E-NEWSLETTER: UNIVERSITY NEWS
College, Nursing and Medical schools get new deans
Blackburn to retire as dean of admission
Army ROTC program ranked among tops
Record crowd attends Reunions 2008 (slide show)
Woo appointed dean of College of Arts and SciencesSource: U.VA. TODAY
Meredith Jung-En Woo |
Meredith Jung-En Woo, a nationally known expert on international political economy and East Asian politics, became dean of the University of Virginia's College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences on June 1. Woo had served as associate dean for social sciences in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and as a professor of political science at the University of Michigan.
University President John T. Casteen III, who made the announcement at a gathering of Arts & Sciences faculty and staff, praised Woo as a “remarkably accomplished teacher, scholar and fundraiser who will provide strong leadership for the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as it looks to improve its standing in the sciences, while at the same time expanding and enriching the College's programs in the fine and performing arts.”
Casteen noted that Woo, a native of Seoul who is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese, has a deep understanding of global issues that will serve her well as she also leads the College in building international programs. “As dean, Meredith Woo will be charged with implementing a number of the key recommendations from the Commission on the Future of the University,” Casteen said. “I am confident that she is the right College dean at the right time in the history of our University.”
Woo, a prolific writer and researcher, said she is looking forward to the challenges that Casteen and Dr. Arthur Garson, executive vice president and provost, have laid out for her. “Maintaining scholarly excellence in the current economic climate is a formidable challenge that requires vigilance in recruitment, retention and faculty morale – and of course, augmentation of existing resources,” she said.
Garson had high praise both for the work of the search committee and for Woo. “Committee members did a phenomenal job identifying and helping to recruit an individual who has already made a study of what is wonderful about the University and where we need to continue to aspire,” he said. “Meredith Woo is a visionary with her feet well planted in reality — a rare combination.”
In explaining her decision to join the University, Woo said, “The University of Virginia is unique among institutions of higher education. It combines the goals and purposes of a public university while maintaining the highest excellence in research and scholarship — and it does so without compromising the quality of undergraduate education. I think that in a great public university, two of the three may be combined, but rarely all three.”
Woo, 49, began her tenure at Michigan in 2001 as a professor of political science. Prior to that she taught at Northwestern University, where she helped rebuild the department of political science, and co-founded the Center for International and Comparative Studies. She also taught at Colgate University and Columbia University.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton appointed her to serve on the Presidential Commission on U.S.-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy. She has consulted for the World Bank, the United States Trade Representative, Asian Development Bank Institute, the Asia Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation.
Woo also has authored and edited seven books, published mostly under the name Meredith Woo-Cumings. They include her first book, Race to the Swift: State and Finance in Korean Industrialization (Columbia University Press, 1991), and Past as Prelude: History in the Making of the New World Order (Westview Press, 1991.) Her most recent book, Neoliberalism and Reform in East Asia, published in September 2007, was the result of a project sponsored by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and the Rockefeller Foundation.
She is especially proud of her role as executive producer of a documentary film, Koryosaram, The Unreliable People, chronicling Stalin's ethnic cleansing of Koreans during the Great Terror. The film premiered at the Smithsonian in 2006 and last year was awarded best documentary by the National Film Board of Canada at the 2007 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Educated in Seoul and Tokyo through high school, Woo came to the United States in 1976 and graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College, majoring in English literature and history (1980). She received M.A. degrees in international affairs (1982) and Latin American studies (1984), and a Ph.D. in political science (1988), all from Columbia University.
Woo said that when she arrived in the United States as a young student, the idea that she might one day be a leader at one of the nation's top universities would have been an idle dream. “Thirty years ago, I was one of the few foreign students — and the first Asian woman — to enroll at a small liberal arts college in Maine; today, foreign students are ubiquitous on American campuses,” she said.
“Jefferson's idea of an ‘empire of liberty’ now encompasses the full diversity of humanity coming through the gates of our great universities, and this is still America’s greatest strength — open arms to the great abroad, instilling ideas of liberty and equality at home through the best educational system in the world. The University of Virginia realizes his dream of a contentious and productive pluralism set in a lovely pastoral setting, and can only grow and prosper as the new century unfolds. I am deeply honored to be coming to the University.”
Woo is married to Bruce Cumings, who chairs the history department at the University of Chicago. They have two children: Ian, 18, a freshman at the University of Chicago; and Ben, 14, who plans to attend Charlottesville High School.
As dean, Woo succeeds historian Edward L. Ayers, who became president of the University of Richmond in 2007, and interim dean Karen Ryan, a professor of Russian language and literature.
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Fontaine named to lead Nursing School
Source: U.Va. Today
Dorrie K. Fontaine |
Dorrie K. Fontaine, who has dedicated much of her 36-year nursing career to advocating for better care for critically ill patients, will become dean of the University of Virginia's School of Nursing on Aug. 1. Fontaine currently serves as associate dean for academic programs at the University of California-San Francisco School of Nursing.
