Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost

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Provost’s Academic Update

November 20 , 2006
 
E. Thomas Sullivan
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Julius E. Davis Chair in Law

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

As you prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to highlight recent academic accomplishments here at the University of Minnesota. We have much to celebrate. Also, I want to extend Thanksgiving greetings and best wishes to each of you as we enter this holiday season. We all have much to be grateful for and to appreciate.

“Conversations with the Provost”

Next month I will begin hosting a series of monthly conversations with University faculty. In an effort to facilitate an open dialog, these conversations will be intimate, with ten to twelve faculty invited to each event. The first “Conversations with the Provost” will be held on December 13, 2006. Faculty will have the opportunity to share thoughts and questions with me, and meet colleagues from other parts of the campus. I will be hosting faculty from different disciplines and different stages in their careers. I also will be setting up appointments to meet with professional staff on a regular basis.

Transforming the U: Update on Academic Initiatives

Following are just a few illustrative highlights of additional transformations taking place. This transformative work will continue in the next several years to come.

• On November 13, 2006, Allen Levine became Dean of the new College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. With his appointment, each new college has a permanent dean. Our collegiate deans play an integral role in transforming the University to one of the top three public research universities in the world. Read the University News Service article for more details.

• To assist with recruitment of outstanding new faculty, on November 10, 2006, the Board of Regents eliminated the waiting period for eligibility for faculty enrollment in the Faculty Retirement Plan, effective July 1, 2007.

• Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology: In October, I appointed an Advisory Committee to assist with the creation of a world-class, system-wide Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology. The Advisory Committee will submit their recommendations to me by Spring 2007. See the Provost web site for additional information.

• Institute on the Environment: I am pleased to announce that Professor Deborah Swackhamer (CFANS, Public Health) has been appointed the Interim Director of this Institute. Deborah is a highly regarded faculty member in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. See the University News Service web site for more information.

Congratulations to award-winning centers, departments, faculty, and staff who have secured new research grants in recent months. Noteworthy examples include:

• A $21 million research center funded by the National Science Foundation ($15 million), industry partners ($3 million), and seven universities ($3 million) for the new Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power.

• A $7.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint Grant for Neuroscience Research for the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, one of four institutions in the country to receive this award. The Center received the highest score of the 40 institutions that applied for the grant.

• A $2.5 million NIH grant to the Center for Drug Design to study “Countermeasures against Chemical Threats: Antidotes against Cyanide.”

• A $1.47 million National Institute of Justice award to Associate Professor Kevin Washburn (Law School) for a two-year study on “A Study of the Administration of Justice in Indian Country”. The work will be conducted by Professor Washburn, along with colleagues from UCLA.

• A $625,000 Packard Fellowship to Assistant Professor Helene Muller-Landau (CBS) to study how human impact, including climate change, affects biodiversity in tropical forests. Additional information on the University News Service web site.

Congratulations to award-winning faculty, staff, and students:

• Professor Marv Bauer (CFANS) has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Geographic Information Systems/Land Information Systems (GIS/LIS) Consortium for his work on remote sensing of natural resources. Read more at the MN GIS Consortium's web site.

• Professor Jay Cohn (Medical School) received the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award from the Heart Failure Society of America in recognition for his understanding of cardiovascular disease and creation of new treatments for heart failure.

• Regents Professor Apostolos Georgopoulos (Medical School) has been named 2006 Krieg Cortical Discoverer by the Cajal Club, one of the world’s foremost organizations of neuroscientists.

• Associate Professor John Adgate (Public Health), Assistant Professor Elisabeth Hilbink (CLA), Professor Michael Semmens (IT), Associate Professor Michelle Wright (CLA), and Research Associate David Nordstrom (Medical School) have been named 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholars. These scholars will be spending the year conducting research abroad.

• Assistant Professor Michael Goh (CEHD) received the Distinguished Leadership Award in Psychology and Mental Health from the Minnesota Psychological Association.

• Professor Ann Markusen (Humphrey Institute) was elected a fellow of the Regional Science Association International, an international group of scholars interested in how national or global processes of social change impact small regions.

• Professor Randy Moore (CEHD) has been awarded the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) 2006 Four-Year College Biology Research/Teaching Award, in recognition for his outstanding service to the association and biology education. He also won the Minnesota Professor of the Year Award sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

• Associate Professor Peggy Nelson (CLA) has been elected to the Executive Council of the Acoustical Society of America, the premiere international scientific society for acoustics. Her research focuses on hearing loss detection and how classroom noise affects learning.

