The University Record, August 19, 1998
Regents’ Roundup
Editor’s Note: The following actions were taken by the Regents at their July meeting.
Tenure appointments OK’d
Tenured faculty appointments (all effective Sept. 1 unless otherwise noted) included:
Gary Beckman, adjunct professor of ancient history, will become professor of Near Eastern studies.
Robert J. Cody, from The Ohio State University, will be professor of internal medicine, effective Aug. 1.
Thomas N. Gladwin, from New York University, will be the Max McGraw Professor of Corporate and Environmental Management, professor of business administration, and professor of natural resources and environment.
Curtis W. Hayes, from the Medical College of Virginia, will be professor of radiology, effective Aug. 1.
Gabrielle Hecht, from Stanford University, will be associate professor of history and associate professor in the Residential College.
Kai-Uwe Kuhn, from the Institut d’Analisi Economica in Barcelona, will be associate professor of economics, effective Oct. 1.
Lee Lillard, from the University of Southern California, will be professor of economics.
Barbara J. O’Keefe, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will be professor of information. She also will be director of the Media Union.
Sumathi Ramaswamy, from the University of Pennsylvania, will be associate professor of history.
Lones Smith, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be associate professor of economics.
Sarah G. Thomason, from the University of Pittsburgh, will be professor of linguistics, effective Jan. 1, 1999.
8 named to administrative posts
Administrative appointments approved included:
Duane F. Alwin, professor and associate chair of the Department of Sociology, will serve as chair of the department for a five-year term, effective July 1.
Steven N. Dworkin, professor of Romance Languages and of linguistics, will serve as interim chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures for a one-year term, effective July 1.
A. Melissa Harris, associate professor of architecture and urban planning and interim associate dean for administration of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, will serve as assistant dean for academic affairs of the College for a five-year term, effective Aug. 1.
Frederick B. Talbot, the Herrick Professor of Manufacturing and professor of operations management, will serve as associate dean of the School of Business Administration for a three-year term, effective Sept. 1.
Michael W. Traugott, professor of communication studies, will serve as chair of the Department of Communication Studies for a three-year term, effective July 1.
Susan J. Ashford, professor of organizational behavior and human resource management, will serve as associate dean of the School of Business Administration for a three-year term, effective July 1.
James L. Murdock, assistant to the dean at the School of Business Administration, will serve as assistant dean for finance and planning of the School for a one-year term, effective Aug. 1.
Frank C. Wilhelme, assistant to the dean for development and corporate relations of the School of Business Administration, will serve as assistant dean for development of the School for a one-year term, effective Aug. 1.
Appointments to named professorships approved
Faculty members named to endowed and titled professorships included:
Susan J. Ashford, professor of organizational behavior and human resource management, will hold the Michael and Susan Jandemoa Professorship of Business Administration.
John O. DeLancey, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, will hold the Norman F. Miller Professorship of Gynecology.
Stephen S. Easter Jr., professor of biology, will hold the Mathew Alpern Collegiate Professorship of Biology.
Jacquelynne S. Eccles, professor of psychology and women’s studies and of education, will hold the Wilbert J. McKeachie Collegiate Professorship of Psychology.
Michael D. Johnson, professor of marketing, will be the D. Maynard Phelps Collegiate Professor of Business Administration.
Gautam Kaul, professor of finance, will hold the John C. and Sally S. Morley Professorship of Finance.
Joyce Marcus, professor of anthropology, will be the Elman R. Service Collegiate Professor of Cultural Evolution.
Scott E. Masten, professor of economics and public policy, will be the Louis and Myrtle Moskowitz Research Professor in Business and Law.
James A. McNamara Jr., professor of anatomy and professor of dentistry, will be the Drs. Thomas M. and Doris Graber Endowed Professor of Dentistry.
Hasan Nejat Seyhun, professor of finance, will be the Jerome B. and Eilene M. York Professor of Business Administration.
Douglas J. Skinner, professor of accounting, will be the KPMG Professor of Accounting.
David E. Weinstein, associate professor of international business and the Research Professor in Japanese Business, will hold the Sanford R. Robertson Associate Professorship in Business Administration.
Ashford’s record of “productivity and high impact research on the ways that individuals are proactive in their organizational lives, and the implications of that proactivity for the management of organizations, has established her as a leader in this field,” White said. “She has extended insights in this area of study and her perspective and emphasis leave a distinctive trace on the profession. She is an outstanding teacher, both in the School’s degree programs and in its executive education offerings.”
