The Board of Regents approved the following items at its May 20 meeting:
2023-24 Ann Arbor academic calendar continues pre-Labor Day start
The 2023-24 academic calendar for U-M’s Ann Arbor campus will follow the model used for the previous three years, including a pre-Labor Day start date of Aug. 28. The pre-Labor Day start allows for a one-week break between the end of the summer term and the start of the fall term. The fall term includes a fall break, Oct. 16-17, and no classes Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving. Classes will end Dec. 6 with exams concluding Dec. 15, providing two full weeks between the fall and winter semesters. Spring break will begin Feb. 24, with classes resuming March 4. The fall term has 68 class days, and the winter term has 69 days. There are no conflicts with religious holidays. The academic calendar was vetted by faculty and administrative groups, following the university’s well-established academic calendar guidelines.
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointments with tenure
Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor of education, School of Education, effective Aug. 30, 2021.
Named professorships
*Christin Carter-Su, Henry Sewall Collegiate Professor of Physiology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Amir A. Ghaferi, Moses Gunn, M.D. Research Professor, Medical School, effective May 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Roman J. Gier, Dr. Richard Mark Newman Research Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical School, effective May 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Jonathan B. McHugh, A. James French Professor of Surgical Pathology, Medical School, effective May 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
*Shelie Miller, Jonathan W. Bulkley Collegiate Professor of Sustainable Systems, School for Environment and Sustainability, effective May 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Aleksey I. Nesvizhskiy, Godfrey Dorr Stobbe Research Professor of Bioinformatics, Medical School, effective May 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
*Scott D. Pletcher, William H. Howell Collegiate Professor of Physiology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
**Sriram Venneti, Al and Robert Glick Family Research Professor, Medical School, effective April 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Administrative appointments
Irina Aristarkhova, acting director, Digital Studies Institute, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Kelly M. Askew, chair, Department of Anthropology, LSA, effective Aug. 15, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
Maya Barzilai, director, Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, LSA, effective July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025.
*Norman D. Bishara, associate dean for undergraduate programs, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
Bénédicte M. Boisseron, acting chair, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Adele C. Brumfield, vice provost for enrollment management, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective Aug. 2, 2021.
Kathleen A. Cagney, director, Institute for Social Research, effective Sept. 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2026, and professor of sociology, with tenure, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2021.
Michelle S. Caird, chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, effective May 1, 2021, and Harold W. and Helen L. Gehring Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical School, effective May 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026.
Scott W. Campbell, chair, Department of Communication and Media, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
*Vincent J. Cardinal, chair, Department of Musical Theatre, and Arthur and Martha Hearron Endowed Professor of Musical Theatre, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Angela D. Dillard, chair, Department of History, LSA, effective Aug. 15, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
David R. Dowling, interim chair, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
*Andreas Gailus, chair, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
Steven E. Gay, interim associate dean for medical student education, Medical School, effective July 1, 2021.
Francine Lafontaine, interim dean, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective May 24, 2021.
Fiona Lee, acting associate dean for social sciences, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
*Ramaswami Mahalingam, director, Barger Leadership Institute, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026.
Christianne Myers, interim chair, Department of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
*Lisa A. Nakamura, director, Digital Studies Institute, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
*John D. Pasquale, Donald R. Shepherd Chair in Conducting, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2026.
Acrisio M. Pires, chair, Department of Linguistics, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026.
*Steven P. Schwendeman, chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, effective July 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2023.
Scott D. Spector, interim director, Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Celeste M. Watkins-Hayes, associate dean for academic affairs, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, effective Aug. 1, 2021, through Aug. 1, 2024.
Alford A. Young, Jr., chair, Department of Sociology, LSA, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
Other transactions
Ana Avila, Howard R. Marsh Visiting Professor of Journalism, LSA, effective Aug. 30, 2021, through April 30, 2022.
Clare H. Croft, transfer of tenure to associate professor of music, without tenure, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, associate professor of American culture, with tenure, and associate professor of women’s and gender studies, without tenure, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2021.
