The May meeting was held at UM-Dearborn.
The Regents unanimously approved the appointment of Gabriella Scarlatta as UM-Dearborn chancellor, effective May 22, 2026 through May 21, 2031.
Carmel Price, professor of sociology, was the faculty presenter. Her presentation was titled “A University-Community Partnership: Building Environmental Justice Capacity with Salina Schools.”
Chancellor’s update
Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta provided the following updates:
- UM-Dearborn students had a 63% medical school acceptance rate for the 2025 cycle. This rate is significantly higher than the national average of 45% for MD programs and 42% for DO programs. UM-Dearborn dental school admissions are equally remarkable, with a 67% acceptance rate from 2018 to 2024.
- The UM-Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 16 with a day and evening of family-friendly activities.
- UM-Dearborn’s College of Education, Health and Human Services and University Administration offices have moved back into their permanent home, which is now known as the Daniel Little Building. A building renaming event will be held on June 10.
- Chancellor Scarlatta acknowledged the UM-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey Team’s stellar year. The team made it to the ACHA semifinals and senior Cadence Pero was named ACHA Women's Division I Player of the Year. Coach Carrie Sirola, Assistant Coach Natalie Vaitas and players Kenna Borso and Stephanie Hatch attended the meeting and were recognized.
Faculty promotions
College of Arts, Sciences and Letters
William Clarkson, professor physics and astronomy, with tenure
Jie Fan, professor of biology, with tenure
Kalyan Kondapalli, professor of biology, with tenure
Simona Marcincean, professor of chemistry, with tenure
Carmel Price, professor of sociology, with tenure
Nadja Rottner, professor of art history, with tenure
Suvranta Tripathy, associate professor of physics, with tenure
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Georges Ayoub, professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, with tenure
Hugo Casquero Penelas, associate professor of mechanical engineering, with tenure
Junaid Farooq, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, with tenure
Jian Hu, professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, with tenure
Christopher Pannier, associate professor of mechanical engineering, with tenure
Zheng Song, associate professor of computer and information science, with tenure
Menqi Wang, professor of electrical and computer engineering, with tenure
College of Education, Health and Human Services
Kyongson Park, associate professor of education, with tenure
Reappointments of regular instructional staff and selected academic and administrative staff
Krisanu Bandyopadhyay, chair, Department of Natural Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences and Letters, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029
Natalia Czap, chair, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences and Letters, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029
Joint or additional appointments or transfers of regular associate or full professors and selected academic and administrative staff
Caitlin Finlayson, chair, Department of Language, Culture and the Arts, College of Arts, Sciences and Letters, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029
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View the Board of Regents May 2026 meeting agenda.
