The Board of Regents took the following action at its Dec. 8 meeting:
Center for Innovation director position created
Regents established a new administrative position of director of the U-M Center for Innovation in Detroit, effective Jan. 1. The director will report to the provost and be a critical voice in the university’s continued collaborations with a wide variety of Detroit stakeholders. They will be responsible for fostering community engagement with the city through strategic workforce development programs and by supporting U-M units in their community engagement efforts; supporting schools and colleges that offer degree programs at the UMCI; working collaboratively with campus units to increase activity and focus on Detroit-based talent development; fostering innovative programs within the UMCI building that support entrepreneurship, applied research and a culture of collaboration and inclusivity; managing the center’s budget and staff; and developing and implementing a strategic plan for the UMCI’s growth, development and financial sustainability. The UMCI will be a world-class research, education and entrepreneurship center designed to advance innovation and talent-focused community development. The director will be appointed by the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
— Ann Zaniewski, Public Affairs
Regents approve courtyard infrastructure improvements and restoration
A new infrastructure project among University Hospital, the Towsley Center and the Med Inn will upgrade a 60-year-old domestic water supply pipe, water service connections to several buildings, and reinforce a tunnel designed to withstand heavy loads for emergency vehicles and the underground electrical supply for pedestrian lighting. The $4.7 million construction project, designed by the architectural firm of Beckett & Raeder, also will include the replacement of pavement and handrails — to be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act — and pedestrian lighting with energy-efficient LED lights. Funds for the project will come from reserves and utility resources. Construction will not affect parking on campus and is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2024.
— Lauren Love, Public Affairs
New laboratory coming to the Climate and Space Research Building
The Climate and Space Research Building will undergo renovations to accommodate a new Leinweber Space Innovation Laboratory to support space research, mission planning and learning. During the phased construction project, nearly 6,000 square feet will be renovated and the Helio Lab, currently located in the space, will be relocated. The Leinweber Space Innovation Lab will include four flexible studios so engineering teams can collaborate with faculty and researchers in separate areas or combine into one group. Technology capabilities for the project will be designed to support research events for teams working in the space and across the globe in real time. The $6.1 million project is being designed by the architectural firm of Integrated Design Solutions, funded by the College of Engineering and is expected to be completed by the winter of 2024.
— Lauren Love, Public Affairs
Water main and road reconstruction planned near Bonisteel Boulevard
A new infrastructure project will resurface Bonisteel Boulevard and address underground infrastructure between Murfin and Beal avenues. The project will address water supply connections to buildings and fire hydrants and install nearly 2,000 feet of chilled water supply and return piping. After the underground work has been completed, the westbound pavement, curbs and sidewalk will be replaced and the entire road will be resurfaced. The estimated cost is $8.8 million with funding coming from reserves and utility resources. The architectural and engineering firm of Fishbeck will design the project that is expected to be completed by the winter of 2024.
— Lauren Love, Public Affairs
Regents honor VP Michels for 34 years of service
Regents approved a resolution thanking Kallie B. Michels, vice president for communications, for her 34 years of service to the university and “critical role in a wide range of communication efforts at both the health system and on the main campus.” Michels, who has served as vice president since 2017, has assisted and led communication efforts across the institution, including development of the internet and social media, issues management, employee communications and media relations. Her ties to the university began in 1988, when she became information officer in the Office of Planning and Marketing for U-M Hospitals and Health Centers and later was appointed director of public relations for the health system. She was appointed associate vice president in 2008 in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and has served as interim vice president for communications and interim chief communications officer for the health system. The resolution says Michels’ experience, and that of the talented team she leads, has proven to be invaluable time and again to regents and to the institution. She retires Dec. 31.
— Hanna Quinlan, Public Affairs
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointments with tenure
Jiasi Chen, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering, effective Aug. 28, 2023.
Noel C. Giebink, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering, effective Aug. 28, 2023.
April Zeoli, associate professor of health management and policy, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Guizhi Zhu, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, College of Pharmacy, effective June 1, 2023.
Charlene Zietsma, professor of environment and sustainability, School for Environment and Sustainability, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Named professorships
James E. Aikens, Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor of Family Medicine, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Kathryn Elizabeth Angell, Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, effective Nov. 1, 2022, through Oct. 31, 2027.
Roya Ensafi, Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2024.
