Regents Roundup

Updated 11:30 AM December 6, 2004

Regents Roundup

By Diane Brown, Facilities and Operations,
Laura Lessnau, News Service
and Laurel Thomas Gnagey

Editor’s note: The following actions were taken by the Board of Regents at its November meeting.

U-M leaders say state appropriations must be restored

In the annual budget request to the State of Michigan, President Mary Sue Coleman has asked lawmakers to restore the University’s appropriation to fiscal year 2002 levels for the Ann Arbor campus, and to refrain from tying funding for higher education to tuition restraint.

While acknowledging the state’s budget pressures, Coleman said the current appropriation of $320.7 million, which is $44 million, or 12 percent, less than FY2002, has constrained the University and put academic quality at risk. She said the University must remain competitive in hiring and retaining faculty and attracting students. It also must have the resources to upgrade aging facilities and equipment, and increase financial aid, particularly for Michigan residents. She renewed the University’s pledge to meet the financial need of all Michigan resident undergraduates who wish to attend U-M.
U-M-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little also asked the state to restore funding to the previous level and increase the campus’ base funding by $1 million to support the hiring of new faculty for its increasing enrollment, and to offset higher costs, including those for health insurance.

The request from U-M-Flint Chancellor Juan Mestas calls for $2.8 million for faculty, program funding and technology upgrades.

SSEL addition approved

The SSEL addition will contain a clean room, chemical storage area and support space. (Image courtesy Plant Extension)

Regents approved the schematic design of a three-story addition containing a clean room, chemical storage area and support space for the Solid State Electronics Lab in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The exterior walls will feature a circuitry design in brickwork to depict the microchip fabrication that occurs within the building. In addition to the 37,000-gross-square-foot expansion, the $28 million project also includes renovation of 4,700 gross square feet in the existing building to house a wet lab, new entry and support space. Construction is scheduled to be completed in winter 2007.

2 labs to be created

Spaces in the Dentistry and E.H. Kraus buildings will be renovated into two new labs for use next year. Five clinical lab and exam spaces on the third floor of the Dentistry Building will be converted into a single research laboratory and support area. In Kraus, approximately 6,000 gross square feet of first-floor classroom space will be converted into a modern laboratory for the department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. Each project is estimated to cost $750,000.

Upgrades approved for Hospital Pharmacy

The University Hospital Pharmacy Services on level B2 will be renovated during the next year to improve efficiency and meet new pharmacy industry standards for drug preparation. The project is estimated to cost $700,000, which includes $300,000 for equipment and furnishings. A3C Collaborative Architecture will design the project.

Hospital exterior to be re-sealed

The precast concrete exterior walls of the 12-story University Hospital, including the six-story patient tower, will be re-weatherproofed. Cracks will be filled, window and joint sealant replaced, and the concrete panels will be coated with an opaque waterproofing. The $2.3 million project is scheduled to be completed in fall 2006.

Remaining Rachel Upjohn Building bids to be requested

The remaining bid packages for the construction of the Rachel Upjohn Building will be issued and contracts awarded for the $41 million project. Site preparation work recently began on the East Ann Arbor complex for the three-story building that will house ambulatory psychiatry and the Depression Center. Construction is scheduled to be completed in summer 2006.

Faculty promotions with tenure

Anna Grzymala-Busse, associate professor of political science, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2005.
Kevin Miller, professor of education, School of Education, effective Jan. 1, 2005.

Administrative appointments

Dr. James Albers, assistant dean for instructional faculty, Medical School, effective Dec. 1, 2004.
Carol Boyd, director, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Office of the Vice President for Research, effective Jan. 1, 2005-Aug. 31, 2008.
* Renny Franceschi, associate dean for research, School of Dentistry, Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2005.
* John King, dean, School of Information, effective July 1, 2005-June 30, 2010.
Dr. Ronald Maio, assistant dean for research regulatory affairs, Medical School, effective Nov. 18, 2004.
Dr. Karin Muraszko, chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, effective Jan. 1, 2005. (See Med School appoints nation's first woman neurosurgery chair>)
James Reece, Goff Smith Co-Director of the Joel D. Tauber Manufacturing Institute, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, effective Sept. 1, 2004-Aug. 31, 2005.
* Bryan Rogers, dean, School of Art & Design, effective July 1, 2005-June 30, 2010.
* Janet Weiss, associate provost for academic affairs, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective July 1, 2005-June 30, 2009.
* Marilyn Woolfolk, assistant dean for student services, School of Dentistry, effective Oct. 1, 2004-Sept. 30, 2009.

Named professorships

Michael MacDonald, Richard Hudson Research Professor of History, LSA, effective Jan. 1, 2005-May 31, 2005.
* Stephen Pollock, Herrick Professor of Manufacturing, College of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2005-May 31, 2005.
Brian Rowan, Burke A. Hinsdale Collegiate Professor in Education, School of Education, effective Nov. 1, 2004-Oct. 31, 2009.
Marc A. Zimmerman, chair, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1, 2005-Dec. 31, 2007.

U-M-Dearborn

* Subrata Sengupta, dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science, U-M-Dearborn, effective July 1, 2005-June 30, 2010.

Retirements

Robert Lindsay, professor of psychology, research professor in psychiatry and research professor in the Mental Health Research Institute, effective Aug. 31, 2004. Lindsay joined the University in 1965. He has made significant contributions, including extensive review and critical analysis of the field of artificial intelligence. He contributed to expert systems that endow computers with the decision-making capabilities used by human experts. His recent research uses computer simulations of variations of genetic algorithms to discover possible genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution of complexity.

*Reappointments

Regents Roundup

More Stories