• Nora Paul, Director of the Institute for New Media Studies, received the Joseph F. Kwapil Memorial Award from the Special Libraries Association (SLA) for her work in news librarianship. This is the highest award given by the SLA.

• Assistant Professor Kathryn Pearson (CLA) was honored by the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in legislative studies through the Carl Albert Award.

• Professor Edward Schiappa (CLA) was named Research Fellow by the Rhetoric Society of America. He also received the Rhetorical and Communication Theory Division Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Communication Association, the oldest and largest scholarly organization serving the discipline of communication.

• Regents Professor John Sullivan (CLA) has been honored by the American Political Science Association, along with Blackwell Publishers, with the creation of the John Sullivan Award. The award will be given to the best paper published annually in Political Behavior, a major interdisciplinary journal.

• Craig Taylor, Director of the Office of Business and Community Economic Development, received the Corporate Star Award from the Minnesota Minority Supplier Development Council. His work has been instrumental in creating a program for Carlson MBA students to provide management and technical assistance to businesses owned by women, minorities, and people with disabilities. Read more in the University News Service.

• Ph.D. candidate Teresa De la Mora-Rey (CBS/Medical School) was one of four recipients of the Paul Prize for her research presentation at the 2006 American Crystallographic Association Annual Meeting. 600 students were considered for the award.

• Ph.D. student Jacob Egge (CBS) won the Stoye Award for best student paper in the Genetics, Development, and Morphology Section of the 2006 Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

• Ph.D. candidate Melissa Gardner (Medical School) won the Paper of the Year Award from the editors of Molecular Biology of the Cell for her paper focusing on integration of computer modeling and experimental design of chromosome division in yeast.

• Medical student David Jewison was recognized for his work helping evacuees during last year’s Gulf Coast hurricanes through the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award was presented by President Bush during a recent visit to the Twin Cities. Read more at the USA Freedom Corps web site.

• Senior and Truman Scholar Rebecca Mitchell (CLA) was named one of the top ten college women in 2006 by Glamour magazine. She was evaluated based on her leadership, involvement in campus and the community, goals, and academic excellence. Read the UNews article for details.

• The University’s Solar Vehicle Project car, Borealis III, took 4th place at the World Solar Rally in Taiwan. This was the top place for U.S. finishers.

• Professor Claudia Parliament (CFANS) was named as one of six Minnesota economic visionaries by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

• Professor Judson Sheridan (CBS) has been named Norwegian Centennial Interdisciplinary Chair, along with Professor Odd Jarle Skjelhaugen (Norwegian University of Life Sciences). Together, the two will oversee an international research team dedicated to studying bioenergy and food safety.

• College of Design students swept all three award categories at the 2006 Safety Products Student Design Challenge, put on by the Safety and Protective Plastics Division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International. Students include: Laura Domholt, Chau Luong, Jenny Olson, Alyssa Cogan, Dan Roedler, Lisa Venne, Stephanie Amann, Theresa Lastovich, and Angela Martin

• Associate Professor June LaValleur (Medical School) and Assistant Professor John Hallberg (Medical School) were awarded a Bush Medical Fellowship. This is a highly competitive statewide grant for mid-career physicians.

• Jeanne Kilde (Institute for Advanced Study) won the American Society of Church History Jane Dempsey-Douglass Prize for the best essay published in the area of women in the history of Christianity. Her article appeared in Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art, and Belief.

• Professor Gary McLean (CEHD) was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.

• Nobel Laureate and Professor Emeritus Norman Borlaug was honored for his contributions to the state, nation, and world by having September 18th named Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Day by Governor Pawlenty. See the University News Service web site for more details.

• Senior Luke Olson (CFANS), Senior Melissa Mussman (CFANS), Senior Brad Davis (CFANS), and Junior Lisa Thompson (CSOM) placed second overall at the national intercollegiate dairy judging contest at the World Dairy Expo. Mussman, Davis, and Thompson received “All-American” honors, and Olson was specially recognized as high individual of the contest.

It is evident to me that excellence among the faculty, staff, and students of the University of Minnesota is propelling our institution to a world-class future. I look forward to the great progress we will forge together throughout the year.

 

Sincerely,

E. Thomas Sullivan
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Julius E. Davis Chair in Law

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