*Todd I. Herrenkohl, Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families, School of Social Work, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2028.
Minhajuddin S. Khaja, David M. Williams, M.D. Research Professor, Medical School, Dec. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Brendan M. Kochunas, Charles and Elizabeth Schrock Faculty Development Professor, College of Engineering, effective Dec. 1, 2022, through Nov. 30, 2025.
Mario L. Mateo, Ralph B. Baldwin Professor of Astronomy, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2027.
*Theodore B. Norris, Gérard A. Mourou Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2027.
*Lutgarde M. Raskin, Altarum/ERIM Russell D. O’Neal Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2027.
*Kathleen A. Stringer, Albert B. Prescott Professor, College of Pharmacy, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2027.
Maria A. Woodward, Alan Sugar, M.D. Research Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical School, Dec. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Guizhi Zhu, Ara Garo Paul Professor, College of Pharmacy, effective June 1, 2023, through May 31, 2028.
Charlene Zietsma, Max McGraw Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, School for Environment and Sustainability, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2027.
Yu Zuo, Edward T. and Ellen K. Dryer Early Career Professor of Rheumatology, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Administrative appointments
*Matthew L. Boulton, senior associate dean for global public health, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Aug. 31, 2025.
**Richard W. Fitzgerald, interim vice president for communications, Office of the Vice President for Communications, effective Jan. 4, 2023.
Paul P. Lee, senior associate dean of clinical affairs, Medical School, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
***Yafeng Yin, interim chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, effective Dec. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2023.
Other transactions
Anthony Doerr, Helen L. DeRoy-Otto G. Graf Memorial Visiting Professor in Honors, LSA, effective Aug. 28, 2023, through April 30, 2024.
Eriko Tomizawa-Kay, Toyota Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies, LSA, effective Aug. 28, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
Dearborn campus
Bruce R. Maxim, Narasimhamurthi “Nattu” Natarajan Collegiate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science, effective Nov. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Yi Lu Murphey, Paul K. Trojan Collegiate Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, effective Dec. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Flint campus
Julie Ma, chair, Department of Social Work, School of Education and Human Services, effective Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2025.
*Reappointments
**Interim approval granted
***Reappointment and interim approval granted
Retirements
Frederick Amrine, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of Germanic languages and literatures, LSA, Dec. 31, 2022. Amrine earned a B.A. from U-M in 1974, an M.A. at the University of Cambridge in 1976 and a Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1981. Amrine joined the U-M faculty as an associate professor in 1986 and was promoted to full professor in 2019. He is a recognized and widely respected authority on German Romanticism and has authored, edited and co-edited four books and monographs on Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s scientific and literary writings. He has edited and translated more than 50 books on and by Rudolf Steiner. Amrine’s published articles range across topics from the history of science to German Romanticism, and from German Idealism to contemporary French philosophy. Amrine taught across the curriculum, including popular courses on German fairy tales and the imagination. He redesigned the language curriculum, which he reoriented from being grammar-focused to being topic-focused. Amrine was awarded an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship in 1998. He also served as chair of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures from 1995-2004 and was a key architect of the department’s embrace of radical interdisciplinarity.
Michael Atzmon, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, professor of materials science and engineering, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2022. Atzmon received his B.Sc. in 1980 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his M.S. in 1982 and Ph.D. in 1985 from the California Institute of Technology. He joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1987, was promoted to associate professor in 1993 and to professor in 2006. Atzmon studied the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformations far from equilibrium and the mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline and amorphous metal alloys. He has co-authored more than 70 refereed journal papers and books, and authored 65 invited papers at national and international conferences. Atzmon was a by-fellow at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, in 1996-97, and an elected senior fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows 2017-21. He received the College of Engineering’s Trudy Huebner Service Excellence Award 2018-19, and the Excellence in Research Award in 1997. He was president of the International Mechanochemical Association from 2000-06. He served on the Senate Assembly from 2015-19 and the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs from 2016-19 and 2021-22. He was the faculty adviser for the engineering physics program for 19 years.
