The Board of Regents also approved the following items at its Oct. 17 meeting:
Renovations approved for Ross School dormitory, Sam Wyly Hall
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business Executive Dormitory and Sam Wyly Hall will undergo renovations. Approximately 134,000 gross square feet of existing space will have end-of-life infrastructure replaced, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems replaced and guest rooms and meeting spaces updated. The estimated cost of the project is $60 million with funding provided from Ross School resources and possibly bond proceeds. The architectural firm of SmithGroup will design the project with construction expected to be completed in fall 2026.
— Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
Vacant land in Detroit and Ypsilanti purchased
The university will purchase three pieces of vacant land — 2.297 acres at 2201 W. Grand River Ave. in Detroit, 19.82 acres at 10221 Textile Road in Ypsilanti Township, and 6.03 acres at 6630 Rawsonville Road in Ypsilanti Township — for future development. The properties, which have no known historical significance, will be purchased for $9.5 million, $1.5 million and $1.155 million, respectively. All sales are contingent on the university satisfying itself with the environmental condition of the site and other due diligence. Bond proceeds will be used to complete the purchases.
— Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
Regents approve project to stabilize slope along Nichols Drive
The university will stabilize the slope along Nichols Drive with a 500-foot concrete retaining wall up to 14 feet high, and will regrade the area between the wall and nearby railroad tracks. The project also will repair the road, curb, fencing and site lighting. Construction will cause 124 parking spaces in the M-29 lot to be temporarily unavailable and will result in the permanent loss of 28 parking spaces along Nichols Drive as the roadway width does not support on-street parking with two-way traffic. Funding for the project’s estimated cost of $7.5 million will come from reserves and possibly bond proceeds. The architectural firm Wade Trim will design the project, which is scheduled for completion in winter 2026.
— Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
Regents amend 2025 meeting schedule, approve dates for 2026, 2027
The Board of Regents amended its 2025 schedule of meetings and approved the schedules for 2026 and 2027. Regents will meet June 12 rather than June 19, 2025, at University Hall in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building, and will no longer meet in July. In addition, the Dec. 4, 2025, meeting has been moved to Nov. 20, with no meeting scheduled in December. The amended 2025 schedule includes meetings on Feb. 20, March 20, May 15, June 12, Sept. 18, Oct. 16 and Nov. 20. Meeting dates for 2026 are Jan. 15, Feb. 19, March 19, May 21, June 25, Sept. 17, Oct. 15 and Nov. 19. Meeting dates in 2027 are Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 18, May 20, June 24, Sept. 16, Oct. 21 and Nov. 18. All meetings will take place in Ann Arbor except for the May meetings at UM-Dearborn and the October meetings at UM-Flint.
— Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
Ann Arbor campus
Faculty appointments with tenure
Ansel T. Hillmer, associate professor of radiology, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024.
Julien A. Sebag, associate professor of pharmacology, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024.
Jeanne-Marie R. Stacciarini, professor of nursing, effective Oct. 1, 2024.
Weichao Tu, associate professor of climate and space sciences and engineering, College of Engineering, effective Aug. 25, 2025.
Jonathan Ullman, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering, effective Aug. 25, 2025.
Named professorships
Prachi M. Agarwal, Kyung J. Cho Collegiate Professor of Radiology, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Frederic C. Blow, Rachel Upjohn Research Professor of Psychiatry, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Yan Chen, Daniel Kahneman Collegiate Professor of Information, School of Information, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
Joshua R. Ehrlich, Paul R. Lichter Research Professor, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
C. Alberto Figueroa, Edward B. Diethrich, M.D. Research Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Vascular Surgery, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Mary Ellen M. Heisler, Kutsche Memorial Research Professor of Internal Medicine, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Lisa K. Low, Carolyn M. Sampselle Collegiate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
* Peter X. Ma, Richard H. Kingery Endowed Collegiate Professor of Dentistry, School of Dentistry, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2029.
Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, Agree Family Research Professor of Image Guided Intervention, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
Donald P. Moynihan, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
Thuy Anh T. Nguyen, John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.
Andrea T. Obi, Marion and David Handleman Research Professor of Vascular Surgery, Medical School, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Sagar V. Parikh, John F. Greden Professor of Depression and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Paul J. Resnick, Michael D. Cohen Collegiate Professor of Information, School of Information, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
* Patrick D. Schloss, Frederick G. Novy Collegiate Professor of Microbiome Research, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2025, through Aug. 31, 2030.
* Edward A. Silver, William A. Brownell Collegiate Professor of Education, Marsal Family School of Education, effective Dec. 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025.
Dana J. Tschannen, Beatrice J. Kalisch Collegiate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029.
