Vol. 20, No. 14 |
April 19, 2001 |
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Benefactors and friends Fourteen new named professors–recognized for their scholarship, research and academic excellence–have been added to the University of Delaware faculty in the last nine months, bringing the total number to 60. In addition, Susan Brynteson, library, was designated May Morris Director of Libraries, the University's first named director. In announcing these new named designations, University Provost Mel Schiavelli said, "These faculty members represent the breadth of excellence for which our University is recognized. We are proud of our faculty members' achievements and are appreciative for the honor and recognition they have brought and will continue to bring to the University of Delaware." "Increasing the number of endowed chairs and professorships is one of the primary missions of our five-year Campaign for Delaware," Vice President for Alumni and University Development Robert R. Davis said. "When our campaign reaches its conclusion in October 2003, our goal is to have 90 named professorships, approximately 10 percent of the total faculty." "Named professorships help us attract and retain leading professors, thus deepening our pool of instructional and scholarly talent and further enriching our community," President David P. Roselle said. "There is no great university without a great faculty." New named professors are Ralph J. Begleiter, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication; Daniel D. Carson, Trustees Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences; Thomas K. Gaisser, Martin A. Pomerantz Chair; Bernard L. Herman, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Art History; David Herman, Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and University organist; Caroll Izard, Trustees Distinguished Professor of Psychology; A. D. Kirwan Jr., Mary A.S. Lighthipe Chair in Marine Studies; Michael Leja, Sewell C. Biggs Chair of American Art History; George Luther III, the Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Studies; Peter B. Monk, the Unidel Professor of Mathematics; Shirley Samuels, H. Fletcher Brown Professor of Humanities; Erwin M. Saniga, the Dana J. Johnson Professor of Business; Frank Scarpitti, the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice; and Jewel H. Walker, the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Theatre. These professorships and directorship honor UD benefactors and friends. Sewell C. Biggs (1914- ) Biggs, a native of Middletown and a graduate of the University of Delaware and the University of Virginia Law School, also studied architecture at Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge universities. He is a serious collector of art and his collection of more than 60 years in the making is now housed in the Sewell C. Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover. The focus of his collection is paintings, silver and furniture dating from the mid-18th century to the mid-20th century, mostly from Delaware and the region. He has been involved in historical preservation and art-related activities and was awarded the Order of the First State in 1979 in recognition of his services. H. Fletcher Brown (1867-1944) Mr. Brown was a chemist, business executive and a University of Delaware trustee. He was a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Harvard University who, after retirement, became a major figure in the improvement of education in Delaware, to which he devoted a large portion of both his time and his fortune. The University, the public schools, the YMCA and other groups were recipients of his aid. Brown Hall and Brown Laboratory are named in his honor. Maxwell P. (1912-1983) and Mildred H. Harrington (1910-1990) Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington had a special love for the coast. Both were Delaware natives, and Mr. Harrington graduated from Delaware in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He worked for the federal government in marine sciences for several years and served as an engineer at Camp Lejeune–the U.S. Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, N.C. After Mr. Harrington's death in 1983, Mrs. Harrington continued to support the College of Marine Studies as a marine associate. In 1988, she donated to UD an extensive seashell collection amassed during their travels. Dana J. Johnson (1949-1999) Dr. Johnson served as the first woman dean of the College of Business and Economics from 1997 until her death. Under her tenure, the college expanded academically and physically with the completion of MBNA America Hall. Dr. Johnson was elected as a member of the board of governors of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. Before coming to UD, she was dean of the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy at Wake Forest University. She received her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Kent State University. May Morris (1886-1967) Ms. Morris was the sister of the late Judge Hugh Martin Morris, University alumnus (Class of 1898), chairman of the Board of Trustees and noted Delaware jurist. She graduated from Dickinson College in 1909. After spending 10 years on the library staff at Bryn Mawr College, she became librarian at her alma mater in 1927. In 1949, Ms. Morris was promoted to the rank of professor emeritus, the second woman in the history of Dickinson College to receive this honor. She retired from her position in 1956, but continued to remain active in the Dickinson College community. In 1968, a room in the Special Collections of the college's Boyd Lee Spahr Library was dedicated in her honor. Mary A. S. Lighthipe (1917-1999) Mary A. S. Lighthipe, a native of Sussex county, had a longtime interest in the inland bays of Delaware and established a named professorship in the College of Marine Studies because of its research and teaching concerning the waters of and around Delaware. A philanthropist whose gifts centered in Delaware, she made an anonymous challenge donation for the new State Archives Building in 1995. She also donated her family homestead in Cedar Neck to Sussex County for a park, part of which is used by the Center for Inland Bays. Martin A. Pomerantz (1916- ) Pomerantz served as director from 1959 to 1986 of the Bartol Research Institute, which moved to its current home in Sharp Laboratory in 1977. Pomerantz is internationally recognized for his pioneering use of the South Pole as a laboratory for studies in astronomy and astrophysics, and the National Science Foundation named part of the Antarctica scientific base as Pomerantz Land and an observatory in his honor. Pomerantz said he established the professorship because he "believed strongly in the mission of Delaware, which is to do research at the cutting edge." The Dr. Martin A. Pomerantz Chair recognizes outstanding scientific achievements in the area of physics and astronomy. Edward F. Rosenberg (1908-1982) and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg (1902-2000) Dr. Rosenberg received his bachelor's degree from UD in 1929 and his master's degree the following year. A nationally known rheumatologist, he earned his medical degree from Jefferson University Medical School and a doctorate in internal medicine from the University of Minnesota. He held a fellowship at Mayo Clinic and was a consultant there throughout his career. He served in the Army Medical Corps in World War II and then went into private practice in Chicago, serving as chief of arthritis clinics for three major hospitals. Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg, a graduate of the Curtis Institute, was a concert pianist and concert harpist. She married Dr. Rosenberg in 1934. While living in Chicago, she was active in the Japan-American Society, which was formed after World War II to improve Japanese-American relationships. At the invitation of the Japanese Consul in Chicago, the couple made several trips to Japan. She also had a famous collection of English silver, known as the Rosenberg Collection, which was sold by Christie's auction house with the proceeds donated to the Mayo Foundation to benefit rheumatology research. Trustees Distinguished Professorships These professorships are created by the University's Board of Trustees to recognize deserving senior members of the faculty. Unidel Professorships These professorships are awarded by the Unidel Foundation, established by Amy E. du Pont (1876-1962), a noted sportswoman and philanthropist, who supported women's education at Delaware and bequeathed her estate to create the foundation. The Unidel Foundation makes grants to finance specific projects to enrich educational programs at UD. |