John Bound, George E. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Economics and professor of economics, LSA; research professor at the Population Studies Center and faculty associate at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Dec. 31, 2022. Bound earned a B.A in 1971, a master’s in education in 1979 and a doctorate in economics in 1987 from Harvard University. He joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1986, was promoted to professor in 1998, and was named George E. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Economics in 2010. He was appointed to ISR in 1986, serving as a faculty associate at the SRC since 1988 and research professor at the PSC since 2001. Bound has studied economic, demographic and policy influences on the health, employment, earnings and wealth of the U.S population and has co-authored numerous papers. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was elected a fellow of the Econometric Society in 2004 and of the Society of Labor Economists in 2006. Bound was director of the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging from 2003-18, taught graduate and undergraduate courses in labor economics, and led multiple federal training grants.
Charles Brown, professor of economics, LSA; research professor in the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Dec. 31, 2022. Brown earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Boston College in 1970 and his doctorate in economics from Harvard University in 1974. He was at the University of Maryland before joining the faculty at U-M as professor of economics and research professor in ISR in 1985. He was chair of the Department of Economics from 1997-99. At ISR, he was a co-investigator on the Health and Retirement Study and served as director of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 2012-16. Brown is well known for his work investigating the mechanisms that explain why firm characteristics are associated with higher wages. His methodological and empirical analysis of how job characteristics affect wages has been quite influential. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and was elected as a fellow of the Society of Labor Economists in 2006. Brown taught graduate and undergraduate courses in labor and personnel economics. Brown was an active mentor for the department’s doctoral program and played for decades on the Invisible Glove, a graduate student softball team.
Maria Clara Cruz da Silva Castro, professor of earth and environmental sciences, LSA, Dec. 31, 2022. Castro received her B.Sc. in 1988 from the University of Porto, Portugal, her M.S. in 1991 from the University of Paris VI and her Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of Paris VI and Paris School of Mines, France. She joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1999, and was promoted to associate professor in 2006, and to professor in 2013. Castro’s specialty is geohydrology, the study of water residing in aquifers at Earth’s surface and in deep subsurface geological settings. She has employed noble gas isotope geochemistry to define the source of fluids, hydrocarbons and water, to discern their migration pathways, and to elucidate their evolution in response to past and present geologic processes. She developed an analytical laboratory that enabled the development, calibration and application of noble gases to a broad spectrum of research questions. She and her team of postdoctoral and Ph.D. graduate students have developed interpretive algorithms applied to understanding episodes of climate change, migration of fluids and gases in subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs, and tracing the sources of clean geothermal energy.
Alfred E. Chang, Hugh Cabot Professor of Surgery and professor of surgery, Medical School, Jan. 3, 2023. Chang received his B.A. in 1971 and B.M.S. in 1972 from Dartmouth Medical School, and his M.D. in 1974 from Harvard Medical School. He was a general surgery intern and resident at Duke University Medical Center from 1974-76. Chang was a surgical oncology clinical associate with the National Institutes of Health from 1976-78. He continued training as a general surgery resident and chief resident at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He also served as a lieutenant commander and senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health, and assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Chang joined the U-M Medical School as an associate professor of surgery in 1988 and was promoted to professor in 1992. He was named the first Hugh Cabot Endowed Professor of Surgery from 2000-22. Chang’s research focused on tumor immunology and immunotherapy, and the use of vaccines, cytokines and ex vivo T cell activation procedures as it translates to clinical trials for immunotherapy in cancer patients. His research has produced more than 315 peer-reviewed publications, 55 book chapters, and six books.
John Cherng, professor of mechanical engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, UM-Dearborn, Dec. 31, 2022. Cherng received his Bachelor of Engineering in marine engineering in 1967 from National Taiwan Ocean University, and his M.S. in 1975 and Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 1978 from the University of Tennessee. He was a Navy lieutenant, principal research scientist at Enron, and an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at New Mexico State University. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1986 as a visiting associate professor and became a professor in 1999. Cherng specialized in vehicle noise, vibration and harshness, acoustical materials, sound quality and noise control. He developed automotive NVH continuing education courses for industry engineers from Ford, Chrysler, General Motors and Siemens. Cherng holds a U.S. patent in the area of acoustic metrology for dimensional conformance. He published more than 25 papers and book chapters and received multiple grants from Keurig, the U.S. Department of Energy, Ford Motor Co., and HP Pelzer Automotive Systems. He has served on program development and search committees in the college and the Faculty Senate, and was a long-serving member of the College Curriculum Committee.
