AUGUST 27, 1998-vol30n1: Summary of summer happenings

VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1998

Summary of summer happenings

In case you were away, here's a summary of the stories that appeared in the Reporter over the summer. The full text of each is available on the Web in the Reporter's electronic archives, available at www.buffalo.edu/reporter/

Vol. 29, No. 35
July 23, 1998

Grant to head College of Arts and Sciences
New college reaffirms university's commitment to undergraduate education

Kerry S. Grant has been named dean of the new College of Arts and Sciences at UB, a move that reaffirms the university's commitment to undergraduate education. The new college replaces the faculties of Arts and Letters, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences.

Biogen endows $1.5 million neurology chair

Biogen, a leading international biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., has established the Irvin and Rosemary Smith Chair in Neurology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Lawrence D. Jacobs, professor of neurology and internationally recognized authority on multiple sclerosis, is the first holder of the chair.

Ricotta is associate VP, dean of students

Barbara J. Ricotta has been named associate vice president and dean of students in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Shechner to head English department

Mark Shechner, a member of the UB faculty for 28 years, has been named chair of the Department of English by Kerry Grant, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Zastempowski is assistant dean in School of Architecture and Planning

Theodora I. Zastempowski has been named assistant dean for student affairs in the School of Architecture and Planning.

Revitalizing South Campus neighborhoods
Plan for housing rehab, resale program is 'feasible,' UCI marketing study finds

A plan to revitalize the neighborhoods around the South Campus by improving the area's housing stock through a housing acquisition, rehabilitation and resale program is feasible and would have a positive impact that would be "unparalleled in the region," a marketing study commissioned by the University Community Initiative (UCI) has determined.

Faculty, staff, librarians receive Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

Six faculty members, two librarians and four professional staff members have received 1998 State University of New York Chancellor's Awards for Excellence from SUNY Chancellor John W. Ryan.

Changes in student fees to take effect in the fall

One student fee will increase and a new one will be instituted this fall to augment student life and student Web-based services, Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs, has announced.

Zimmerman to head New York library unit

Nancy P. Zimmerman, assistant professor in the School of Information and Library Studies and coordinator of its School Library Media Program, has been elected president of the New York Library Association, which is affiliated with the American Library Association as its New York State chapter.

South Campus rehab is 'on schedule'

A major project to rehabilitate sidewalks, roadways and some parking lots on the South Campus is on schedule, with most of the work either completed or set to be completed by the time classes start in late August.

Dental Esthetics Center to open

The first facility devoted to training dentists in the high-demand field of esthetic dentistry from the first year of dental school through post-graduate training and beyond will begin operation in the School of Dental Medicine this fall.

Company Web sites: Ineffective.com

They may be flashy and gimmicky, but most company Web sites would flunk a test of simple "Marketing 101" theory, a new study by H.R. Rao, associate professor of management science and systems in the School of Management, suggests.

Register your address in e-mail directory

To provide a comprehensive, "one-stop shop" for those seeking information on how to contact faculty, staff or students at UB, Computing and Information Technology is asking all members of the university community to register their e-mail address in the UB electronic "E"-directory.

Parents-get back in control!

The child-centered parenting movement, popular for the past two decades, has given rise to a national epidemic of families in which children are "running" the show, according to Kenneth N. Condrell, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and co-author of "Wimpy Parents from Toddler to Teen: How NOT to Raise a Brat."

Obituaries:

Albert S. Cook, 72: 'redrew map of literary studies' at UB.

Russell A. Buffomante, 84, dentist, associate professor of prosthetics.

David H. Nichols, 72, former gynecology-obstetrics professor.

Vol. 29, No. 34
June 18, 1998

Research centers to receive $24 million
CUBRC, MCEER projects to focus on transportation injuries, seismic performance

Two research centers affiliated with UB each will receive $12 million over the next six years under the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century, signed on June 9 by President Clinton.

UB names deans of law, management

The university has named new deans to head the School of Law and the School of Management, effective Aug. 1. R. Nils Olsen, Jr., a professor of law and vice dean for academic affairs, has been named dean of the School of Law. Lewis Mandell, dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of finance at Marquette University, has been named dean of the School of Management.

Gentile, Wölck named Distinguished Professors

Two faculty members at UB have joined the ranks of distinguished professors appointed by the SUNY Board of Trustees. J. Ronald Gentile, professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, was appointed a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in honor of his outstanding teaching at the graduate, undergraduate and professional levels. Wolfgang Wölck, professor in the Department of Linguistics and an internationally known linguistics scholar, was appointed a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in recognition of his extraordinary service contributions to the university community, as well as to the region, state and nation.

Noted scientist gives MFC anniversary lecture

In honor of its 75th anniversary, which will be celebrated during the 1998-99 academic year, Millard Fillmore College, in cooperation with the Creative Education Foundation and with support from the Baird Foundation, presented a public lecture by Howard Gardner, a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, an award-winning scientist and one of the most provocative theorists in social psychology and education today.

$530,000 gift to pharmacy school to fund scholarships

Determined to open the door to an outstanding professional education to even more students, Violet Newton has shown her philanthropic generosity again with a new gift of $530,000 to the School of Pharmacy.

Xerox CEO speaks on Industry-University Day

More than 350 people packed the atrium in the Center for the Arts June 2 to hear Xerox Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul A. Allaire speak on the necessity of partnership among business, government and academia in maintaining a healthy U.S. economy.

Director named for Polish Academic Center

Tomasz Goban-Klas, an international authority on the sociology of communication in Poland, has been appointed director of the UB Polish Academic Information Center.

Shedding new light on melting process

To anyone who's ever left a chocolate bar on the dashboard of a car on a hot summer's day, the melting process is fairly straightforward: Heat hits solid, solid turns to mush. But research at UB is the first to show that when a solid melts, it undergoes not just one intermediate phase change-as had been predicted previously-but two.

Stress test: heart risk in lowered blood pressure?

Results of an exercise stress test may help identify recovering heart-attack patients who could be as increased risk of heart failure and premature death, but the predictor in this case turns out to be lowered blood pressure, a factor usually considered an asset.

Young adults: a picture of poverty

A groundbreaking ethnography of poverty-stricken young Americans has been published by researchers at UB and the City University of New York. It offers compelling evidence that despite a flow of upbeat economic reports that imply that we all are doing better than ever, millions in this group are doing very poorly.

Six-year doctor of pharmacy program approved

The School of Pharmacy's six-year, entry-level doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program has been approved by the New York State Department of Education. The new program, which now is in place, follows a directive from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy approving a six-year Pharm.D., or doctorate of pharmacy, as the field's only professional degree.

Students critique faculty science workshop

As part of a National Science Foundation-supported workshop UB sponsored on "Case Studies in Science," 40 students received $100 each, paid by the NSF, to participate in a simulated class and then provide a detailed critique of it. The workshop provided professors at other colleges and universities with an education in writing case studies to use in undergraduate science classes for non-majors.

GSE forms network to aid schools

The Collaborative Research Network (CRN) has been established by the Graduate School of Education to assist local schools, teachers and administrators who want to reform their curriculums and teaching methods or solve special problems.

Obituaries:

Seymour Axelrod, 70, emeritus professor of psychiatry and psychology.

W. Howard Mann, 87, law school professor emeritus.