The Board of Regents approved the following items at its meeting Thursday.
Digital Studies Institute will become instructional unit
The Digital Studies Institute within LSA will become an instructional unit in 2019, allowing the institute to offer joint faculty appointments. The Digital Studies Institute serves as a major initiative to develop pioneering digital student research and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It will offer two degrees: an undergraduate minor in digital studies and a graduate certificate in digital studies. As an interdisciplinary unit, Digital Studies research will be a collaboration between the departments of American Culture, Communication Studies, English Language and Literature, Germanic Languages and Literatures, History; Film, Television, and Media; the School of Information, and the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design.
Michigan Medicine unit will have new name
The Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases within Michigan Medicine was renamed the Department of Pediatrics, effective Oct. 1. The change reflects a more comprehensive description of the majority of the children now cared for who are treated for non-communicable disease. The name change will provide a more accurate mission of the department to provide inclusive and comprehensive care to all children. It also will request that the faculty appointments be renamed accordingly to reflect the new department. The new name was approved by the executive committee of the Medical School.
Regents approve renovation project at Ross School
A renovation of approximately 13,000 gross square feet is planned at the Business Administration Executive Dormitory that will modify the first floor to provide an updated lobby, executive lounge and new coffee bar, and on the second floor provide flexible work space for student programs. The $4.7 million project is being funded by the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and is scheduled to be completed next fall.
Air handling equipment to be replaced at Taubman Health Care Center
A $5 million project will replace multiple air handling unites as well as associated return fans and controls at the A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center. Health System resources will fund the project that is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2020.
New Wall Street parking deck moves forward
The Board of Regents approved the schematic design for the new Wall Street West Parking Structure project and authorized proceeding with construction for the $39.5 million project. A net gain of approximately 950 parking spaces will be made with the new seven-level, 1,080-space structure to be built on top of an existing surface parking lot. Funding is being provided from Logistics, Transportation and Parking resources. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020.
Regents will meet donors, alumni in California
Regent Ron Weiser, who will take over in January as chair of the Board of Regents, announced Dec. 6 that members of the Board of Regents would travel to the San Francisco area in January to personally thank donors for their support in the Victors for Michigan fundraising campaign. He said regents also would meet with young alumni in the area and participate in strategic meetings that will involve two new regents joining the board in January. The next formal session of the Board of Regents will be Feb. 21, 2019.
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointments with tenure
Andrew Gronewold, associate professor of environment and sustainability, School for Environment and Sustainability, effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Named professorships
*Michael M. Bernitsas, Mortimer E. Cooley Collegiate Professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Ronald G. Dreslinski, Jr., Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2020.
Kate D. Fitzgerald, Kate D., Phil F. Jenkins Research Professor of Depression, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2023.
*Alfred O. Hero III, R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Todd I. Herrenkohl, Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families, School of Social Work, effective Nov. 1, 2018 through Dec. 2022.
*Hosagrahar V. Jagadish, Bernard A. Galler Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Joanne M. Kahlenberg, Giles G. Bole, M.D. and Dorothy Mulkey, M.D. Research Professor of Rheumatology, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2023.
*Mark J. Kushner, George I. Haddad Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Artemis S. Leontis, C. P. Cavafy Professor of Modern Greek Studies and Comparative Literature, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2022.
*Noel C. Perkins, Donald T. Greenwood Collegiate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Rajesh Rao, Leonard G. Miller Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2023.
*Kamal Sarabandi, Rufus S. Teesdale Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
*Johannes W. Schwank, James and Judith Street Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Volker Sick, DTE Energy Professor of Advanced Energy Research, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Administrative appointments
**Christopher K. Bichakjian, interim chair, Department of Dermatology, Medical School, effective Nov. 1, 2018.
Norman D. Bishara, associate dean for undergraduate programs, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective Dec. 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020.
*Lynn A. Johnson, associate dean for faculty affairs and institutional effectiveness, School of Dentistry, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2023.
Mary-Ann Mycek, associate dean for graduate and professional education, College of Engineering, effective Oct. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2022.
*Stephen J. Stefanac, senior associate dean, and associate dean for patient services, School of Dentistry, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2019.
Correction and transfer of tenure
David P. Olson, correction to professorship effective dates, David Murray Cowie, M.D., Research Professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2023.
JoAnn Sekiguchi, transfer of tenure to associate professor of human genetics, with tenure, and professor of internal medicine, without tenure, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2018.
Flint campus
Derwin S. Munroe, acting chair, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019.
*Dale J. Trela, interim chair, Department of Foreign Languages, College of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019.