Avery H. Demond, professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2022. Demond received her B.A. from Williams College in 1977, her B.S. and M.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 and 1982, and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1988. She joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering in 1989, and was promoted to associate professor in 1996, and to professor in 2013. Demond’s research covers a range of topics from multiphase flow in porous media and the development of novel materials for groundwater remediation to the evaluation of exposure to environmental contamination. She was an associate editor of an academic journal and on several National Research Council Boards. Her research has resulted in about 70 publications and 200 presentations at conferences. She developed the first introductory course in environmental engineering taught at U-M, ultimately resulting in the creation of the B.S.E. in environmental engineering program for which she served as adviser from 2015-present. She developed Michigan Engineering Transfer Support and was its director from 2009-13. She received numerous awards, including the Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award in 2011, the Sarah Goddard Power Award in 2013, and a Distinguished Faculty Award in 2016.
Jeffrey Desmond, clinical associate professor of emergency medicine, Medical School, Dec. 31, 2022. Desmond started his M.D. at the University of Nebraska in 1983 and completed it at the University of Texas in 1987. He interned at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1988. Desmond completed a residency in general surgery and emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center from 1989-93. In 1993, he was appointed as a lecturer at U-M in the Department of Surgery’s emergency medicine section. He was appointed a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine in 2002, clinical associate professor in 2011, and chief medical officer in 2016. Desmond has served as the co-director of the Healthcare Administration Scholars Program since 2013. He has been instrumental in helping further the goals and mission of the Office of Clinical Affairs, and has served on several regional committees, including as the chair of the Chelsea Joint Venture Board. He has also been involved in several institutional committees, including the UMHS Executive Committee and the Clinical Inpatient Tower Steering Committee.
William J. Gehring, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of psychology, LSA, Dec. 31, 2022. Gehring received his A.B. from Augustana College in 1985 and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992. He joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1994 and rose through the ranks to become a professor in 2010. Gehring is a cognitive neuroscientist who co-discovered the Error-Related Negativity, a surge of brain electrical activity that occurs when people make errors. His seminal research showed that the ERN is exaggerated in adults and children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and is present in children as young as 3 years. He was named a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 2011. His research on higher education used data from U-M to identify factors in the curriculum that facilitate or hinder students’ success in psychology and STEM fields. He created a seminar for first-semester undergraduates, Cognitive Science of Academic Success. The university awarded him an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship in 2004 and the John Dewey Teaching Award in 2010. Gehring served on several journal editorial boards, on numerous advisory boards to the provost, and as chair for the Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience area within Psychology.
Lynnea A. Johnson, professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, Dec. 31, 2022. Johnson received her B.A. in 1975 from Morningside University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1979 and 1993. Johnson joined the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry as an assistant professor in 1995, and was promoted to associate professor and appointed director of educational methodology and instructional technology in 2000. Johnson joined U-M’s School of Dentistry in 2002 as an associate professor and as director of dental informatics. She was promoted to professor in 2007 and appointed assistant dean for informatics and innovation in 2013. She was the associate dean for faculty affairs and institutional effectiveness from 2014-22. Johnson sought to improve health through the use of information technology. She researched the evaluation and investigation of techniques used in health records to improve health, and the development of national and international standards for health information technology. She organized numerous workshops and symposia and published and presented her research. Johnson earned the AADS’ Leadership Recognition Award in 2000, Apple’s Innovation in Science and Health in 2008 and the ADEA’s William J. Gies Award for Innovation for Dental Educators in 2019.
Angela Kane, professor of dance, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Dec. 31, 2022. Kane received a Certificate in Education from the University of Hull in 1974. In 1982, she received an Elementary Laban Certificate, and her M.A. in dance in 1988 from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. Kane received her Ph.D. from the University of Kent in 2000. She was the program director and the head of the Department of Dance Studies and the Division of Arts at the University of Surrey. She joined the U-M faculty in 2007 as professor of dance and was chair of the department from 2007-15. Kane was a member of the Quality Assurance Agency’s benchmarking panel for dance, drama and performance, and she was a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Peer Review College. Kane serves as a site visitor for the National Association of Schools of Dance accreditation process. She has published widely in Dance Research, Dance Theatre Journal and Dancing Times, as well as contributed several entries to “Fifty Contemporary Choreographers” and the “International Encyclopedia of Dance.” She was a commissioned writer for the anniversary publication “Paul Taylor Dance Company: The First Fifty Years” in 2004.