Dearborn campus
Ghassan T. Kridli, dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
Flint campus
Dauda Abubakar, chair, Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
Nicole Broughton-Adams, chair, Department of Fine and Performing Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
Matthew Fhaner, chair, Department of Natural Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
Hillary J. Heinze, chair, Department of Behavioral Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
Cameron McLeman, chair, Department of Mathematics and Applied Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
Marcus Paroske, chair, Department of Language and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
*Reappointments
**Interim approval granted
***Reappointment and interim approval granted
Retirements
Kenneth M. Adams, professor of psychology in the Medical School and professor of psychology in LSA, Feb. 26, 2021. Adams received his B.S. in 1970, his M.A. in 1973 and his Ph.D. in 1974 from Wayne State University. He coordinated neuropsychological assessments and research at the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital, was a lecturer at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and founded the neuropsychology service at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where he served as division head and chief psychologist, before joining U-M in 1987. Adams was appointed chief of the psychology service at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital. He served as chair of the Ann Arbor VA Biomedical Ethics Committee. His research focused on effects on the brain of non-cerebral conditions such as pulmonary disease and kidney dialysis. Adams was a member of the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives, served on its Committee on Accreditation, and was president of the Division of Clinical Neuropsychology. He was the executive secretary and later president of the International Neuropsychological Society. He received the Distinguished Career Award from the International Neuropsychological Society and a commendation for his service on the Institutional Review Board for Medical Research. He was a fellow of the Michigan Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.
Michael Awkward, Gayl A. Jones Collegiate Professor of Afroamerican Literature and Culture, professor of English language and literature, and professor of Afroamerican and African studies in LSA, May 31, 2021. Awkward received his B.A. in 1980 from Brandeis University, and his M.A. in 1982 and Ph.D. in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined U-M as an assistant professor in 1986. He was promoted to associate professor in 1990 and to professor in 1995. After serving on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania and Emory University from 1997-2006, he returned to U-M in 2006. From “Inspiriting Influences: Tradition, Revision, & Afro-American Women’s Novels” to his latest monograph “Philadelphia Freedoms: Black American Trauma, Memory, and Culture after King,” Awkward has been a voice of conscience and clarity and has brought the perspective of an African American male feminist to bear on matters affecting African American literature, culture and the arts. In addition to his writing, Awkward has had a consistent commitment to leadership and service at the university, including serving on the Humanities Divisional Executive Committee of LSA and as director of what was then the Center for Afro-American and African Studies (now the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies).
Barry N. Checkoway, Arthur Dunham Collegiate Professor of Social Work and professor of social work in the School of Social Work, and professor of urban and regional planning in the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, May 31, 2021. Checkoway earned his B.A in 1969 from Wesleyan University, and his M.A. in 1971 and his Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined U-M as an associate professor in 1983 and was promoted to professor in 1990. Checkoway was an internationally-recognized scholar and practitioner on youth empowerment, neighborhood development and community change. His projects and publications drew on work with grassroots groups, community agencies and government programs in the South Bronx, Detroit, the Mississippi Delta and central Appalachia, as well as in South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with support from the World Health Organization, the Ford Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation and other institutions. He worked with the White House in 1990 to launch AmeriCorps, then served as founding director of the Michigan Neighborhood AmeriCorps Program, the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning, Michigan Youth and Community Program, and Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity.
* B. Craig Cornwall, clinical assistant professor of dentistry in the School of Dentistry, June 30, 2020. Cornwall received his B.Sc. in 1974 from Western Michigan University and his D.D.S. in 1978 from the University of Michigan. He joined U-M as a pre-clinical instructor in 1993 and was promoted to clinical instructor, teaching from 1994-96. Cornwall served as the assistant director from 2006-12 and director from 2012-14 of the General Practice Residency Program and chief of Hospital Dentistry from 2012-19. He was involved in expanding the scope of patient care services for the Hospital Dentistry Program to include management of patients with complex needs. Cornwall also oversaw an expansion of the GPR Program. He served as assistant course director, co-course director and course director in multiple predoctoral dental and dental hygiene courses, and was involved in the redevelopment of the biologic and materials sciences curriculum. In 2007, he was recognized for his professional achievements and dedication to the field by being elected to the International College of Dentists. Notable during his career was his effort to expose dental students and residents to the significance of their overall medical education with respect to patient care by sparking an awareness of the importance of dentistry’s professional contributions to oral and systemic health promotion.
