Regents Roundup

The following items were approved by the Board of Regents at its May 15 meeting.

New engineering learning center planned

The first floor of the Engineering Programs Building will receive renovations to create two new learning laboratory spaces for the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Civil Engineering programs. Slated for completion in the winter of 2009, the $1.2 million project will be funded by the College of Engineering.

Renovation planned at University Hospital

A new high dose rate radiation suite will be created on level B2 at University Hospital. The $1.9 million project will be funded from Hospitals and Health Center resources and is scheduled to be completed this fall.

Chiller to be added to East University Chiller Plant

A new electric chiller will be installed in the chilled water loop serving Central Campus buildings, providing redundancy and cost savings over the existing absorption chillers. University investment proceeds will fund the $2.7 million project scheduled for completion next summer.

New wrestling practice facility approved

Plans to construct a new wrestling facility were approved by the regents. The new building is expected to be adjacent to the Varsity Tennis Center on South State Street. The facility, approximately 18,000 gross square feet, will include indoor practice areas, athletic medicine areas, strength and conditioning space, a locker room, and storage area. The project will cost $5.5 million and will be funded by the Athletic Department and gifts.

Naming policy highlighted

A Policy for Naming of Facilities, Spaces and Streets and Guidelines for Naming of Facilities, Spaces and Streets was presented as an information item to regents. U-M has had guidelines for naming buildings and rooms for many years but the new policy seeks to document and clarify longstanding procedures and practices. Regents previously requested a committee be set up to study naming policies at other schools and to evaluate the University’s policy and procedures. The new policy implements a process for making such decisions as delineating levels of naming and differentiating between honorific and donor naming. The policy governs all three campuses.

Faculty appointments and promotions with tenure

Glenn Allen Burton, professor of natural resources and environment, School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE), effective Sept. 1.
Karla Goldman, professor of social work, School of Social Work (SSW), effective Sept. 1.
Richard J. Jackson, professor of environmental health sciences, School of Public Health (SPH), effective Sept. 1.
Amy J. Schulz, associate professor of health behavior and health education, SPH, effective Sept. 1.
Julia Seng, associate professor of nursing, School of Nursing, effective Sept. 1.
Rebecca Scott, transfer of tenure to professor of history, LSA, and professor of law, Law School, effective Sept. 1.
Karen Staller, associate professor of social work, SSW, effective Sept. 1.

Administrative appointments

Paula M. Lantz, chair, Department of Health Management and Policy, SPH, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Edith A. Parker, associate dean for academic affairs, SPH, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Lawrence M. Seiford, chair, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, College of Engineering (CoE), effective Sept. 1, 2008-Aug. 1, 2009.
Dean Smith, senior associate dean for administration, SPH, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Armin Troesch, chair, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, CoE, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Victor DiRita, assistant dean for graduate and postdoctoral studies, Medical School, effective April 1.
Dr. Samuel Silver, assistant dean for research, Medical School, effective April 1.

Named professorships

Dr. Peter Arvan, William K. and Delores S. Brehm Professor of Type 1 Diabetes Research, Medical School, effective July 1, 2008-Aug. 31, 2013.
Carol Fierke, Jerome and Isabella Karle Collegiate Professor of Chemistry, LSA, effective Sept. 1, 2008-Aug. 31, 2013.
Joseph Helman, Chalmers J. Lyons Professor of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2013.
Dr. Israel Liberzon, Theophile Raphael Collegiate Professor of Neurosciences in The Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, Medical School, effective May 1, 2008-Feb. 28, 2010.
Jan Malaikal, chair, Army Office Education Program, effective April 21, 2008-April 30, 2011.
Dr. Hakan Oral, Frederick G.L. Huetwell Research Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Medical School, effective May 1, 2008-Aug. 31, 2013.
William Smith, Minor J. Coon Collegiate Professor of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, effective May 1, 2008-Aug. 31, 2013.
Richard Vandenheuvel, chair, Navy Officer Education Program, effective Aug. 1, 2008-July 31, 2011.
Michael Wiley, Theodore Roosevelt Professor of Ecosystem Management, SNRE, effective May 1, 2008-April 30, 2013.

Flint campus

Matthew Alan Hilton-Watson, chair, Department of Foreign Languages, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Christopher Pearson, chair, Department of Computer Science, Engineering Science and Physics, CAS, effective April 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.
Frederic Svoboda, chair, Department of English, CAS, effective July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011.