Marsha L. Lesley, associate professor of nursing, School of Nursing, UM-Flint, Dec. 31, 2022. Lesley received her B.S.N. in 1971 from Michigan State University and her M.L.I.S. and Ph.D. in nursing from Wayne State University in 2000 and 2005. She joined the UM-Flint faculty as an assistant professor in 2008 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2016. Lesley served as lead faculty for the Research in Nursing course, mentored junior faculty, and played an instrumental role in strengthening and standardizing the undergraduate nursing curriculum for a successful onsite accreditation review by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education in 2016. She co-developed and taught the graduate course in informatics. Lesley was committed to advancing her scholarship, with funding and publications related to community mental health, informatics and health promotion, as well as the scholarship of teaching effectiveness. Notable was her 2020 publication applying her expertise in psychoanalysis to consideration of moral injury among nurses on the COVID-19 frontlines. She served as president of the Pi Delta Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society from 2014-19. She has also served on numerous committees at the school and university level, often serving as chair.
David Robert Lucas, clinical professor of pathology, Medical School, Jan. 2, 2023. Lucas received his M.D. from Wayne State University’s School of Medicine in 1988. He completed his residency in anatomic pathology at the Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center in 1992, and had fellowships in bone and soft tissue and surgical pathology at the Mayo Clinic in 1993. He was an anatomic pathologist at the Detroit Medical Center from 1993-2003, where he was appointed assistant professor and associate professor. He joined the U-M faculty as a clinical associate professor in 2003 and was promoted to clinical professor in 2006. Lucas taught and developed courses for medical students, community pathologists and ancillary health care workers through lectures, labs and seminars. He was awarded three resident teaching awards. His bibliography contains 146 peer-reviewed publications, 10 book chapters and three editions of the textbook “Diagnostic Pathology: Soft Tissue Tumors.”He has presented his work at national and international venues. He also served as a study pathologist on several national clinical trials and as the bone cancer pathologist for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network from 2017-22. Lucas served as director of anatomic pathology, director of surgical pathology, director of immunohistochemistry, and director of the surgical pathology fellowship program.
Panos Papalambros, James B. Angell Distinguished University Professor, Donald C. Graham Professor of Engineering, professor of mechanical engineering and of integrative systems and design, College of Engineering; professor of architecture, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning; professor of art, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, Dec. 31, 2022. Papalambros received his diploma in mechanical and electrical engineering in 1974 from the National Technical University of Athens and his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1976 and 1979. He joined U-M in 1979 as assistant professor of mechanical engineering. He chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1992-98 and from 2007-08, was the founding chair and director of the Interdisciplinary Design Science Doctoral Program from 2006-11, and was the founding chair of the Integrative Systems and Design Division from 2012-17. Papalambros’s expertise is in design science and design optimization, and he authored more than 450 publications. He received the ASME Joel and Ruth Spira Outstanding Design Educator Award in 2007, the Stephen S. Attwood Award in 2009, the ASEE Ralph Coats Roe Award in 2014, the ASME/ASEE Robert Abbott Award in 2014, and the ASME Ben C. Sparks Medal in 2019.
Bryan E. Pfingst, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, Medical School, Jan. 2, 2023. Pfingst received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971. He completed postdoctoral training in neurophysiology and biophysics at the University of Washington and then served as a research associate, research assistant professor and then research associate professor until 1984. He joined the U-M faculty as an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in 1984 and was promoted to professor in 1996. Pfingst has been an internationally preeminent researcher in the field of cochlear implant auditory prostheses since the late 1970s. He has done groundbreaking work on cochlear implants in animals using psychophysics, electrophysiology, histology and gene therapy. His work with human subjects contributed to the improved effectiveness of cochlear implants. Today, the cochlear implant is widely regarded as the world’s most successful neural prosthesis and is the standard of practice for restoring hearing and auditory communication to over a million people with severe to profound hearing loss worldwide.
