The Board of Regents approved the following items at its meeting March 28.
Ann Arbor campus
Named professorships
Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor, effective March 1, 2019.
*Debra Barton, Mary Lou Willard French Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, effective June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2021.
David Blaauw, Kensall D. Wise Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2024.
Carlos E. Cesnik, Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2024.
Vanessa K. Dalton, Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D. Collegiate Professor of Global Women’s Health, Medical School, effective March 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2024.
Daniel J. Inman, Harm Buning Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2024.
Joerg Lahann, Wolfgang Pauli Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2024.
Paula M. Lantz, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, effective March 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2024.
Nadine B. Sarter, Richard W. Pew Collegiate Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2019 through Feb. 28, 2024.
Jordan A. Shavit, Henry and Mala Dorfman Family Professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Medical School, effective March 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2024.
Administrative appointments
Sally A. Camper, interim chair, Department of Human Genetics, Medical School, effective March 1, 2019.
Marin K. Clark, chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, LSA, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
*James T. Dalton, dean, College of Pharmacy, effective Sept. 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2024.
Kristina Ko, assistant vice president for research — federal relations for research, U-M Office of Research, effective April 1, 2019.
Lisa A. Nakamura, director, Digital Studies Institute, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2021.
Transfer of tenure
Patricia J. Wittkopp, transfer of tenure to professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, with tenure; professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, with tenure; and professor in the Honors Program, without tenure, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Dearborn campus
Charu Chandra, Donald Ross Cowan Endowed Collegiate Professor, College of Business, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
Ulrich Kamp, change in title to professor of earth and environment, with tenure, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, effective March 1, 2019.
Crystal J. Scott, chair, Department of Management Studies, College of Business, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
Vivek Singh, Richard E. Czarnecki Endowed Collegiate Professor II, College of Business, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
Karen S. Strandholm, associate dean, College of Business, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
Flint campus
*Robert W. Barnett, dean, School of Education and Human Services, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
*Clement Chih Hao Chen, chair, Department of Accounting, Finance, and International Business, School of Management, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
*Scott D. Johnson, dean, School of Management, effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.
*Gregory A. Laurence, chair, Department of Management and Marketing, School of Management, effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022.
*Reappointments
Retirements
David G. Beer, John A. and Carla S. Klein Family/Mark B. Orringer Research Professor of Thoracic Surgery, professor of surgery, and professor of radiation oncology in the Medical School, April 30, 2019. Beer received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975 from Northeastern Illinois University and his Ph.D. in 1984 from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He joined the U-M faculty in 1991. Beer’s research focused on the molecular genetics of lung and esophageal cancer. In 2008, he co-founded the company Armune Biosciences. Beer received multiple patents related to his research findings, and he co-authored more than 280 scholarly publications. He performed some of the seminal research studies using gene expression analysis of human lung cancer and was a contributor to four of the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network studies. Beer was involved with the Rogel Cancer Center, including as a co-director of the Cancer Genetics Program and as a member of the Executive Committee. He also supported the PIBS Cancer Biology Ph.D. Graduate Program and was the director of the Cancer Biology Summer Research Program.
John F. Mansfield, associate research scientist in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, March 19, 2018. Mansfield received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees and his Ph.D. from the University of Bristol in 1979, 1980 and 1983, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1987. Mansfield’s research focused on the application of advanced microscopy techniques to the chemical, morphological and crystallographic characterization of a wide variety of materials. He served as the laboratory manager of the U-M Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory from 1987-2005, and then as the laboratory manager and associate laboratory director from 2005-15. In 2015, when EMAL was renamed as the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization, Mansfield was promoted to director of education and engagement. In his position, he taught, mentored and collaborated with more than 6,110 undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. He taught the introductory electron microscopy course, different techniques, modules of the College of Engineering’s Responsible Conduct for Research and Scholarship, and numerous guest lectures in electron microscopy techniques.
Michael C. Manz, assistant research scientist and adjunct clinical assistant professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry, December 31, 2018. Manz received Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Dental Surgery, Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degrees from U-M in 1976, 1981, 1988 and 2007, respectively. He held a number of appointments at U-M, including assistant research scientist and adjunct clinical assistant professor. Manz conducted numerous original clinical research projects involving correlated data within subjects over time and oral health surveillance. He provided consultation and technical assistance in survey design, sampling and analysis to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, and numerous state oral health programs. Manz’s work at the university incorporated analyses of merged medical and dental claims data to investigate associations of oral health with systemic health outcomes as well as links between nutrition, oral health and general health. He received awards from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, the National Institute of Dental Research, and the U-M Alpha Omega Chi Chapter.
