Editor’s Note: The following actions were taken by the Regents at their October meeting.
By Wono Lee, News and Information Services,
and Diane Brown, Facilities and Operations
Emeritus professors
Three faculty members were given the emeritus title by the Regents at their Oct. 18 meeting. Those retiring are Charles J. Krause, professor of otorhinolaryngology; Lee H. Somers, associate research scientist and assistant professor of kinesiology; and John W. Thomas, professor of health management and policy.
Krause, who joined the faculty in 1977, “served with distinction as a clinician, faculty member and senior hospital administrator,” the Regents noted. “He was regularly listed as one of the best doctors in America and was widely sought after nationally and internationally as a speaker. His clinical expertise focused on head and neck cancer and facial plastic reconstructive surgery. He served as president of the American Board of Otolaryngology, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the American society for Head and Neck Surgery.”
Somers, who joined the faculty in 1969, is “an internationally recognized expert in underwater technology education and research, diving accident management and analysis, and scientific diving education and research methods. He is the author of numerous publications on diving, and his work in the area of mixed gas diving, especially the use of enriched air nitrox, has been a major contribution to the diving community. A hallmark of Prof. Somers’ activities has always been the active involvement of students. He has also maintained an ongoing service program to provide information to citizens, diving instructors and law enforcement agencies on diving issues.”
Thomas joined the faculty in 1977. “His most important contributions to the field of health policy and management have been in the area of risk-adjustment,” the Regents said. “In a 1983 paper he and his colleagues argued that capitation payments for the then new Medicare HMO program could lead to serious problems both with overpayment and denial of access unless the payments were risk-adjusted for patients’ health status. Within two years major funding was being provided for research that would define appropriate methods for determining health status risk-adjustments for HMO capitation payments.”
Tenured faculty appointments
Faculty appointments, with tenure, approved by the Regents at their Oct. 18 meeting included:
Mario Bonk, who began his teaching career at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, will be professor of mathematics, effective Jan. 1, 2002.
Izak Duenyas, associate professor of industrial and operations engineering, with tenure, will be professor of industrial and operations engineering, with tenure, effective Nov. 1. He also is the John Psarouthakis Research Professor in Manufacturing Management and professor of operations management, with tenure.
Barbara A. Gutek, a faculty member at the University of Arizona, will be professor of psychology and of women’s studies at U-M, effective Jan. 1, 2002.
Gifts received
The Regents, at their Oct. 18 meeting, formally accepted a total of $10,573,709 in gifts received by the University during September of this year.
The total included $8,154,538 from individuals, $785,748 from corporations, $683,585 from foundations, and $949,838 from associations and others.
Administrative appointments
Administrative appointments approved by the Regents at their Oct. 18 meeting included:
Lawrence S. Root, professor of social work, was reappointed as director of the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, effective Sept. 1, 1999–Aug. 31, 2004.
Nikolaos D. Katopodes, professor of civil and environmental engineering, will serve as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, effective Oct. 1, 2001–Aug. 31, 2006.
Kathleen Wade, director of social work services at the U-M Hospital, will become assistant dean of hospital social work at the School of Social Work, effective Sept. 1, 2001–Aug. 31, 2004.
Erik R.P. Zuiderweg, professor of biological chemistry and of chemistry, will serve as acting chair of the Biophysics Research Division, effective Sept. 1, 2001–Aug. 31, 2002.
Korea Foundation Professorship
John Lie, professor of sociology in LS&A, will hold the Korea Foundation Professorship of Korean Studies, effective Sept. 1, 2001–Aug. 31, 2006.
“Prof. Lie is best known for his research on the political economy of development, focusing in particular on East Asian societies, most notably South Korea and Japan,” said Shirley Neuman, L&SA dean. “He has authored four major books and his articles have appeared in some of the top specialty journals as well as the major journals in sociology.”
He joined the U-M faculty in September 2001.
Regents approve five facilities projects
The Regents approved five facilities projects for the Hospitals and Health Centers—expansion of the cardiology procedures unit and the HomeMed offices, replacement of the Taubman Health Center roof and computer room cooling system, and replacement of the Hospital chiller.
The cardiology procedures unit will be expanded and renovated to include a third catheterization laboratory, on-site recovery space, a larger reception/waiting room area and additional storage capacity. Demand for the unit’s services has increased 30 percent since 1998. The project cost of $5.35 million provides new equipment, including a $1.5 million new catheterization bi-plane system. Funding will be provided from the Hospitals and Health Centers’ (HHC) capital fund. The project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2003.
HomeMed provides homecare services, including infusion pharmacy and nursing, medical equipment needs, and customized wheelchair fittings and fabrication. The expansion project, to be complete next fall, will renovate approximately 5,000 gross square feet to add to the program’s primary office space at 2850 South Industrial Hwy in Ann Arbor. A customer service area, medical record storage and office workstations will be accommodated in the new space. The project expenses of $840,000 will be funded from the HHC capital fund.
The Taubman Health Center is in need of a new roof. The project, which will cost almost $2 million from the HHC capital fund, is scheduled to be complete next spring. Additionally, the mainframe computer room air conditioning units will be replaced to increase efficiency, reliability and floor space. The $1 million project will be complete next summer.
The second phase of a multi-phase effort to replace the four Hospital chillers to increase cooling capacity for air conditioning was approved at a cost of $6 million. The project is expected to be complete before the summer of 2003 and will be funded from the HHC capital fund.