Jonathan E. Rothman, librarian in the University Library, Sept. 30, 2022. Rothman received his A.B. from U-M in 1977 and his M.S.L.I.S. from Simmons College in 1984. After 14 years at the Harvard University Library, Rothman joined the U-M Library in 1998 as a systems librarian in the Library Information Technology Division. In 2004, Rothman was promoted to the rank of librarian. In 2007, Rothman was appointed interim head of the Library Systems Office and in 2008 he was confirmed as the head of that department. Rothman has worked on primary library management systems and numerous integrations with related systems and technologies. Accomplishments include his leadership and work on the library’s first modern library discovery service and his work leading and co-leading two massive, multiyear library management system migrations: from Notis to Aleph, completed in 2004, and from Aleph to Alma, completed in 2021. Rothman also played a major role in architecting and establishing HathiTrust’s initial public catalog, and coordinating with the California Digital Library to develop Zephir, a metadata analysis and management system for HathiTrust. Rothman was chair of the University Civil Liberties Board and an elected member of the board of directors of the Library Information Technology Association.
Jeffrey L. Stein, professor of mechanical engineering, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2022. Stein received his B.S. in 1973 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He then earned his S.B. and S.M. degrees in 1976 and his Ph.D. in 1983 in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in 1983, was promoted to associate professor in 1988, and to professor in 1996. Stein’s expertise is in the use of computer-based modeling and simulation tools for system design and control with applications to sustainable transportation and advanced manufacturing. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, has served as chair of the Executive Committee, of the Honors and Awards Committee of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division, and of the Energy and Environmental Standards Advisory Board of ASME. He received the DSC ASME DSCD Michael J. Rabins Leadership Award in 2012, the ASME Dedicated Service Award in 2010, Outstanding Teacher from the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Teacher Incentive Program in 1999-2000, and the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation in 1987. He has published more than 185 articles in journals and conference proceedings.
Abigail J. Stewart, Sandra Schwartz Tangri Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, professor of psychology, and professor of women’s and gender studies, LSA, Dec. 31, 2022. Stewart received her B.A. degree in 1971 from Wesleyan University, her M.Sc. in 1972 from the London School of Economics, and her Ph.D. in 1975 from Harvard University. Stewart joined the U-M faculty as a professor in 1987. She is a renowned scholar who studies how gender, ethnicity, class and sexuality affect personality and development. Her research includes more than 250 articles, several books and the Global Feminism Project. She is an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow, received the Distinguished Contributions to Qualitative Research award and was Henry Russel Lecturer. She directed the Women’s Studies Program and helped establish it as a department in LSA. As the founder and director of ADVANCE, she promoted the advancement, success and well-being of underrepresented groups. She has received the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award, the Harold Johnson Diversity Service Award, and the Sarah Goddard Power Award. She also received the Raymond D. Fowler Award and the Rackham Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award.
Arland Thornton, professor of sociology, LSA; research professor, Institute of Social Research, Dec. 31, 2022. Thornton received his B.S. in 1968 from Brigham Young University. He then attended U-M where he earned his M.A. in 1973 and Ph.D. in 1975. He joined the U-M faculty as an assistant research scientist at the Survey Research Center in 1975. He was hired as an assistant professor by the Department of Sociology in 1981 and was promoted to professor in 1988. Thornton is known as one of the world’s leading social demographers. His decision to transform an ongoing Detroit Area Study into an intergenerational project interviewing both a birth cohort of children, as well as their mothers, resulted in the Intergenerational Panel Study of Mothers and Children, for which he served as the principal investigator for more than 25 years. One of his most notable contributions is the Life History Calendar method, a semi-structured interview that simultaneously and flexibly collects standardized data across multiple domains of a person’s life. Among his many accomplishments, Thornton was president of the Population Association of America in 2001 and recipient of the Distinguished Career Award from the Family Section of the American Sociological Association in 2000.
Noel Tichy, professor of management and organizations, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Dec. 31, 2022. Tichy received his B.A. in psychology from Colgate University in 1968 and his Ph.D. in social psychology from Columbia University in 1972. He joined the U-M faculty in 1980 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 1983. Tichy served as an executive officer and chair of the Organization Theory Division of the Academy of Management between 1979-83. The founding editor-in-chief of Human Resource Management, he also served on the editorial boards of multiple journals. Tichy was head of General Electric’s Crotonville Leadership Institute in the mid-1980s. He co-authored the 1993 bestseller, “Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will: How Jack Welch is Making General Electric the World’s Most Competitive Company,” and he has more than 20,000 citations to his work. He was listed as one of the Top 10 Management Gurus by BusinessWeekand Business 2.0.Tichy laid the foundation for the rise of network analysis in organization and management theory. His 1997 book, “The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level,”was named one of the Top 10 Business Books that year by BusinessWeek.