* Kentaro Toyama, W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information, School of Information, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
Cynthia L. Westphal, Arthur and Martha Hearron Endowed Professor of Musical Theatre, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2029.
* Max S. Wicha, Madeline and Sidney Forbes Professor of Oncology, Medical School, effective Sept. 1, 2024, through Oct. 31, 2027.
Krista R. Wigginton, associate dean for graduate and professional education, College of Engineering, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through May 31, 2029.
Administrative appointments
Jeanne-Marie R. Stacciarini, associate dean for global affairs and community engagement, School of Nursing, effective Oct. 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027.
* Paul J. Erickson, Randolph G. Adams Director of the Clements Library, William L. Clements Library, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029.
* Reappointments
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
Retirements
Ruth C. Carlos, professor of radiology, Medical School, Oct. 13, 2024. Carlos received her A.B. and M.D. degrees from the University of Chicago in 1989 and 1993, respectively, and her M.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 2001. She joined U-M as a lecturer in 1997, and was promoted to assistant professor in 2001, associate professor in 2006 and professor in 2011. All of Carlos’ work shared the overarching theme of health care value with a recent emphasis on cancer care delivery, social genomics and health disparities, financial burden of care, and care quality and access. As chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Care Delivery Research Committee, she had programmatic oversight over the multi-center trials portfolio in care delivery and implementation. She also was primary investigator or co-investigator for numerous trials on financial burden, patient reported outcomes and cancer care delivery. She was co-investigator of one of the largest NCI-funded breast screening trials enrolling over 100,000 women. At U-M, she served as a member and vice chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs. She is a member of the Society of Computed Body Tomography and Magnetic Resonance, the American College of Radiology, and the Association of University Radiologists.
Victor C. Li, James R. Rice Distinguished University Professor of Engineering, E. Benjamin Wylie Collegiate Professor of Civil Engineering, and professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering, Aug. 31, 2023. Li received his B.S. and B.A. degrees in 1977, his M.S. in 1978, and Ph.D. in 1982, all from Brown University. He joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in 1981 and was promoted to associate professor in 1985. Li joined U-M as an associate professor in of civil and environmental engineering in 1990 and was promoted to professor in 1993. Li led the world on the research of bendable concrete and the enhancement of the resilience and sustainability of civil infrastructures. He was the first to create a micromechanics design basis of damage-tolerant composites with the ability to self-heal. Li was named inventor on 13 U.S. patents and was recognized with the International Innovation Grand Prize Award by the Construction Industry Council and with the Lifetime Achievement Award by RILEM. His research has impacted the building, transportation, energy and water industries in Asia, Europe and the United States. Li co-authored more than 300 scholarly publications.
Joyce E. Penner, Ralph J. Cicerone Distinguished University Professor of Atmospheric Science and professor of climate and space sciences and engineering, College of Engineering, Jan. 1, 2025. Penner earned a B.A. degree in mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1970. She completed her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in applied mathematics in 1972 and 1977, respectively, at Harvard University. She became a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1977. She was promoted to group leader in 1987 and division leader for the Global Climate Research Division in 1993. She joined U-M’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences as a professor in 1996. Penner received the Norbert Gerbier-Mumm International Award in 1998. She became a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 1999 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009. Among the awards she received were the Research Excellence Award, CoE, 2003; the Aksel Winn-Nielson Collegiate Professor of Atmospheric Science, 2005; the Service Excellence Award, CoE, 2007; the NASA Group Achievement Award, ACCRI Aircraft Cloud Effects Team, 2014; National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016; and the COSPAR William Nordberg Medal, 2022.
Carl J. Schmidt, clinical professor of pathology, Medical School, Nov. 25, 2024. Schmidt received his M.D. degree from the Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico City in 1981. He came to the United States in 1984 and trained in general surgery at the Morristown Memorial Hospital for two years. After a transitional year, he attended the University of Connecticut for two years in the field of neurobiology, and then trained in pathology at the Medical College of Ohio from 1989-93. After a year of private practice in Fremont, Ohio, he trained in forensic pathology at the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office in Detroit from 1994-95, and worked there for the next 28 years. In 2012, he joined U-M’s Department of Pathology as a clinical associate professor and was promoted to clinical professor in 2018. After the forensic services contract with Wayne County ended in 2022, he remained in the Department of Pathology in Autopsy and Forensic Services. Schmidt participated in many research projects relevant to forensic pathology, which resulted in more than 50 scientific papers. The COVID-19 pandemic also showed the value of infectious disease surveillance in medical examiner casework and resulted in several papers.
— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