Retirements

Arthur Ashe III, professor of chemistry in LSA and professor of macromolecular science and engineering in CoE, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1966. Ashe is known worldwide for his scientific work on organometallic chemistry of the main group elements. He was chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1983-86 and has trained more than 30 doctoral and postdoctoral students and large numbers of undergraduates in research.

Barry Bogin, the William E. Stirton Professor of Anthropology and professor of anthropology, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters at U-M-Dearborn, effective Dec. 31, 2007. Bogin joined U-M in 1982. His theoretical work and research is deeply rooted in both empirical and applied work, and has both political impact and popular appeal.

Charles Loring Brace, professor of anthropology and curator, Museum of Anthropology, LSA, effective May 31. Brace joined the University in 1967. He is a leading scholar in biological anthropology, with research interests spanning from our species’ earliest evolution through modern scientific understandings of race.

Bogdana Carpenter, professor of Slavic languages and literatures in LSA, effective May 31. She joined U-M in 1983. Carpenter made significant contributions to the study of Polish literature and its dissemination in the English-speaking world. Her scholarship focused primarily on Polish poetry.

J. Wehrley Chapman, professor of physics in LSA, effective May 31. He joined the University in 1966. Chapman’s distinguished research career was dedicated to the experimental discovery of fundamental physical laws that govern the interactions of elementary particles. He made major contributions to experiments conducted at national and international particle accelerator laboratories.

Gerald DePuit, clinical assistant professor of performing arts in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1985. DePuit has performed with many New York cabarets and theatrical organizations as a musical director and pianist. During his tenure at the Department of Musical Theatre, he has helped evaluate every applicant to the department.

Thomas Kauper, Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law and professor of law, Law School, effective May 31. Kauper joined U-M in 1964. He has served as deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel and as assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division. He has been a respected and popular teacher and scholar of antitrust law.

Richard Lempert, Eric Stein Distinguished University Professor of Law and Sociology and professor of law, Law School, professor of sociology, LSA, and faculty associate, Survey Research Center, ISR, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1968. He is known for his interdisciplinary scholarship in the law and social sciences and his work has been published regularly in the nation’s leading journals in law and other disciplines.

Michael Parsons, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of naval architecture and marine engineering in CoE, effective May 31. Parson joined U-M in 1972. His research dealt with various aspects of marine engineering and ship systems design. His interests also included working to prevent the introduction of non-indigenous species into the Great Lakes.

William Rounds, professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the CoE, effective May 31. He joined the University in 1973. Rounds’ research focused on the mathematics of language. His awards include a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship and a visiting fellowship at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Satwant Samra, professor of anesthesiology, Medical School, effective Feb. 29. She joined the University in 1978, left in 1985 and returned in 1991. She has made significant contributions in many areas. Her primary research interest has been in the field of neurosurgical anesthesia. She is the author of 50 peer-reviewed publications and many book chapters.

Robert Sharp, professor of chemistry in LSA, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1969. Sharp’s principal area of research has been in chemical applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). His early work involved studies of relaxation mechanism of heavy nuclei. He played a large role in the development of a junior-senior level course in computational chemistry.

E. Philip Soper, James V. Campbell Professor of Law and professor law, effective May 31. Soper joined U-M in 1973. He has been a distinguished member of the Law School faculty and has taught courses in jurisprudence and contracts. His scholarly work has made him a leading figure in the field of legal theory and he has published frequently in legal and philosophical journals.

Peter Westen, Frank G. Millard Professor of Law and professor of law, Law School, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1973. His work has refocused the discussion of a core concept of legal analysis. His current work on consent promises to have a similar impact. He has also written extensively on other subjects including criminal procedure, capital punishment and choice of law.

James Boyd White, L. Hart Wright Collegiate Professor of Law and professor of law in the Law School, and professor of English language and literature and adjunct professor of classical studies in LSA, effective May 31. White joined the University in 1983. His work on the relationships between law and language is internationally known.

Michael Woodroofe, Leonard J. Savage Professor of Statistics, professor of statistics and professor of mathematics in LSA, effective May 31. He joined U-M in 1968. He has made pioneering contributions in many areas including nonparametric inference, biased sampling, isotonic inference and statistics in astronomy. He has published more than 100 articles.

York-Peng Edward Yao, professor of physics in LSA, effective May 31.Yao joined U-M in 1966. His research has focused on the theoretical description of the laws governing the interactions of elementary particles using the methods of quantum field theory. He was an early proponent of gauge field theories.