Alan V. Deardorff, John W. Sweetland Professor of International Economics, professor of economics and public policy in LSA; professor of public policy in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, May 31, 2021. Deardorff received his B.S. in 1966 from Stanford University, and his M.A. in 1969 and Ph.D. in 1971 from Cornell University. He joined U-M as a lecturer in 1970. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1971, to associate professor in 1975 and to professor in 1980. He served as chair of the Department of Economics from 1991-95 and as associate dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy from 2007-15. Deardorff was a renowned expert in international trade theory and policy, particularly the theory of comparative advantage that explains the patterns and effects of international trade. His most influential work includes the development of a widely used computer-based model of production, trade and employment, co-developed with colleague and friend Professor Emeritus Robert Stern. He served as a consultant to the U.S. departments of State, Treasury and Labor, and to international institutions, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Bank.
Ruth E. Dunkle, Wilbur J. Cohen Collegiate Professor of Social Work and professor of social work, School of Social Work, May 31, 2021. Dunkle received her B.S. in 1969, her M.S.W. in 1973 and her Ph.D. in 1978 from Syracuse University. She joined U-M as an associate professor in 1986 and was promoted to professor in 1990. Dunkle’s research, teaching and clinical practice focused on gerontology. From 1988-2012, Dunkle served as a project co-director of the National Institute on Aging training program, “Social Research Training on Applied Issues of Aging.” She also was director of the Geriatric Fellowship Program. Dunkle wrote a book that examines the oldest old’s future time perspectives and their coping strategies in dealing with the changes in their physical and psychological functioning, and identifies relevant service delivery strategies for improving the quality of their lives. Dunkle served in many leadership roles at the school, including as associate dean for education and academic affairs from 1987-91, director of the joint doctoral program in social work and social sciences from 1996-2001 and associate dean for faculty affairs from 2010-17. She contributed significantly to the school’s recruitment efforts for students and faculty.
Nick C. Ellis, professor of psychology, professor of linguistics, and research scientist, English Language Institute in LSA, May 31, 2021. Ellis received a B.A. in 1974 from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Wales. He joined U-M as a professor of psychology and research scientist in the English Language Institute in 2004. He received an additional appointment as professor of linguistics in 2009. Ellis made seminal contributions to the scientific understanding of language acquisition and helped to establish psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and applied linguistics as vibrant contributors to language pedagogy. Early in his career, he made substantial contributions to theories of reading and dyslexia, before shifting his emphasis to second-language acquisition in the mid-1990s. He was well-known for his work on the roles of implicit and explicit learning in language acquisition. Ellis’ publications have collectively been cited more than 30,000 times, including his influential 2002 paper exploring the implications of usage frequency for second language acquisition. In 2019, Ellis was awarded the Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award by the American Association for Applied Linguistics in recognition of his distinguished research career and service to the field, including as the general editor of the journal Language Learning.
Julie Ellison, professor of American culture and professor of English language and literature in LSA; and professor of art in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design, May 31, 2021. Ellison received her B.A. from Harvard University in 1973 and her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1980. She joined U-M as an assistant professor in 1980. She was promoted to associate professor in 1986 and to professor in 1991. She was named associate vice president for research in 1996. In 1998, she founded Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life and served as the founding director until 2007. In 2012, she founded Citizen Alum: Re-imagining Alumni Allies in Education. Ellison was a distinguished scholar in literary and gender studies. She is the author of three monographs: “Emerson’s Romantic Style,” “Delicate Subjects: Romanticism, Gender, and the Ethics of Understanding” and “Cato’s Tears and the Making of Anglo-American Emotion.” Ellison also has a number of published articles and poems. Her co-authored “Scholarship in Public: Knowledge Creation and Tenure Policy in the Engaged University” and her essay commissioned by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences called “This American Life: How are the Humanities Public?” reflect her contribution and significant impact to publicly engaged scholarship in the United States.
Kathleen Graves, clinical professor of educational studies in the School of Education, May 31, 2021. Graves received her B.A. in 1975 from Barnard College, her M.A.T. in 1982 from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont, and her Ph.D. in 2004 from Lancaster University. She was a faculty member at the SIT Graduate Institute (formerly the School for International Training) before joining U-M as a clinical associate professor in 2009. She was promoted to clinical professor in 2018. Her scholarship advanced the field’s knowledge of curriculum design and development in English language teaching and learning, particularly the relationships among student characteristics and the contexts in which they are learning. She was the editor of two books on course design: “Teachers as Course Developers” and co-editor of “International Perspectives on Materials in English Language Teaching.” She has given invited plenary sessions and presented at conferences around the world. She was influential in the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages International Association, and served as chair of the TESOL Publications Committee and editor of the TESOL Curriculum Development Series. She also consulted extensively with experts in several countries as they developed language education programs.
