Regents roundup for December 2024

Chancellor's update

Chancellor Domenico Grasso provided the following university updates:

• Began with well wishes and appreciation for outgoing Regent Ron Wesier’s contributions to our England Engineering Lab Building 
• Shared news of our annual staff awards and 50-year employee John Kaszewski
• Thanked President Ono for his visit to the campus’ Natural Sciences Department in November 
• Provided a fall commencement update 
• Remarked about faculty media engagement regarding the 2024 presidential election, including 13 current/retired faculty members speaking to 56 media outlets
• Recently awarded $1.65 million grant from the Department of Defense to a multidisciplinary team of faculty from our CECS Sustainability Center
• News regarding Regent-elect and UM-Dearborn alum Carl Meyers' oath ceremony that will be held on campus later this week 

The following personnel appointments were approved:

New appointments of regular instructional staff

Taner Onsay, PhD, Clinical Professor of Mechanical Engineering, CECS, Sept. 1, 2024–April 30, 2025

Xin Xia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, CECS, Sept. 1, 2024–April 30, 2027

New appointments of instructional staff represented by the Lecturers’ Employee Organization

Samuel E. Enajero, PhD, Lecturer I in Social Sciences, CASL, Jan. 1–April 30, 2025

The following retirement memoir was approved

Kiumi Akingbehin, PhD, professor of Computer and Information Science in CECS, will retire from active faculty status on Dec. 31, 2024.

FY25 capital outlay request

Finally, the Computer and Information Science Building renovation project was submitted to the State of Michigan for capital outlay consideration. The renovation would address infrastructure and provide updates to the existing building with a small addition to accommodate the program. The estimated cost of this project is $40 million. This project was submitted last year to the state, however, at this time, no projects have been funded for the state’s current fiscal year. 

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View the Board of Regents meeting agenda.