University President John T. Casteen III made the announcement May 2 in McLeod Hall, the heart of the nursing school, where he spoke to a gathering of students, staff and faculty.
Fontaine succeeds Jeanette Lancaster, the University's legendary—and longest-serving—dean. Lancaster will step down in July after 19 years at the helm of the Nursing School.
Casteen credited Lancaster's “superlative leadership,” both at the University and in the national arena, for helping to attract a robust pool of applicants vying to succeed her.
"In selecting Dorrie Fontaine, the University has chosen a most worthy successor,” Casteen said. “She is an accomplished scholar, dedicated clinician and collaborative and innovative administrator who has succeeded in her every endeavor.”
He added that Fontaine's recent work at UCSF aligns closely with the themes of the University's Commission on the Future of the University. “Dorrie led UCSF's efforts to promote interprofessional education across the schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy, while keeping a close eye on her own scholarly research interests,” Casteen said.
Fontaine's research focuses on comfort for critically ill patients, pain relief and family presence at end of life. Another key interest is promoting healthy work environments for nurses and hospital colleagues. A leader in developing the national Standards for a Healthy Work Environment with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses in 2005, she believes that one of her great strengths will be to bring those values to the academic setting of the University. Fontaine served as president of AACN, the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, in 2003-04.
I was first attracted to the University of Virginia because it is a world-class university,” Fontaine said. “But what really excites me is its strong reputation for and success in bringing together undergraduate education and research.”
Fontaine, a career registered nurse who received her first degree in 1972 from Villanova University, also cites the challenges of the nursing shortage as an area on which she plans to focus. “The health care crisis is currently fueled by a chronic shortage of nurses,” she said. “Being at such a high-profile institution with such an outstanding School of Medicine and medical center, I believe that we will have the opportunity to work together to do great things in nursing for Virginia, the nation and the world.”
In laying out Fontaine's goals for the next five years, Dr. Arthur Garson Jr., the University's executive vice president and provost, said that she will be charged with creating a model that brings together all members of the health care community to enhance the coordination and delivery of patient care. “Given Dorrie's track record and her passion for the subject, I feel confident that she will solidify the University of Virginia's position as a national model for interaction of health professionals in practice, teaching and development of new knowledge.”
Fontaine, who has written and spoken extensively on health care issues, currently is the primary investigator on a $9.7 million grant to implement an accelerated doctoral program in nursing. She also has continued to teach a course on leadership and for the past four years has delivered classroom lectures on the importance of family to patients near death.
In her early career, Fontaine, 57, often found herself in dual roles, balancing clinical work with teaching. She spent 15 years at the University of Maryland School of Nursing before joining Georgetown University, where she spent nine years moving through the ranks before becoming associate dean for student and academic affairs, and finally associate dean for undergraduate studies. In 2002, she became associate dean for academic programs at UCSF.
Throughout her career she has been active in numerous professional organizations as well as public service and diversity initiatives at the institutions she has served. She has been a member of the UCSF School of Nursing's Diversity Task Force for five years, during that time researching the curriculum to address diversity.
"We are currently implementing a series of modules on curriculum and diversity to be taught in a teaching seminar series over the academic year,” Fontaine said. “I am surrounded by diversity in every way and use these perspectives on a daily basis.”
After receiving her bachelor's degree from Villanova, Fontaine received her master’s degree in nursing at the University of Maryland at Baltimore (1977) and Ph.D. at The Catholic University (1987). In 2006, she attended the Harvard Graduate Institute of Higher Education, Management and Leadership in Education Program. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1995.
Fontaine will be joined by her husband, Barry, and their son, Sumner, 17, a rising freshman at Villanova.
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DeKosky appointed dean of U.Va. School of Medicine
Source: UVa Today
Steven DeKosky
Photo by Dan Addison |
Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, an international leader in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research, will become vice president and dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine on Aug. 1. DeKosky currently serves as professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
University President John T. Casteen III, made the announcement this month in the Rotunda at the Board of Visitors meeting.
“The University has found in Steven DeKosky a dean who will take the lead in creating new models of excellence for the United States and the world in education, clinical care, research and service to our community,” Casteen said. “During the coming year, Dean DeKosky will partner with the Medical Center to develop patient-centered service models that can be used as best practices throughout the University's Health System—and begin to establish U.Va. as a center for translational research.”
He added that it is always inspiring when a former member of the faculty returns to where their careers in academia began. DeKosky completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neurochemistry at the Clinical Neuroscience Research Center in U.Va.’s Department of Neurology, and his first academic appointment was in the Department of Neurology in 1979.
"I am deeply honored by the University of Virginia’s decision to appoint me as the next dean of the School of Medicine. The School of Medicine and the Medical Center represent the best of Mr. Jefferson's intentions that the University be a power and service for the public good,” DeKosky said. “Building on the national and international reputation of the University and its medical expertise, I hope to continue that tradition in medical student and house staff education, enhance the rich basic science tradition of the institution and facilitate translation of our medical discoveries to applications for our patients and the community at large.”