David M. Halperin, W.H. Auden Distinguished University Professor of the History and Theory of Sexuality, professor of English language and literature, and professor of women’s and gender studies in LSA, May 31, 2021. Halperin received his B.A. in 1973 from Oberlin College, and his M.A. in 1977 and Ph.D. in 1980 from Stanford University. Having taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Halperin joined U-M as a professor of English language and literature in 1999. He subsequently joined the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and had affiliations with the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of Classical Studies. “Before Pastoral” established Halperin’s credentials as a classicist, while “One Hundred Years of Homosexuality and Other Essays on Greek Love”established him as one of the most important historians and theorists of sexuality in the world. His many edited collections influenced the direction of the emerging field of gay and lesbian studies, while “Saint Foucault,” along with his co-founding of “GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies,” established the academic field of queer theory. His insistence that sexuality be rigorously historicized is modeled in his study, “How to Do the History of Homosexuality.” At U-M, Halperin founded the Lesbian-Gay-Queer Research Initiative.
Kristina D. Hansen, associate professor of mathematics in the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences, May 31, 2021. Hansen received her B.A. in 1973 from Coe College and her M.A. in 1976 and Ph.D. in 1981 from the University of Iowa. She joined U-M Ann Arbor as a postdoc in the Department of Mathematics in 1981 and then joined the UM-Flint faculty as an assistant professor in 1984. She was promoted to associate professor of mathematics in 1989. Hansen was a dedicated teacher of mathematics, notable for her concern for her students and their academic success. Her professional area of expertise was real division algebras. She was a longtime member of UM-Flint’s Department of Mathematics division algebra seminar. Hansen was active and influential in UM-Flint’s faculty governance in a variety of roles, particularly as chair of the Department of Mathematics. She served as secretary to the College of Arts and Science faculty from 1993-2017, as editor of the UM-Flint Catalog and on many faculty standing committees, ad hoc committees and task forces in the college and across the university. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the university in 2007.
Margaret L. Hedstrom, Robert M. Warner Collegiate Professor of Information, and professor of information in the School of Information; and faculty associate in the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Institute for Social Research, May 31, 2021. Hedstrom received her B.A. in 1975 from Grinnell College. She received her M.A. in 1977 in library and information studies, her M.A. in 1979 in history and her Ph.D. in 1988 from the University of Wisconsin. She joined U-M as an associate professor in 1995 and was promoted to professor in 2010. Prior to joining U-M, she was the director of the Special Media Records Project and the chief of the State Records Advisory Service at the New York State Archives and Records Administration. Hedstrom’s major research focused on the management and preservation of electronic records. She was a fellow of the Society of American Archivists and received the W. Kaye Lamb Prize from the Association of Canadian Archivists. Hedstrom’s early work focused on guiding archivists in the transition from paper to electronic records. Recently, she focused on the challenges of open data, or the policies and mechanisms that enable effective data sharing in the natural and social sciences. Hedstrom directed the large-scale National Science Foundation-funded Sustainable Environment through Actionable Data Project.
Andrew W. Jennings, professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, May 31, 2021. Jennings received his B.M. in 1970 from The Juilliard School. His teaching career began at Dartmouth College, where members of the Concord Quartet were engaged as artists-in-residence from 1974-87. He joined U-M as an associate professor in 1992 and was promoted to professor in 2001. For 25 years, Jennings served on the faculty of Oberlin College and is currently chair of the U-M Department of Strings. He devoted his summers to chamber music instruction at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts, where he held the Beatrice Proctor Master Teacher Chair. Jennings was a founding member of the Concord String Quartet, an ensemble that won the Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1972 and performed more than 1,200 concerts throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. It also performed the standard repertory and 32 cycles of the complete Beethoven quartets and made numerous recordings, three of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. Jennings maintained his association with this quartet until it disbanded in 1987. The Concord Trio, which Jennings formed with Norman Fischer and Jeanne Kierman, debuted in 1993.
John L. King, William Warner Bishop Collegiate Professor of Information, and professor of information in the School of Information, May 31, 2021. King received his B.A. in 1972, his M.S. in 1974 and his Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of California, Irvine. He joined U-M as a professor and dean of the School of Information in 2000. In 2006, he was appointed vice provost for academic information, and in 2009 vice provost for strategy. He worked previously as a professor of information and computer science and management at the University of California, Irvine, as well as a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Nanyang Technological University. King’s research focused on the relationship between technical change and social change. He published 12 books and more than 150 papers from his research. He was a fellow of the Association for Information Systems and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2005, he was named a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Studies by the Deutsche Fulbright Kommission, the German arm of the international Fulbright Scholars program. In 2009, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in economics by the Copenhagen Business School.
