The following items were approved by the Board of Regents at its meeting Thursday.
C.C. Little lab renovations planned
LSA will renovate approximately 6,500 gross square feet of lab and storage space on the first and fifth floor of the Clarence Cook Little Science Building to provide modern research facilities for both existing research and a new faculty member.
The college is funding the $1.35 million project that is scheduled to be completed this fall.
University Hospital MRI suite to be expanded
The U-M Hospitals and Health Centers will relocate existing departments adjacent to the magnetic resonance imaging suite on level B2 at University Hospital to space at University Hospital South in order to expand the MRI suite to add an additional scanner and shelled space for an additional MRI at a later date.
The project will renovate 21,000 gross square feet at University Hospital South for the relocation, and 11,000 gross square feet at University Hospital for the MRI suite expansion.
UMHHC is funding the $10 million project that is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016.
Prep work to begin on Ross Athletic Campus project
The Board of Regents authorized the abatement and demolition of the former Edwards Brothers Malloy building and site clearing work to make way for the Athletics South Competition and Performance Project.
The advance work will cost $2.4 million, included in the $168 million overall project cost. Work is scheduled to begin in April and be completed this summer.
Chiller replacement planned for MSRB II
A $14 million project will replace outdated steam absorption chillers and associated equipment with more efficient electric centrifugal chillers at the chilled water plant in the Medical Sciences Research Building II, as well as replace an electrical substation and interconnect the chilled water plant with that at MSRB III to reduce costs and increase reliability.
The project will be funded from investment proceeds and general fund resources and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016.
Revised 2015-16 calendar approved
Changes to the 2015-16 academic calendar were approved that will make it less challenging for students who celebrate religious holidays that fall toward the end of the winter 2016 semester.
The changes include ending classes one day earlier, which allows exams to start a day earlier, and changing the timing of some commencement-related activities. These changes were made to avoid negative academic consequences for Jewish and Greek Orthodox students.
As a non-religious, public institution, the university does not observe religious holidays, but it is university practice to make reasonable efforts to help students avoid negative academic consequences when religious obligations conflict with academic requirements
UM-Dearborn adds two undergraduate programs
UM-Dearborn will offer two new undergraduate programs beginning this fall: a Bachelor of Arts degree in child’s life and a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in applied statistics.
The child’s life program prepares students to reduce the negative impact of stressful or traumatic life events for both children and their families. Students train to promote effective coping through play, preparation, education and self-expression activities. Child’s life specialists are placed in a broad range of health-care and community work environments.
The applied statistics program builds on UM-Dearborn’s existing minor program and was created in response to high market demand in market research, “big data” analysis, and the medical and pharmaceutical industries. New courses including biostatistics, survey sampling and time series analysis were designed to engage students from mathematics and statistics disciplines, as well as multidisciplinary programs across campus.
Ann Arbor Campus
Faculty appointments and promotions with tenure
Steven T. Cundiff, professor of physics, LSA, effective Jan. 1.
Dr. Meilan K. Han, associate professor of internal medicine, Medical School, effective Feb. 1.
Lisa A. Nakamura, professor of American culture, LSA, effective Jan. 1.
Dr. Marschall S. Runge, professor of internal medicine, Medical School, effective March 1.
Christian E. Sandvig, associate professor of communication studies, LSA, and associate professor of information, School of Information, effective Sept. 1, 2015.
Dr. Ernestina Schipani, professor of cell and developmental biology, Medical School, effective Feb. 1.
Named professorships
Dr. William D. Chey, Timothy T. Nostrant, M.D. Collegiate Professor of Gastroenterology, Medical School, effective Feb. 1, 2015-Aug. 31, 2019.
Dr. Justin B. Dimick, George D. Zuidema Professor of Surgery, Medical School, effective Feb. 1, 2015-Aug. 31, 2019.
Barry J. Fishman, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, effective July 1.
* Richard D. Friedman, Alene and Allan F. Smith Professor of Law, Law School, effective March 1, 2015-Feb. 28, 2020.
Anna R. Kirkland, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, effective July 1.
Matthew D. Lassiter, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, effective July 1.
Randy J. Seeley, Henry King Ransom Professor of Surgery, Medical School, effective Feb. 1, 2015-Aug. 31, 2019.
Jeremy D. Semrau, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, effective July 1.
Lu Wang, John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2015-Dec. 31, 2017.
John P. Wolfe, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, effective July 1.
Administrative appointments
Thomas A. Baird, interim associate vice president for medical development and alumni relations, U-M Health System, effective Feb. 6.
Dr. David J. Brown, interim associate vice president and interim associate dean for health equity and inclusion, Medical School and U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, effective Jan. 15.
Ellen Crissey, assistant dean for finance and administration, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2015-Dec. 31, 2017.
Kevin P. Hegarty, executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective April 6, 2015-March 31, 2020.
