FOUR APPOINTED TO NAMED CHAIRS

Newly appointed Roswell Smith Burrows Professor of English, Joanna Scott is the broadly acclaimed author of four novels, among them The Manikin, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1997, and Arrogance, which among other honors received a nomination for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her new novel, Make Believe, will be published by Little, Brown and Company in February.

A recipient of prestigious MacArthur and Guggenheim Foundation fellowships, Scott recently also received the $75,000 Lannan Literary Award.

She has been a member of the University faculty since 1988, teaching courses in creative writing, contemporary literature, and Charles Dickens.

Established in 1901, the Burrows Professorship honors the father of the donor, Mary E. Stewart.

Douglas Ravenel, the newly appointed Daniel Burton Fayerweather Professor of Mathematics, is known internationally for his expertise in an area of mathematics with applications from robotics to the shape of the universe--algebraic topology, an abstract branch of mathematics that is a modern form of geometry. (See Notes on Research/FINALLY: MATHEMATICS TO EXPLAIN THE WONDERS OF GUMBY.)

He also is known for inventive ways to boost student interest in mathematics, and during the three years he has headed the Department of Mathematics, it has gained a national reputation for its innovative teaching. Among the innovations: a new way to use the Web to customize homework assignments and give students immediate feedback. Known as WeBWorK, the software package is now used by math teachers at several other universities. Last year his department received the Goergen award for Curricular Achievement.

Ravenel came to Rochester in 1988. The chair he now holds is named for a New York City leather merchant who left a bequest to the University at his death in 1890.

Hartmut Land, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has been appointed to the newly established Robert and Dorothy Markin Professorship. He joined the faculty earlier this year as director of the Center for Cancer Biology, a component of the new Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences.

Land was lead investigator in a recently published study showing that one of the body's most potent cancer-causing genes, known as "myc," not only spurs cells to grow but also knocks out the molecular signals that the cells rely on to retard growth--a double whammy that all too often results in cancer. While it is too early to determine the implications for treatment, the results of the study mark another step in the journey to unravel the cell-signaling network underlying the production of cancer cells.

The new chair honors Robert and Dorothy Markin, a Rochester couple. Robert Markin founded Markin Insurance Agency, which later became a part of Hatch-Leonard/Markin-Shaw.

Michael J. Barclay, professor of finance, is now also holder of the Simon School's Alumni Distinguished Professorship, established in 1986 primarily through alumni contributions.

A member of the faculty since 1985, Barclay has been ranked by Business Week as one of the top 12 business professors in the country. He received the Simon School M.B.A. Superior Teaching Award for each year from 1991 through 1995, and again in 1997 and 1998.

He has research interests in corporate finance, the structure of corporate liabilities, the role of large-block shareholders and active investors in public corporations, and the tax management strategies of mutual funds.

An associate editor of a number of professional journals, Barclay also has been engaged in a variety of management consulting activities and has served as an expert witness in cases involving securities litigation, financial market operations, and antitrust economics.

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