graduate students the skills to develop broad-based, collaborative strategies for solving public health challenges with an evidence-based approach. Read more about the programs.
More harm perceived globally regarding online harassment, study shows
Online insults and disrespect are perceived as more harmful by individuals outside the United States, especially when the content damages family reputation, according to a U-M study. But there was consensus among all countries, including the U.S., that nonconsensual sharing of sexual photos was highest in harm. Online harassment encompasses many types of behavior, such as hate speech, threats and doxxing (revealing personal information). Most social media sites have reporting systems that flag inappropriate content or behavior, which can result in the content being removed and the user who posted it being sanctioned or banned. The study examined online harassment with nearly 4,000 participants who spoke 10 different languages in 14 countries worldwide. The study showed that a person’s country was the most important variable when measuring harm, followed by gender. On average, women perceive higher harm than men, said lead author Sarita Schoenebeck, associate professor of information. Read more about this study.
Haverkamp participates in wide-ranging White House climate change forum
Jennifer Haverkamp, professor of practice at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, was among a group of scholars who recently met at the White House to discuss the role of educational institutions in creating and sharing climate change solutions. The White House Forum on Campus and Community-Scale Climate Change Solutions was hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the University of Washington. More than 800 government officials and scholars from colleges, universities and workforce-development institutions met to leverage the capabilities of their institutions to advance climate solutions in surrounding communities. The forum covered issues like trust between campus and communities, prioritizing underserved communities, providing students with the knowledge and skills to lead clean industries, enabling campuses to provide climate services to surrounding areas, and partnering with federal agencies. Read more about the forum.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