Frank J. Massey, associate professor of mathematics, UM-Dearborn College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, April 30, 2019. Massey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966 from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Master of Science degree in 1978 from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in 1971 from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1978. Massey taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, with a special emphasis on computer and mathematical sciences. His work focused on approximations, differential equations, mathematical modeling and stochastic processes. Massey’s research was published in several leading applied mathematics, computation and physics journals. He shared his time and expertise with numerous university committees and boards, including the Faculty Senate, the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty, and the CASL Curriculum Committee. He also served as chair or co-chair of the department’s annual Putnam Mathematical Competition for many years. Massey received UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018.
Gerald F. Moran, professor of history, UM-Dearborn College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, April 30, 2019. Moran received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Providence College in 1966 and 1968, respectively, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1974. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1975. Moran’s research focused on colonial American family history, the history of religion, and the history of education and literacy. His work appeared in a number of prestigious journals, and Moran taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, Honors Program courses, and CASL Cooperative Education Program courses. He also was the co-lead on a Teaching American History grant funded by the Department of Education in partnership with the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. Moran was awarded UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1988 and 2005. He served as the chair of the Department of Social Sciences, associate dean of CASL, director of the Honors Program, and director of the CASL Cooperative Education Program. Moran received UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004.
Bruce C. Richardson, Frederick G.L. Huetwell Research Professor of Rheumatology and professor of internal medicine, Medical School, April 30, 2019. Richardson received two Bachelor of Science degrees in 1970 from the University of Illinois, and his medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1974 and 1977, respectively. He joined the U-M faculty in 1982. Richardson’s research focused on basic questions in systemic lupus and autoimmunity. He was credited with opening up the study of epigenetics as an important factor in the pathogenesis of autoimmune conditions. His original observations that the methylation/demethylation status of key immune interaction genes is abnormal in lupus and pertinent to the pathogenesis of lupus have stood the test of time and have spawned a whole new field of investigation. Richardson’s research resulted in 130 peer-reviewed publications, 22 book chapters and one book. From 1992-2015, he served as the chief of the Section of Rheumatology of the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
John F. Riebesell, associate professor of biology, UM-Dearborn College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, April 30, 2018. Riebesell received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from the State University of New York at Albany in 1970 and 1971, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Chicago, and joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1977. Riebesell’s teaching comprised introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in biology and environmental sciences. He introduced three new courses to the curriculum: Population Genetics and Evolution, Introduction to Organismal and Environmental Biology (with Professor Richard S. Norman), and Land Use Planning and Management. Riebesell’s research interests included population biology and physiological ecology, land use planning and biogeography. Riebesell was the environmental science concentration adviser and chair of the Environmental Science Program. He served on the Senate Assembly, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, and the UM-Dearborn Faculty Senate. Riebesell was active in a number of CASL committees, including the Curriculum Committee and the Executive Committee. He received UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Service Award in 2017.
Richard E. Robertson, professor of materials science and engineering, professor of macromolecular science and engineering, and research scientist, College of Engineering, Dec. 31, 2018. Robertson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental College in 1955 and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1960. He joined the U-M faculty in 1986. Robertson’s fields of expertise are the structure and mechanical properties of polymers and polymer-based fiber composites. He is noted for his early career work on the plasticity or ductile behavior of mainly glassy polymers, as well as for his later work on the fracture behavior and fractography of both thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, and the stability and structural drift (physical aging) of glassy polymer structures. Robertson served as director of the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program from 1995-2000 and as the undergraduate program adviser for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2005-18. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society in 1972.
Malayappan Shridhar, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the UM-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science, Dec. 31, 2018. Shridhar received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1959 from Bombay University, his D.M.I.T. degree in 1962 from the Madras Institute of Technology, his Master of Science degree in 1967 from the Polytechnic Institute of New York, and his Ph.D. in 1969 from the University of Aston. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1985, and served as associate provost for academic affairs from 2007-13. Shridhar’s research interests included image processing, computer vision, pattern recognition, control systems and intelligent systems. He authored more than 70 journal articles and book chapters and received ten patents. Shridhar regularly consulted for corporations such as General Motors and Ford Motor Co., and was a lifelong member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He served as the faculty adviser for the Dearborn Campus Engineers, the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society, and the IEEE Student Branch. Shridhar received many awards, including UM-Dearborn’s MAGB Distinguished Faculty Award and the Distinguished Faculty Research Award.
Keshav S. Varde, professor of mechanical engineering, UM-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science, Dec. 31, 2018. Varde received his Master of Science degree in engineering and his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 1967 and 1971, respectively. He joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1974. He served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, interim associate dean of the School of Engineering, and associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Varde contributed to the field of mechanical engineering through his research on and teaching in combustion, explosion and fuels, thermodynamics, propulsion and engine systems, and sprays and modeling. He published research papers on emissions, alternative fuels and energy systems, fluid hydraulics, fuel systems, and combustions in a variety of distinguished journals. Varde consulted for a number of companies, including Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., BorgWarner Inc., and Ford Motor Co. He was a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. Varde provided thesis supervision and guidance to nearly 40 masters and Ph.D. students.
