Eight faculty members retire

January 21, 2000
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ANN ARBOR—Eight faculty members were given the emeritus title by the U-M Regents at their Jan. 20-21 meeting.

Those retiring are Charles M. Butter, professor of psychology; Donald A. Calahan, professor of electrical engineering and computer science; Edward F. Domino, professor of pharmacology; Phillip A. Fellin, professor of social work and former dean of the School of Social Work;

Ann E. Larimore, professor of geography and women’s studies; James S. Milne, professor of mathematics; Albert B. Schultz, the Vennema Professor of Mechanical Engineering, professor of mechanical engineering, and professor of biomedical engineering, and research scientist in the Institute of Gerontology; Leslie W. Tentler, professor of history at the U-M-Dearborn.

Butter, who joined the U-M faculty in 1962, is “a leading scholar in the field of brain mechanisms of attention,” the Regents said. “His studies have illuminated the nature of deficits of visual attention that are caused by various types of lesions of the neocortex or subcortical brain structures. A major focus of his work has involved the perception of spatial relations and of visual objects in space and the processing of space in relation to self, in order to clarify the neural controls that direct attention. His research over the decades has also touched on other topics in behavioral neuroscience and physiological psychology, ranging from associative learning to the brain mechanisms of motivation and emotion.”

Calahan joined the U-M faculty in 1966. “His research focused on circuit theory, computer-aided circuit design, and large-scale engineering/scientific computation. He has published numerous journal and conference articles and several textbooks on computer-aided network design and modern network synthesis and analysis. He also served as associate editor on computational algorithms for IEEE Transactions on Computers and was a member of the NASA Technical Advisory Board. He has taught many graduate and undergraduate EECS courses over the years in computer architecture and high-speed computation and circuits, as well as in-service courses for non-electrical engineering students.”

Domino joined the U-M faculty in 1953. “Dr. Domino’s research has focused on the broad field of neuropsychopharmacology, with its implications in anesthesiology, gerontology, neurology, psychiatry, and toxicology. He has published more than 300 original research articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored or edited a dozen scientific books. He has served brief terms as a visiting professor at a number of universities, both in the United States and abroad. He has served on the editorial boards of approximately 20 scientific journals. As a teacher, Dr. Domino has played a major role in the pharmacology courses for second- and fourth-year medical students and also for medical students in the neurosciences program.”

Fellin, who joined the U-M faculty in 1965, “attained national prominence as a social work educator and scholar,” the Regents said. “He systematized field instruction and created a much closer relationship between classroom content and students’ field activities. He increased the use of social science content and research in social work education to the benefit of his students. His research and scholarly writing focused on issues of policy, community-based care, the evaluation of diversity within schools of social work and equal opportunities for women in social work education. In addition to his dean appointment, Prof. Fellin assumed leadership roles in other capacities.”

Larimore, who joined the U-M faculty in 1966, served as associate director of the Residential College in 1975-80 and 1981-88. “Throughout her academic career, cultural diversity has been at the forefront of Prof. Larimore’s concerns,” the Regents noted. “Even before the word ‘multiculturalism’ became widely utilized, she was studying the diverse cultural geography of East Africa and West Asia, and she became an expert on the culturally variegated and complex society of Turkey. Over the years, her areas of interest have also incorporated multicultural feminist teaching strategies and philosophy, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to teaching about the influence of cultural values—especially concerning gender and ethnicity—on resource use and environmental attitudes.”

Milne joined the U-M faculty in 1969. “His research focuses on arithmetical geometry, more specifically on Albelian varieties and Shimura varieties. He solved many outstanding conjectures related to these varieties. In the process, he developed or refined many of the tools used in arithmetical geometry. He is the author of 45 research papers and four books; his books are used as basic references in his field. His writing is succinct and tightly focused. He is a superb lecturer and has written many lecture notes. Prof. Milne directed eight doctoral theses and gave unstintingly to all students, undergraduate and graduate. He is an outstanding mountain climber and is particularly fond of the challenges presented in Nepal.”

Schultz, who joined the U-M faculty in 1983, is “internationally recognized for his biomechanics research, reported in more than 130 publications. His early research explored the mechanics of idiopathic scoliosis and low back pain. More recently, he has studied—from the viewpoint of engineering mechanics—the assessment, treatment, and prevention of physical problems and injuries that commonly arise in older populations. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, past president of the International Society for the Lumbar Spine and co-founder and past president of the American Society of Biomechanics.”

Tentler, who joined the U-M Dearborn faculty in 1973, is “noted for her brilliant versatility in teaching a wide array of courses, ranging from labor history, women’s history, immigration, family in American history, and religion in American history, to the Civil Rights Movement, contemporary Christianity, and American urban history. Her research interests have focused on women’s history, labor and immigration, ethnicity and religious history, and contemporary Catholicism. Her most prominent work was represented in ‘Wage-Earning Women: Industrial Employment and Family Life in the United States, 1900-1930’ and in ‘Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit,’ the definitive history of the Archdiocese of Detroit.”

Institute of Gerontology