March 30, 2009
Faculty appointed to named professorships this spring
Thomas Slaughter, an American historian who joined the University last fall, will be installed as the first the Arthur R. Miller Professor of History during ceremony on May 4. The professorship is named in honor of its benefactor, Arthur R. Miller ’56, ’08 (Hon), a University Professor at New York University School of Law and one of the nation’s preeminent scholars in the field of civil procedure.
Endowed professorships, says Arthur Miller (above right), “enable you to reach out and attract faculty of a caliber that might not otherwise be available. It’s an important benchmark of the quality of an institution.” Stewart Weaver, chair of Rochester’s history department, could not agree more. Miller’s gift, says Weaver, has allowed the University to attract Thomas Slaughter (above left), “one of the most creative, engaging, and eminent historians of the early American republic writing today.”
Slaughter is one of several faculty members appointed to named professorships this spring. Others being appointed this spring include:
Susan McDaniel, the director of the Institute for the Family in the Department of Psychiatry and associate chair of the Department of Family Medicine, will be installed as the first Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families and Health at the School of Medicine and Dentistry during a ceremony May 7. The professorship, made possible by a gift from the Sands family, is named in honor of Laurie Sands ’76M (MD), a physician who practiced internal medicine in Rochester from 1979 until her death in 1995.
Jannick Rolland, a professor of optics and of biomedical engineering, will be installed as the first Brian J. Thompson Professor in Optical Engineering during a ceremony on April 22. The professorship is named in honor of Brian Thompson, provost emeritus, former dean of engineering, and former director of the Institute of Optics. The post was endowed by John Bruning, the former CEO of Corning Tropel Corp. to recognize Thompson for his leadership in optics and engineering at Rochester. Rolland also serves as an associate director of the Robert E. Hopkins Center for Optical Design and Engineering at the Institute of Optics. Formally dedicated in March, the center is named for Robert Hopkins, who led the Institute from 1954 to 1965, and supported through a gift from Bruning.
Ronald Schmidt, who developed and chaired the University’s Executive Development (M.B.A.) Program at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, has been named the first Janice M. and Joseph T. Willett Professor of Business Administration for Teaching and Service at the Simon Graduate School of Business. The professorship is named in honor of longtime Simon School benefactors Janice Willett ’78S (MBA), a trustee and financial writer and editor, and her husband, Joseph ’75S (MBA), a former CFO of Merrill Lynch and Co. Inc. and retired COO of Merrill’s European region. Schmidt was installed during a March 12 ceremony in New York City.
Toni Whited, an expert in finance, macroeconomics, and econometrics, was formally installed Feb. 24 as the first Michael and Diane Jones Professor of Business Administration at the Simon Graduate School of Business. The professorship is named in honor of trustee Michael Jones ’76 and his wife, Diane. Michael Jones was CEO and cofounder of Brighton, N.Y.–based Clover Capital Management, which was acquired by Pittsburgh-based Federated Investors Inc. in 2008. Jones remains chief investment officer of Federated Clover Investment Advisors.
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