*Reappointments
**Interim approval granted
Retirements
Nancy R. Barbas, clinical associate professor of neurology in the Medical School, Dec. 31, 2018. Barbas received her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Social Work and medical degrees from U-M in 1972, 1975 and 1984, respectively. She joined the U-M faculty in 1991. Barbas provided clinical care to patients with neurological disorders, including headache and pain at the Veterans Administration Hospital and the U-M Cognitive Disorders Clinic. As director of the Cognitive Disorders Clinic, she designed and implemented a program to streamline the diagnostic process for patients with dementia. Barbas was the site principal investigator for more than 20 multisite clinical research trials on dementia and related disorders. She served on the executive committee of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center from 2008-18. Barbas taught a number of courses in the Medical School, and was a leader in bringing the practice and teaching of narrative medicine to the university.
Xian Chen, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine in the Medical School, July 31, 2018. Chen received her medical degree from Fujian Medical University in 1983, a Master of Science degree from Radford University in 1990, and a Master of Science degree from Brooklyn College, City University of New York in 1993. She joined U-M as a clinical assistant professor, and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System as a primary care attending physician in 2004. Chen’s teaching activities included daily attending rounds, case discussions, lecturers, and conferences. She co-authored articles in both the Chinese Journal of Pediatrics and the Journal of Fujian Medical College. As a guest professor at Fujian Medical University, she presented seminars on a number of topics, including a comparison of the United States and Chinese health systems and the importance of teaching evidence-based medicine. Chen received the VA Ann Arbor Health System’s Ambulatory Care: Excellence in Service Award in 2005.
Kevin J. Compton, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2018. Compton received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and his Master of Arts, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1976, 1980 and 1980, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1984. Compton’s research interests were in the fields of the theory of computation, the complexity of combinatorial and logical problems, the analysis of algorithms, and the automata theory. He served as the head coach and mentor for the U-M student programming teams since 2001. He coached eight teams that advanced to the very competitive ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals, including a team that placed second in the world in 2011. Compton was a long-standing member of the Program Committee and the Curriculum Committee, where he played an instrumental role in the advancement and evolution of these core areas within the computer science and engineering division.
Dennis Crowley, clinical professor of pediatrics in the Medical School, Dec. 31, 2018. Crowley received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1970 and his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1974. He held several faculty positions at U-M after completing his fellowship in 1977-79, and Crowley was appointed director of the Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinics in 2009. Crowley’s academic career spanned general pediatric cardiology, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, cardiac critical care medicine, adult congenital heart disease and heart failure-heart transplantation. He authored 82 peer-reviewed publications and more than 40 scientific abstracts. Crowley was a member of the International Society of Heart Transplantation and the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young. He served as a reviewer for several journals, including the American Journal of Cardiology. Crowley received the Outstanding Clinician Award in 2011 and was inducted into the League of Clinical Excellence in 2012 at the U-M Medical School. The annual Dennis Crowley Faculty Teaching Award in Pediatric Cardiology was established in 2014.
James S. Diana, professor of environment and sustainability, School for Environment and Sustainability, Dec. 31, 2018. Diana received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from California State University, Long Beach in 1974 and 1975, respectively. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 1979, and joined the U-M faculty the same year. Diana’s teaching and research explored the aquatic sciences, with a special focus on aquatic animals and their interactions with the environment. From 2009-18, he served as the director of the Michigan Sea Grant Program funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Diana played an instrumental leadership role in the program’s research, education, and outreach projects that were designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of Great Lakes resources. He authored more than 100 articles and received the Justin W. Leonard Award from the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in 2006.
Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Frank Murphy Distinguished University Professor of Law and Psychology; professor of psychology, LSA; professor of law in the Law School; and faculty associate in the Research Center for Group Dynamics within the Institute for Social Research, Dec. 31, 2018. Ellsworth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College in 1966 and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1970. She joined the U-M faculty in 1987. Ellsworth made central research contributions in two distinct areas within psychology: the theory of emotions and the field of psychology and law. She is the author of more than 100 articles and books. Ellsworth’s fundamental contributions to psychology and law include her landmark research on how death penalty attitudes influence the quality of jury deliberation and the jury’s verdict. Her honors include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as distinguished career and lifetime achievement awards from several organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Ellsworth’s mentoring was honored with national awards from several organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.
James T. Fitzgerald, professor of learning health sciences in the Medical School, Dec. 31, 2018. Fitzgerald received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1977, his Master of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1980 and his Ph.D. from U-M in 1985. He joined U-M as a research investigator in 1994. Fitzgerald’s research in the area of diabetes attitudes and education was internationally noted, and he led the development, validation and reliability of three widely-used, diabetes-related survey instruments. Fitzgerald was actively involved in the geriatric education intervention program that targeted primary care providers in VA community-based outpatient clinics. He served as the chair of the assessment committee of the competency-based Master of Health Professions Education program in the Medical School. He also taught extensively in his areas of research and expertise, and was a sought-out mentor to medical and graduate students as well as faculty.