Thomas Willette, lecturer IV in history of art and the Residential College, LSA, May 31, 2022. Willette received his B.A from the University of Minnesota in 1980, and his M.A. in 1982 and Ph.D. in 1988 in the history of art from Johns Hopkins University. He was a curatorial assistant at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., from 1988-89, and a visiting assistant professor of the history of art at Pomona College, Cornell University, Northwestern, U-M and Boston University. Willette joined the U-M faculty in 2000 as a lecturer III, held an assistant professorship from 2004-12, and was a lecturer IV from 2012-22. Willette’s scholarship focuses on early modern Italian art, art theory and historiography. He has delivered papers at disciplinary and interdisciplinary conferences and symposia, served as a referee for journals and publishers, provided translations for scholarly anthologies, and co-authored and co-edited two collections of essays. His articles focus on Neapolitan art and on the writings of Giorgio Vasari, Leonardo da Vinci, Giovanni Pietro Bellori and Benedetto Croce. Willette has received fellowships and awards from the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, the American Philosophical Society, Choice, and the Rackham Graduate School, among others.
Daniela Wittmann,clinical associate professor of urology, Medical School, Dec. 31, 2022. Wittmann received her M.S.W. from Simmons College School of Social Work in 1978 and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2013. She joined the U-M faculty in 2013 as a clinical assistant professor and was promoted to clinical associate professor in 2018. The focus of Wittmann’s scholarly work has been on building and testing interventions supporting survivors of prostate cancer and their partners. She has developed, with a multidisciplinary team, the Brandon Prostate Cancer Survivorship Program which provides evidence-based medical and psychosocial support for prostate cancer patients and their partners at the Rogel Cancer Center. As chair of the Movember International Sexual Recovery Work Group, Wittmann has coordinated a global effort to support prostate cancer survivors. She has led an international team of experts in the completion of The International Guideline for Sexual Health Care in Prostate Cancer Survivorship. She has written more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and nine book chapters. She served on the board of directors, and is the chair of the Oncosexology Committee of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and chair of the Ethics Committee of the International Society for Sexual Medicine.
Milford H. Wolpoff, professor of anthropology and research scientist, Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, LSA, Dec. 31, 2022. Wolpoff received his B.A. in 1964 and his Ph.D. in anthropology in 1969 from the University of Illinois in Urbana. He taught at Case Western Reserve University, then joined the U-M faculty as an assistant professor in 1971 and was promoted to professor in 1977. He was appointed associate research scientist at the Museum of Anthropology in 1976 and research scientist in 2001. He became a member of the Bone Research Center at the U-M Musculoskeletal Core in 2004. Wolpoff is an American Association of Arts and Sciences fellow and a member of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, from which he received the Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a distinguished member of the American Anthropological Association and is on the Society for Science Notable Alumni List. Wolpoff authored or co-authored more than 250 reviewed papers and seven books and monographs. His research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences Eastern European Program and U-M. His recent work has promoted and tested his multiregional evolution hypothesis accounting for the worldwide pattern of human variation and evolution.
James O. Woolliscroft, Lyle C. Roll Professor of Medicine, professor of internal medicine and of learning health sciences, Medical School, Sept. 30, 2022. Woolliscroft earned his B.S. in 1972 and his M.D. in 1976 from the University of Minnesota. He completed his residency and served as chief resident in internal medicine at U-M. He joined the internal medicine faculty as a clinical instructor in 1980 and rose through the ranks to become a professor in 1993. Woolliscroft has served as chief of staff of U-M Hospitals, executive associate dean of the Medical School, and dean from 2006-15. Woolliscroft led the analysis leading to the purchase by the university of the former Pfizer property and launched two new departments. He was the first Josiah Macy, Jr. Professor of Medical Education, and the Department of Internal Medicine honored him with the Paul De Kruif Lifetime Achievement Award. Woolliscroft was a founding member and president of the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine. He was awarded the Career Achievement in Medical Education Award and the Association of American Medical College’s Group on Educational Affairs Merrel Flair Award, the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Career Achievement in Medical Education Award, and the Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education from the AAMC.
— Compiled by Katie Kelton, The University Record