Patricia M. King, professor of education in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, School of Education, May 31, 2021. King received her B.A. in 1972 from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and her Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of Minnesota. King joined the U-M Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education in the School of Education as a professor of education in 2000. She served as the center director from 2003-06. She was on the faculty of the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Bowling Green State University, was assistant vice president for student services at The Ohio State University, and a senior research psychologist at the University of Iowa. She co-authored “Developing Reflective Judgment: Understanding and Promoting Intellectual Growth and Critical Thinking in Adolescents and Adults” and “Learning Partnerships: Theory and Models of Practice to Educate for Self-Authorship.” She also co-authored the monograph, “Assessing Meaning Making and Self-Authorship: Theory, Research, and Application.” She received the Exemplary Research Award from the American Educational Research Association and multiple awards from the American College Personnel Association. King was founding co-editor of the magazine “About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience.”
Tevfik F. Nas, professor of economics in the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences, May 31, 2021. A 1970 graduate of Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, Nas received his M.B.A. in 1973 and Ph.D. in 1977 from Florida State University. He joined UM-Flint as an assistant professor in 1982. He was promoted to associate professor in 1986 and to professor in 1993. Nas was a prolific scholar whose primary research focused on the theoretical foundations and current state of the art in cost-benefit analysis as practiced by federal and international agencies. His book “Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Applications” has been used globally as a textbook and a reference by scholars and practitioners. His research interests also centered on the economic liberalization of Turkey and the country’s accession to the European Union. He wrote the monograph “Tracing Economic Transformation of Turkey from the 1920s to EU Accession” in 2008. As a Salzburg Seminar Fellow, Nas participated in the brainstorming sessions of the Search for Stability: Financial Crisis, Major Currencies and a New Monetary Order at the Salzburg Global Seminar in April 2009. Nas served three terms as chair of the Department of Economics and in numerous service capacities for the university and the profession.
Alexander Ninfa, professor of biological chemistry in the Medical School, May 31, 2021. Ninfa received his B.S. from Villanova University in 1977 and his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1983. He was an assistant professor at Wayne State University before joining U-M as an associate professor in 1993. He was promoted to professor in 1999. Ninfa’s research focused on bacterial nitrogen regulation, and on elucidating the design principles of natural and synthetic signal transduction systems. This research resulted in numerous multiyear NIH and NSF grants, over 80 peer-reviewed publications, chapters in books and presentations at international meetings. Ninfa served as course director for Introduction to Biochemistry and Biochemistry II, and with Professor Emeritus David P. Ballou, developed an undergraduate course in biotechnology and published a widely used textbook. He was both director and co-director of the biological chemistry master’s program. He also participated in multiple departmental committees in biological chemistry, as well as in the Medical School’s Advisory Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure and the Biomedical Research Council. He received U-M’s Henry Russel Award in 1999, was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2011, and was awarded the Endowment in Basic Sciences Teaching Award in 2015.
William R. Paulson, Edward Lorraine Walter Collegiate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, and professor of Romance languages and literatures in LSA, May 31, 2021. Paulson earned his B.A. in French and mathematics in 1976 from Rockford College and his M.A. in French in 1978 his Ph.D. in French in 1981 from Princeton University. He was an assistant professor at Mount Holyoke College before serving as visiting assistant professor of French at U-M in 1986, then as assistant professor in 1987. He was promoted to associate professor in 1989 and to professor in 1995. Paulson is a distinguished scholar of 18th- and 19th-century French literature. His publications include “Enlightenment, Romanticism, and the Blind in France,” “Sentimental Education: The Complexity of Disenchantment” and “The Noise of Culture: Literary Texts in a World of Information.” In “Literary Culture in a World Transformed: A Future for the Humanities,” he argued for the importance of literature in a world of technological and environmental change. Paulson recently completed “Thinking in Real Time,” a book manuscript that investigates the relationship of thought to time and new technologies. As chair in the early 1990s, he oversaw curricular changes that allowed for the modernization of the department’s structures and administrative organization.