Janet L. Goldberg, clinical instructor in nursing in the School of Nursing, Aug. 31, 2018. Goldberg received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Henry Ford Community College in 1975, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1993, and her Master of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University in 1997. Goldberg joined U-M as a staff nurse in 1975, and joined the faculty in 2009. Upon joining the faculty, Goldberg was the lead for a major schoolwide initiative to create a new educational model for student clinical education. She consistently volunteered and brought new ideas and perspectives to discussions about the undergraduate program, students, education, and patient care. Goldberg taught students in medical-surgical nursing and seized opportunities to provide academic enrichment activities, such as independent studies.
Carolyn M. Johnston, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Medical School, Jan. 15, 2019. Johnston received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in 1980 and her medical degree from Yale University in 1984. She joined the U-M faculty as an instructor in 1990. Johnston was instrumental in the teaching of medical students, residents, and fellows at both the University of Michigan and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in the area of gynecologic oncology. Her research focused on molecular markers in endometrial and ovarian carcinomas and clinical trials. She was an HPV vaccination champion and served as the head of the cervical cancer committee for the Michigan Cancer Consortium. Johnston authored 50 peer-reviewed publications and has been active and held leadership roles within numerous subspecialty societies, including the Michigan Cancer Consortium and the American Cancer Society. She taught and mentored for gynecology oncology fellowships in Ghana and Ethiopia and in recognition of her teaching, Johnston received the Silver Speculum Resident Teaching Award and the Howard R. Williams Resident Teaching Award.
Deborah Keller-Cohen, professor of linguistics and professor of women’s studies, LSA; and professor of education, School of Education, Dec. 31, 2018. Keller-Cohen received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from U-M, her Master of Arts degree in 1972 from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. in 1974 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She joined the U-M faculty in 1974. Keller-Cohen made significant contributions to the study of language development, literacy, language and gender, and language and aging. She is known for her work on the literacy of daily life and her investigation of the relationship of gender to colonial literacy practices in the United States. In addition to chairing the Linguistic Society of America’s Committee on the Status of Women in Linguistics, Keller-Cohen was an elected member of the LSA Executive Committee, served as the senior associate director at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and worked as the associate dean for academic programs and initiatives at the Rackham Graduate School. While associate dean, she received funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation to begin and then expand the Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholar Program.
Patricia B. Mullan, professor of learning health sciences in the Medical School, Dec. 30, 2018. Mullan received her Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. degrees from Wayne State University in 1976 and 1984, respectively. She joined the U-M faculty in 2005. Mullan’s overarching area of scholarly focus was the theory and practice of evaluating medical educational programs designed to promote compassionate and competent care. In international medical education research, her work focused on the design and evaluation of the assessment infrastructure of medical schools. Mullan served as the director of the Medical Education Scholars Program for faculty development. Since 1998, she has served as principal or co-principal investigator for 15 externally funded educational and health services research projects, primarily focused on health professions education. Mullan authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and held leadership positions in a number of cancer education organizations, including as president of the national American Association for Cancer Education.
Mary Beth Ofstedal, research scientist in the Population Studies Center and research scientist in the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Dec. 31, 2018. Ofstedal received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College in Minnesota in 1983, and she earned her Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from U-M in 1990 and 1995, respectively. She joined the U-M faculty in 1997. Ofstedal served as a co-investigator and associate director of the Health and Retirement Study and as the network leader for the Network on Longitudinal Studies of Aging in the U.S. Her research interests spanned several topics, including intergenerational relations and support and the connections between socioeconomic status and health. Ofstedal also directed research resulting from an NIA-funded collaborative study on comparative data on the aging and health in Asian populations. She published 62 journal articles and book chapters, and began her service as a board member of the Population Association of America in 2018. She received a Research Faculty Achievement Award in 2012.
Leslie Pincus, associate professor of history, LSA, Dec. 31, 2018. Pincus received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1972, her Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975, and her Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1990, respectively. She joined the U-M faculty in 1995. Pincus was a scholar of modern Japanese history, especially intellectual and social history, cultural studies in nationalism and colonialism, and social movements. Her Lilienthal Prize winning book, “Authenticating Culture in Imperial Japan,” is a multilayered analysis of the interwar Japanese philosopher Kuki Shuzo. Pincus was active over the years in the university’s Center for Japanese Studies, including serving as its director, and was active in the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies’ programming. She was an invited visiting professor at the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies in the Stanford Overseas Studies Program and a guest professor for the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.