DeLancey is “an international expert in female pelvic floor anatomy and surgery,” said A. Lorris Betz, interim dean of the Medical School. “He has published widely in superb peer-reviewed journals, and has been invited to present his work at numerous national and international conferences and meetings. He also is well recognized as an outstanding clinician and specialist. In addition to his clinical and research expertise, Dr. DeLancey is an exemplary teacher and regularly lectures and advises the clinical clerkship medical students and departmental residents.”
Easter is “highly respected in the scientific community for his research on understanding the development of the visual system,” said LS&A Dean Edie N. Goldenberg. “He is recognized nationally and internationally, not only for his stellar scientific contributions, but also for his exceptionally high standards in training undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In 1997 he was awarded the Distinguished Visitor Award at the University of Western Australia, and in 1994 received the U-M’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.”
Eccles’ research has been focused on “a wide variety of topics ranging from gender-role socialization, teacher expectancies and classroom influences on student motivation to social development in the family and school context,” Goldenberg noted. “Much of this work has focused on the middle childhood and adolescent periods of life when health-compromising behaviors such as smoking increase dramatically. Using longitudinal survey methods, she has explored the characteristics of family, community, school and peer groups that either protect against or encourage such risky behaviors during these periods of life.”
Johnson is “a national leader in the field of research analyzing consumer non-comparable product alternatives, including consumer perceptions and judgments of brands vs. categories and customer satisfaction across categories and cultures,” said B. Joseph White, dean of the School of Business Administration. “In addition to his primary research efforts, he is engaged in several joint research projects with colleagues at other universities such as the University of Helsinki and the University of Mannheim. He has a very good publication record and is viewed as a leader in training junior scholars.”
Kaul “has served as chair of the finance department, and has long involvement with the School of Business Administration’s doctoral program, both as an adviser, mentor, and participant on dissertation committees,” White said. “He is one of the School’s best teachers, receiving consistently high ratings. He received the MBA Excellence in Teaching Award in 1995, and was nominated again in 1996. He also has a very strong research record, publishing in the profession’s top journals such as the Journal of Finance and the Journal of Financial Economics.”
Marcus is “an eminent anthropologist and the world’s foremost expert on Mayan writing systems,” Goldenberg said. “She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997. She is the author or editor of 10 books and technical memoirs and almost 100 articles and chapters. She lectures nationally and internationally, maintains active research programs focusing on Mesoamerica and Peru, and serves as adviser to several encyclopedias, journals and granting agencies.”
Masten is “working in the areas of the economics of organization and law, contracting practices and contract law, vertical restrictions and integration, and antitrust,” White said. “But it is in the field of transactions cost economics where he is a significant and recognized scholar, a field which is important to the discipline of economics and to business schools. One of his more recent efforts, ‘United Shoe Machinery Corporation’ (1993), is frequently cited as a groundbreaking piece of work.”
McNamara is “a teacher and researcher in the area of craniofacial growth and development and a practitioner of orthodontics,” said William E. Kotowicz, dean of the School of Dentistry. “He is author or co-author of well over 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles, has contributed to the literature in 40 books, monographs or chapters in textbooks, and has been author or co-author of over 60 abstracts. He has consistently received recognition as a world-renowned authority for his contribution to practice and research in the area of orthodontics.”
Seyhun’s research “focuses on finance and the stock market, and he now is considered by many to be the world’s leading expert on insider trading,” White said. “He has an outstanding publication record with virtually all of his major articles in top journals, most sole authored. He has gained the respect and admiration of colleagues in the international arena. He is also an excellent teacher. His case course in finance is one of the most sought elective courses in the School. He consistently receives very high student evaluations.”
Skinner’s research “deals with empirical financial accounting, particularly the choices managers make about how to prepare and report financial accounting information,” White said. “He has earned a strong national reputation for his work and has made important new contributions to the literature, particularly in relating how the threat of stockholders’ litigation impacts corporate financial accounting. He has an excellent teaching record, spanning both undergraduate and graduate courses.”
Weinstein’s work “in Japanese industrial policy and organization, and international trade and investment has earned him a reputation as the best junior scholar, and among the best of all scholars, in this area,” White said. “He is fluent in Japanese and has many professional ties in Japan. He was a visiting scholar at the Ministry of Finance in Japan and also at the University of Tokyo. His publications appear in prestigious American and Japanese journals, including the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, and the Journal of International Economics.”
Renovation projects get go-ahead
Construction and renovation projects approved by the Regents included:
-An addition of 1,050 square feet to the Pumping Station Building on North Campus and installation of a new boiler will meet increased demand for steam from several buildings. A number of North Campus buildings, including Aerospace Engineering and Plasma Research, are supplied with steam from two boilers in the Pumping Station Building that were installed in 1984 and 1988. The completion of two new buildings-Francois-Xavier Bagnoud and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering-have added to the demand, prompting expansion of the facility. The project is estimated to cost $560,000.