Deborah A. Roundtree, Collegiate Lecturer and lecturer II in psychology in the UM-Dearborn College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, March 1, 2021. Roundtree received her B.A. in 1984 from U-M and her M.A. in 1988 from Mercy College of Detroit. She began teaching at UM-Dearborn as an adjunct lecturer in 2003, became a lecturer I in 2005, was promoted to lecturer II in 2006 and named a Collegiate Lecturer in 2017. Students and colleagues appreciated her enthusiasm for the subject matter and dedication to student learning. Roundtree supervised the Supplemental Instruction program in behavioral sciences. Each year from 2010 until her retirement, she recruited, hired and trained a staff of about 25 student mentors to serve as SI Leaders for courses in anthropology, criminology and criminal justice, psychology, sociology and more. The program expanded quickly and resulted in a greater understanding of the material, higher grades and fewer student withdrawals and failures. Roundtree organized, implemented and assessed each semester’s SI program, and mentored SI Leaders.
Mark A. Saper, associate professor of biological chemistry in the Medical School and associate research scientist, biophysics in LSA, May 31, 2021. Saper received his B.S. from the University of Connecticut in 1976 and his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1983. He joined U-M as an assistant professor and assistant research scientist in 1990 and was promoted to associate professor and associate research scientist in 1997. Saper was honored as an HHMI, PEW and Fulbright Scholar.A sabbatical visit to Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2003 resulted in binational funding and new research directions studying proteins necessary for the export of bacterial polysaccharide capsule from enteropathogenic E. coli, including crystal structure determination of one of these proteins. Thereafter, he studied the LpoA protein, essential for bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, and an endopeptidase from Vibrio cholerae, also important for cell wall growth. He was known as a highly skilled, hands-on crystallographer and taught a graduate course on X-ray crystallography. He developed a hands-on molecular graphics component for the core Program in Biomedical Sciences course, Biological Chemistry 550 and Chemical Biology 501, and directed student seminar courses. He served on departmental and Medical School committees.
Suzanne M. Selig, professor of public health and health sciences in the UM-Flint College of Health Sciences, May 31, 2021. Selig received her B.A. in 1968 from the University of Florida, her M.A. in 1970 from the University of Maine, her Ph.D. in 1976 from the University of Cincinnati, her M.P.H. in 1978 from The Johns Hopkins University and her M.S.W. in 1990 from U-M. Selig joined the UM-Flint faculty as an assistant professor and director of health care programs in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1980. She was promoted to associate professor in 1985 and to professor in 1991. Selig was integral to the establishment of the School of Health Sciences in 1982 and served as its coordinator from 1982-98. From 1980-2017, she was director of what is now the Department of Public Health and Health Sciences. She established undergraduate programs in health education, health care administration, anesthesia, environmental health, clinical laboratory sciences, radiation therapy and respiratory therapy, established master’s degrees in health education and public health, and in collaboration with Hurley Medical Center developed the anesthesia program into a master’s degree, now a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia. In collaboration with community partners, she launched an accessible educational series during the peak of the Flint water crisis.
Janet Hegman Shier, lecturer IV in the Residential College in LSA, May 31, 2020. Shier received her B.A. in 1977 from Michigan State University and her M.A. in 1983 from U-M. She was hired in 1980 as a lecturer at the Residential College and went on to serve from 1986-88 as the associate program head of the RC German Program. In 1988, Shier was promoted to program head, as well as to lecturer IV. In 1985, she founded and oversaw through her retirement the RC Deutsches Theater, a company of undergraduate students that performs multimedia contemporary German language plays. Shier published articles on topics ranging from German documentary film to integrating arts with language teaching. She served regularly on the RC Executive Committee, the RC Curriculum Planning Committee and the Board on Academic Standing. She was an RC academic adviser for more than 30 years and received multiple teaching excellence awards over her career along with grants for interdisciplinary work and short-term immersion study trips. She was a co-recipient of the Interdisciplinary Faculty Associates Award, the Ruth Sinclair Excellence in Advising Award and the U-M Global Educator Award. The Residential College named one of its annual student awards after her: the “Janet” for excellence in foreign language study.