Martin J. Powers, Sally Michelson Davidson Professor of Chinese Arts and Cultures and professor of history of art, LSA, Dec. 31, 2018. Powers received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shimer College in 1972 and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago in 1974 and 1978, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1987. A pre-eminent figure in the field of Chinese art, Powers studied the role of the arts in relation to issues of political action and social justice in imperial China. He is author of some 50 articles and book chapters as well as three path-breaking monographs. His books have earned the Association for Asian Studies Joseph Levenson Book Prize for best book in Chinese Studies. Powers’ “China Mirror Project,” provided resources for teaching Chinese history to undergraduates. His service contributions include directing the university’s Center for Chinese Studies and membership on numerous national and international boards.
Nicholas J. Rine, clinical professor of law in the Law School, Dec. 31, 2018. Rine received his Bachelor of Arts and law degrees from Wayne State University in 1969 and 1973, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty as an adjunct assistant professor in 1989, and served as both the director of the Law School’s Program for Law and Development in Cambodia and associate director of the LSA Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Rine taught in the Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic, the Child Advocacy Law Clinic, the Urban Communities Clinic, the Asylum Clinic, the Women and the Law Clinic, and the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic. Rine annually spent time in Cambodia, where he worked for a variety of human rights organizations and taught at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh. While there on a Fulbright grant in 2000, Rine published a textbook on legal ethics in English and Khmer. He served on the board of directors of Legal Aid of Cambodia and on the U-M President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights. He received the L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1995.
James M. Rowan, clinical instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation in the Medical School, Aug. 31, 2018. Rowan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 from the State University of New York, Binghamton, his M.M.E. degree in 1984 from the University of Kansas, and his Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. from U-M in 1990 and 1995, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1997. Rowan played an instrumental role in the education and training of physical medicine and rehabilitation residents as well as neuropsychology fellows. He shared his expertise as an editorial journal reviewer, frequent invited speaker and institutional committee member. Rowan was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives. He authored three peer-reviewed publications and served as a research coordinator for a cancer support group project in the Catherine McAuley Health System. Rowan served on the Peer Review Committee for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Namita Sachdev, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics in the Medical School, Dec. 21, 2018. Sachdev received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and medical degrees from U-M in 1985 and 1989, respectively. She joined the U-M faculty in 1994. Sachdev was instrumental in establishing the first combined medicine/pediatrics practice at the U-M Northeast Health Center in 1994. As the associate program director of the Combined Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program, she further developed innovative methods for training resident physicians in the ambulatory setting and in chronic disease management. Sachdev played an active role in the development of medical students, residents and clinical practice faculty. She received a number of awards for her teaching, including the Lotus Award from the United Asian American Student Association, the John G. Frohna Award for Outstanding Resident Teaching in Medicine-Pediatrics from U-M, and the Brendan P. Kelly M.D. Award from the Medicine-Pediatrics Program Directors Association.
Alan Robert Tait, professor of anesthesiology in the Medical School, Nov. 30, 2018. Tait received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of London in 1972, and his Ph.D. from U-M in 1986. His U-M career began in 1977, and he was awarded the Department of Anesthesiology Endowed Professor of Clinical Research in 2004. Tait’s work examining the effects of anesthesia on outcomes in children with risk factors including URI, obesity, ADHD, and sleep-disordered breathing identified a number of strategies to optimize anesthetic management of these vulnerable groups. Tait’s research related to adult, parental and child understanding of informed consent for research and medical care achieved recognition among medical ethicists and scholars worldwide. This work yielded novel strategies to improve the communication of informed consent, thereby ensuring that the legal and ethical rights of patients and research participants are protected. Tait served as chair of the Research Committee of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, and as a research mentor to many undergraduate and graduate students and clinical faculty within the Department of Anesthesiology.
Robert J. Willis, research professor in the Survey Research Center and research professor in the Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research; and professor of economics, LSA, Dec. 31, 2018. Willis received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962 from Dartmouth College, and a Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1965 and 1971, respectively. He joined U-M in 1995 and served as the director of the ISR’s Health and Retirement Study from 1995-2007. Willis’ research focused on labor economics and economic demography; theoretical and empirical research on economic and demographic behavior over the entire life-cycle, including research on fertility, marriage, divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing; human capital, education and earnings; intergenerational transfers; and retirement and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Willis was one of the young labor economists in the 1970s who helped to ushered in the modern era of the field with work that combined rigorous modeling and econometric sophistication. He was a fellow of the Society of Labor Economists and past president of the Midwestern Economics Association and the Society of Labor Economists.
