ONI I Ni ~I )\\ N )\46SI 110110 P1 10 I j Ann Arbor, Michigan UNIVERSITY FACULTY 'U' faculty retirement plan changes to save costs Wednesday, February 16, 2011 michigandaily.com Adjustments include pension 0 increases based on years of work By MICHELE NAROV Daily Staff Reporter University administrators recently announced changes to the retirement health care plan for faculty and staff that will alter when University employ- ees will become eligible for retirement and the contribu- tion to pension funds that the University makes on the date of their retirement. With the new plan, which is expected to be implemented in 2013, faculty and staff members will become eligible for retire- ment through a points system that takes into account their age and number of years at the Uni- versity. Additionally, the Uni- versity's financial contributions to pension funds will gradually increase based on the length of service of the faculty or staff member. According to a Feb. 14 Univer- sity press release, the new plan will save the University about $9 million by 2020 and $165 mil- lion by 2040. Laurita Thomas, the Univer- sity's associate vice president for human resources, said the University has an obligation to be as careful as possible with its funds, while ensuring quality service to community members. "The University is under significant fiscal and resource constraints," Thomas said. "We have goals to be as fiscally pru- dent with the resources we have as possible." The University's Committee on Retiree Health Benefits made recommendations last summer for the change in health ben- efits during the summer of 2010, according to the press release. For the new plan, the commit- tee made suggestions that facul- ty and staff members said were especially important including decreasing financial strain on See RETIREMENT, Page 3A toss School of Business Dean Bob Dolor (left) introduces Alison Davis-Blake at the Business School yesterday. Davis-Blake will replace Dolan as dean-in August. Business community meets nw Ross dean Alison Davis-Blake to be first female Business dean By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and MICHELE NAROV Daily News Editor and Daily Staff Reporter Alison Davis-Blake, the dean of the Carlson School of Man- agement at the University of Minnesota, will be the next dean of the Ross School of Busi- ness, according to an e-mail sent to Business School stu- dents from University Provost Philip Hanlon yesterday. Pending approval by the University's Board of Regents, Davis-Blake will start her term on Aug. 22. She will replace current Business School Dean Bob Dolan, who's held the post since 2001. Dolan announced last March that he wouldn't seek a third five-year term as dean. Davis-Blake - who will be the first female dean of the school - was formally intro- duced to the University com- munity during a lunch at the Davidson Winter Garden at the Ross School of Business yester- day. In an interview at the event, Davis-Blake said there were several aspects about the Busi- ness School that drew her to the University. "The three things I'm most excited about are the amaz- ing faculty, the world-class programs and, of course, the (University) itself - a great University with so many great programs," she said. Davis-Blake cited the Busi- ness School's motto, "leading in thought and action," as the basis for her future plans as dean. See DEAN, Page 3A UNIVERSITY RESEARCH 'U' Medical School receives largest sum of NIH funding School earned $368.7 million in grants in FY 2010 By CLAIRE GOSCICKI Daily StaffReporter The University announced this month that the Medical School received $368.7 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health during the 2010 fiscal year, signifying the largest amount of NIH grants secured by the school. The University's Medical School is ranked ninth on the list of national institutions that receive NIH funding, accord- ing to a Feb. 4 University of Michigan Health System press release. The NIH funding - which came from 866 separate grants - makes up nearly 77 percent of the $481.8 million in total funding brought in by Medical School facultythis year. "Our success at securing these awards reflects the cre- ativity, expertise and talent our researchers have been able to focus on the myriad health related problems facing our nation, and the potential impact of their ideas on medical care and scientific understanding of See NIH, Page 3A TODD NEEDLE/Daily Washington Post senior correspondent Rajiv Chandrasekaran speaks yesterday at the International Institute. WashPost international reporter talks future of Afghanistan war MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY Assembly decreases number of reps. on organization funding commission In lecture, Rajiv Chandrasekaran discusses COIN By PAIGE PEARCY Daily StaffReporter One year ago, Rajiv Chan- drasekaran, an associate editor and senior correspondent for The Washington Post, was up to his chest in water, working alongside American soldiers to forge a canal in a town in Afghanistan. Yesterday, Chandrasekaran found himself in a different atmosphere, as he stood before a crowd of roughly 80 people to talk about his experience as an embedded reporter in Afghani- stan. The lecture - delivered at the University's International Institute - drew University stu- dents, alumni and guests who filled almost every seat in the lecture hall. Chandrasekaran has been to Afghanistan 12 times in the last two years and writes mainly about counterinsur- gency (COIN) efforts and the implementation of United States See REPORTER, Page 3A New rule will allow for more non-MSA affiliates to serve By ROBIN VEECK Daily StaffReporter The Michigan Student Assem- bly passed a resolution at its weekly meeting last night that will decrease the number of rep- resentatives required to serve on its Student Organization Fund- ing Commission. Assembly representatives arrived at the decision because attendance at the commission's meetings this semester didn't meet the requisite number required by MSA. The resolu- tion - which passed by a 20-3 vote - changed the minimum number of MSA representatives required to attend SOFC meet- ings from half the commission's voting members to a minimum of four MSA members. The SOFC is composed of the Budget Priorities Commit- tee and the Community Service Committee. BPC meets three times a semester and is in charge of allocating roughly $150,000 in See MSA, Page 3A WEATHER HI: 49 GOT A NEWS TIP? TOMORROW LO: 48 Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and letus know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Basketball writers discuss keys to the game MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE GAME INDEX NEWS .........................2A CLASSIFIEDS............... 6A VolCXXI, No. 95 OPINION.....................4A SPORTS ....................7A ©20tTheMichiganDaily ARTS...........................SA THE STATEMENT.........1B mirhigondoily.com Sq*UE ..~ Vld odelinery ONLY. Squares Now Del r! Extea2321.Li 1 cou nper customer. SquaresDellvery.com Canntbe wih ay4theroffer. Mu l 3~f~respresent coupon atltime L$5 Minimum purchase for delivery - $2 Delivery charge :734-761-6700- of purchase. '