Since assuming the permanent chairmanship of the Department of Neurology at Pittsburgh in 2002, DeKosky has led the program to prominence in terms of patient care, research funding and rankings. Before joining the faculty at Pittsburgh, DeKosky spent more than a decade on the faculty of University of Kentucky College of Medicine, including two years as interim chairman of the Department of Neurology.
“Steve DeKosky is an internationally recognized expert in the translational research of Alzheimer's disease, from the basic laboratory to the bedside — and beyond that to the study of Alzheimer's in populations,” said Arthur Garson, Jr., M.D., U.Va.'s executive vice president and provost and former vice president and dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine. “With his knowledge of basic, clinical and epidemiologic research, he will be able to provide leadership to the School of Medicine in multiple areas. He will bring us a deep knowledge of patient care, health care quality and education from Pittsburgh, one of the very best medical centers in the country.”
DeKosky's research has progressively focused on the science and clinical care of Alzheimer’s disease. His basic neuroscience laboratory studies the early pathological and chemical alterations in the brain associated with the development of Alzheimer’s as well as the neurochemistry of brain trauma and how it relates to Alzheimer’s. DeKosky is currently leading a 3,000-person, National Institutes of Health-funded trial on the ability of Ginkgo biloba to prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer's disease, in addition to directing a program that is developing biomarkers to track the effectiveness of Alzheimer’s treatment and prevention therapies.
DeKosky, 61, has served in leadership roles for several National Institutes of Health research-related activities as well as the boards of directors of both the Alzheimer's Association USA and Alzheimer's Disease International. He is a member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and chairs their Strategic Planning Committee. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of six of the leading neurology and Alzheimer’s clinical publications and is a journal reviewer for another 20 clinical journals.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University, DeKosky attended the University of Florida for graduate studies in neuroscience and psychology. He then graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine (1974) and went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a three-year residency in neurology at the University of Florida (1978). DeKosky then completed his postdoctoral fellowship in neurochemistry at U.Va.
As the 13th dean in the School of Medicine's history, DeKosky succeeds pediatrician Sharon L. Hostler, M.D., who has served as interim vice president and dean since Garson was appointed provost in May 2007.
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John A. Blackburn, University of Virginia's longtime dean of admission, to retire in June 2009Source: UVA TODAY
Jack Blackburn
Photo by Dan Addison |
John A. Blackburn, the University of Virginia’s longest-serving dean of admission, announced today he will retire in June 2009, ending a three-decade career at the University.
Blackburn, 66, came to the Office of Admission in 1979 as an associate dean. U.Va. President John T. Casteen III, at that time the University’s dean of admission, hired Blackburn.
Six years later, following the death of then-dean Jean Rayburn, Blackburn was appointed to the position. During his tenure, Blackburn has been a champion for increasing diversity at the University and been responsible for building each entering class for the past 23 years. He has traveled widely in the United States and abroad in order to recruit students of many backgrounds.
He also has become a national expert on college admissions, speaking often at major conferences and having been quoted widely in the media on admissions-related topics. He has been active in several national organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of the College Board, the profession’s leading organization.
“Jack Blackburn is one of the most highly regarded deans of admission in the country,” Casteen said. “He is a respected colleague and friend who has spent his career working to build the excellence of our student body and to ensure opportunities to students everywhere. His personal grace, wisdom and generosity of spirit have touched many of the thousands of students he has recruited to the University and who consider him a lifelong friend.”
Gordon M. Stewart, an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences who for the past three years has chaired the President’s Committee on Undergraduate Admissions, will chair the search committee Blackburn’s successor. The search committee will include faculty, student and alumni representatives.
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Army ROTC program at U.Va. rated among nation's bestSOURCE: U.Va. Today
The Army ROTC program at the University of Virginia has been rated in the top 15 percent of the 273 units around the country for the seventh consecutive year.
'This achievement … exemplifies the hard work and dedication of the University of Virginia cadets and cadre staff,” said Maj. General W. Montague Winfield, who commands ROTC programs nationwide. “This achievement provides a superb reflection of the support the University of Virginia provides to the Army ROTC program.”
The Army program has 87 cadets at U.Va., 11 of whom graduated this year. U.Va's program also has another 77 cadets from Liberty University in Lynchburg and one from Piedmont Virginia Community College.
"Everything the University does is good for our program,” said Lt. Col. Jay Dymek, commander of the Army ROTC at U.Va. “It graduates students in four years, it attracts people who are inclined to serve their country and it attracts athletes, scholars and leaders.”
Dymek said many students who come from Northern Virginia are familiar with government work and are very “service-oriented.”
Dymek also praised his instructors and staff, noting that one is teaching while recuperating from war wounds and another was Soldier of the Year in 2006.
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Record crowd attends Reunions 2008
More than 3,850 people, including about 2,200 reunion-year alumni and loads of kids, came to the University June 5-8 for Reunions Weekend 2008. A special light show, alumni panels, workshops and family activities highlighted a weekend of fun and renewed acquaintances on Grounds.
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