-The Information Technology Division (ITD) will create a new data center facility within the existing Arbor Lakes Office Complex on Ann Arbor’s northeast side. ITD will be migrating existing client-server and network equipment from its North Campus Computing Center facility. Staff from ITD’s Network Operations Center will be relocated from the Computing Center to the Arbor Lakes Complex.
An existing below-grade parking garage will be converted into a 5,380-square-foot data center facility, at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.
-The Women’s Rowing Team now holds its practice and competition on Belleville Lake in Van Buren Township, and needs an adequate facility. The project, estimated to cost $900,000, will consist of three structures: a 6,800-square-foot boathouse, a 1,350-square-foot boatwell and enclosure, and the existing pole barn at Belleville Lake.
Six faculty members retire
Six faculty members were given the emeritus title:
Sharon A. Balius, senior associate librarian; Marjorie C. Becker, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation; David W. Hessler, professor of information; Herbert W. Hildebrandt, professor of business administration and of communication studies; Robert E. Lorey, professor of dentistry; and Daisy T. Wu, librarian.
Balius, who joined the U-M library staff in 1962, primarily focused on the Transportation History Collection, which contains more than 70,000 pieces, including rare books and pamphlets, reports, prints, photographs, maps, railroad and canal reports, automobile brochures, scrapbooks and memorabilia. “Ms. Balius was responsible for organizing the collection, selecting new materials for it, and making it known to scholars,” the Regents said. “Later, she was put in charge of the Serials Unit in Engineering-Transportation and then became head of reference. In 1991, she was named acting head of monograph acquisitions for the University Library, where she helped improve efficiency in the ordering processes.”
Becker, who joined the U-M in 1962, “has held numerous administrative positions,” the Regents said. “In 1968-73, she was patient program coordinator at Parkview Rehabilitation and in 1972-77 was an associate in physical therapy at the Institute for the Study of Mental Retardation and Related Disabilities. Within U-M Hospitals, she was acting assistant director of ambulatory services in 1974-76, assistant director for professional services in 1976-83 and director of allied health professions education in 1978-97. She was assistant personnel director and personnel administrator in the Medical Campus Human Resources Department in 1983-87. Prof. Becker contributed strength, vitality, and enthusiastic leadership not only to the Physical Therapy Curriculum Program but to all of her administrative functions as well.”
Hessler first joined the U-M in 1961 as a part-time lecturer in the School of Education and went to teach at Western Michigan University in 1967. In 1977 he returned to the U-M as professor of library science. “During his tenure at Michigan, he has served as the director of instructional strategy services for the School of Education and the School of Library Science. His impact on the curriculum particularly has been felt in the areas of emerging technology, multimedia, and instructional strategies. He is beloved by his students for his boundless enthusiasm, his expertise in fast-breaking technologies, and his caring attitude and devotion to students.”
Hildebrandt joined the U-M in 1958. “His service to the University and his profession has been extraordinary,” the Regents said. “He has served on numerous Universitywide committees, including having chaired the University Committee on Ceremonials, which was charged with planning and carrying out the University’s Sesquicentennial celebration in 1967. In 1966-70, he also served as secretary of the University and assistant to the president. An active participant in professional associations, he has served as president of the Association of Business Communication and in 1994 received that organization’s Outstanding Research Award. He has been an extremely dedicated and productive researcher and teacher.”
Lorey, who joined the U-M in 1959, has been “a strong participant in the department’s teaching and clinical activity, both at the predoctoral and graduate levels and through continuing dental education programs. He served on more than 20 master’s thesis committees and has published extensively in the area of crown and bridge prosthodontics. For his creative teaching in a self-instructional medium, in 1973 Dr. Lorey was awarded an international first prize for an outstanding instructional videotape by the Health Sciences and Communications Association. Within the Dental School, Dr. Lorey served on several committees and was elected four times to the executive committee.”
Wu came to the U-M in 1988 as the management information systems librarian at the University Library and then became special assistant to the library’s deputy director. “In 1989, she was appointed interim coordinator of the Basic Science and Engineering Libraries and in 1991, she was selected as the permanent head. In this role, she oversaw the facilities and services planning for both the new Shapiro Science Library and the Media Union Library. Later, her responsibilities shifted once again to focus solely on the Science Library, which had been created from the merger of the four separate science libraries. Through her efforts, she has made an enormous contribution to the University Library.”