Cynthia Sowers, senior lecturer and lecturer IV in the Residential College in LSA, May 31, 2019. Sowers received her B.A. from Oakland University in 1967, and her M.A. in 1975 and Ph.D. in 1978 from U-M. In 1973, Sowers was hired as a lecturer in the Residential College to teach in the first-year seminar and the French language programs. From 1975-79, she participated in an interdisciplinary group of faculty that founded the Arts and Ideas in the Humanities Program at the RC. She served as program head and adviser for several years. Within the program, Sowers’ courses featured critical analyses of arts and ideas in various forms, most often in literature and visual arts within the context of the history of ideas. She highlighted the creativity of cultures and artists in their own time periods. Sowers participated in the roundtable discussions of visiting artists, and the Colloquium on Critical Theory sponsored by the Department of English Language and Literature. Sowers received the Ford Foundation Fellowship, the Rackham Prize twice, U-M Excellence in Teaching Awards, and the Matthews Underclass Teaching Award. Sowers was the first RC faculty member to be recognized as a senior lecturer.
Frederic J. Svoboda, professor of English in the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences, May 31, 2021. Svoboda received his B.A. in 1971, his M.A. in 1973 and his Ph.D. in 1978 from Michigan State University. He served as an assistant professor of American thought and language at MSU before joining UM-Flint an adjunct lecturer in 1980. He became an assistant professor in 1984. He was promoted to associate professor in 1985 and to professor in 1997. A specialist in American literature, Svoboda authored or edited six books on Ernest Hemingway’s work, most recently co-editing “Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden: 25 Years of Criticism.” He also published dozens of articles on Hemingway and other American writers. He was a founding member of both the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, where he served as director and treasurer, and the Michigan Hemingway Society, where he served as president and continues to serve as vice president. Svoboda chaired the Department of English during a period of rapid growth and also served as director of the department’s M.A. program. He was one of the department’s earliest adopters of online instruction. Through his American film courses, he played a pioneering role in developing that curriculum.
Sarah G. Thomason, Bernard Bloch Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and professor of linguistics in LSA, May 31, 2021. Thomason received her B.A. in German in 1961 from Stanford University, and her M.A. in 1965 and Ph.D. in 1968 in linguistics from Yale University. She was a lecturer in Russian and Slavic linguistics at Yale University and served as assistant professor, associate professor and professor at the University of Pittsburgh before joining U-M in 1999. She chaired the Department of Linguistics from 2010-13. Thomason is the world’s authority on language contact. Her books “Language Contact, Creolization, and Genetic Linguistics,” and “Language Contact: An Introduction”transformed the field of language contact through their theoretical and methodological rigor and insights. Thomason is also a foremost authority in historical linguistics. Her book “Endangered Languages: An Introduction” further established her as a key figure in the area of language endangerment. She has deep expertise in the Native languages of the United States, especially Séliš-Ql’ispé (Montana Salish), on which she conducted field work for 40 years. She has received numerous honors and awards, including the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal from Yale University. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and president of the Linguistic Society of America.
Fawwaz T. Ulaby, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Emmett Leith Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering, May 31, 2021. Ulaby received his B.S. in 1964 from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and his M.S.E.E. in 1966 and his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked at the University of Kansas as an assistant professor, associate professor and professor before joining U-M as professor in 1984. He served as director of the Radiation Laboratory from 1987-98 and as vice president for research from 1999-2005. He also was director of NASA’s Center for Space Terahertz Technology from 1988-99, and founding provost and executive vice president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology from 2008-09. His more than 700 publications include 16 books and textbooks. He received the HKN Professor of the Year award three times and the IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal. Ulaby also received the IEEE Thomas Edison Medal, and the Henry Russel Lectureship. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a life fellow of the IEEE, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Steven M. Whiting, professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, May 31, 2021.Whiting received his B.A. in music in 1975 from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his M.M. in musicology in 1984 and his Ph.D. in musicology in 1991 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined U-M as a visiting professor in 1991. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1992, to associate professor in 1999 and to professor in 2011. Whiting has published 30 articles and book chapters about Beethoven, Satie, French cabaret music and E.T.A. Hoffmann, and co-edited A.L. Ringer’s “Musik als Geschichte.” His book “Satie the Bohemian: From Cabaret to Concert Hall” was recognized as an outstanding academic book by Choice. He was a faculty fellow at the Institute for the Humanities in 1997-98. After directing the Center for European Studies at the university’s International Institute, of which he was also an associate director, Whiting served SMTD as associate dean for graduate studies from 2003-14. Prior to joining U-M, he was a visiting lecturer in musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an editor at A-R Editions Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin. He studied at Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany, on a Fulbright Study Grant from 1975-77.
* Resubmitted following further administrative review.