* Wallace J. Hopp, senior associate dean for faculty and research, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective July 1-Dec. 31.
Francine Lafontaine, senior associate dean for faculty and research, Ross School, effective Jan. 1, 2016-June 30, 2019.
Dr. Theodore S. Lawrence, director, U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, effective Feb. 1, 2015.
* Lynda D. Lisabeth, interim chair, Department of Epidemiology, SPH, effective Feb. 10-Aug. 31.
Jody R. Lori, associate dean for global affairs and community engagement, School of Nursing, effective Feb. 1, 2015-June 30, 2018.
* Martin A. Philbert, dean, SPH, effective Jan. 1, 2016-Dec. 31, 2020.
Dearborn campus
Michael A. Lachance, associate dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, effective Jan. 1, 2015-June 30, 2018.
Flint campus
Susan E. Borrego, professor of education, School of Education and Human Services, effective Jan. 1.
Clement Chih Hao Chen, acting associate dean, School of Management, effective Jan. 1-June 30.
Mohamed Daassa, interim chair, Department of Foreign Languages, College of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1-June 30.
Christopher A. Pearson, interim chair, Department of Computer Science, Engineering and Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1-June 30.
Barbara B. Dixon, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, University of Michigan-Flint, effective Jan. 15-June 30.
* Reappointments
Retirements
Brian H. Clarkson, professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, effective Dec. 31. Clarkson joined the faculty in 1992. He served as chair of the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics from 1992-2005, and was appointed the Clifford T. Nelson Professorship from 1992-2011. Clarkson’s studies included the use of nanopolymers for control of wound implants, and growing the crown of a tooth. He secured significant research funding, published in leading journals, and was a frequent invited speaker. He co-edited the authoritative “Clinicians’ Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Tooth Sensitivity” in 2014. Clarkson was active in numerous professional associations.
Sheldon H. Danziger, Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy; professor of public policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; and research professor, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, effective Dec. 31. Danziger joined the faculty in 1988. He explored the impact of economic conditions, policy changes, and demographic shifts on income inequality in the United States. He served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research and Development Center on Poverty, Risk and Mental Health, and as director of the university’s National Poverty Center. His honors included the American Academy of Political and Social Science’s John Kenneth Galbraith Public Policy Fellowship.
M. Kazem Mostafapour, associate professor of biochemistry and chemistry in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, UM-Dearborn, effective Dec. 31. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1983. His groundbreaking research on the molecular structure and carbohydrate binding properties of Bspecific lectin from the mushroom Marasmius oreades was featured on the cover of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Mostafapour played an instrumental role in the development of UM-Dearborn’s biochemistry program and curriculum. He organized innovative lecture and laboratory courses, created meaningful student research opportunities, and provided career and academic counseling. He received UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award in 1993.
Charlotte A. Otto, professor of chemistry in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, and professor of education in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, UM-Dearborn, effective Dec. 31. Otto joined UM-Dearborn in 1980. She held administrative positions including chemistry discipline chair in the Department of Natural Sciences (1990-93), chair of the Department of Natural Sciences (1993-98), and associate provost of UM-Dearborn (1998-2007). She was actively involved in the Inquiry Institute, a group dedicated to K-12 science education reform. Her honors include UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Faculty Research Award and the State of Michigan Teaching Award.
Jerald C. Schwiebert, clinical assistant professor of performing arts (theatre and drama) in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective Dec. 31. He joined the faculty in 1990. He developed movement courses that addressed the physical demands of acting, eliminated tension by making movement patterns more efficient, and increased the student actor’s capacity for expression. His interdisciplinary work explored the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology, and developed exercises to refine neuromuscular patterns. His groundbreaking “Everything is Moving: Physical Expression and the Performing Artist” was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2011. Schwiebert earned a range of directing credits.
Michael J. Twomey, professor of economics in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, UM-Dearborn, effective Dec. 31. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1977. He authored “Multinational Corporations and the North American Free Trade Agreement” (1993) and “A Century of Foreign Investment in the Third World” (2000), among numerous articles and reviews for both U.S. and international journals. Twomey taught courses on macroeconomics, microeconomics, international trade and development, international trade theory, and international finance. He served as a visiting professor at the Universidad Catolica, a visiting professor at the Universidad de las Americas, and as a Fulbright lecturer at El Colegio de Mexico.
Anthony M. Waas, Felix W. Pawlowski Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, professor of aerospace engineering, and professor of mechanical engineering, in the College of Engineering, effective Dec. 31. He joined the faculty in 1988. His recent research activities have emphasized damage tolerance and durability assessment of aerospace structures. Waas has a notable history of successfully securing research funding, an extensive list of publications in the leading journals, and was a frequent invited speaker at national symposia. He served as chair of the graduate program (1998-2002) and associate chair (2003-05) in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. Waas received the CoE Stephen S. Attwood Award in 2014.
