The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, April 2, 2012 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, April 2, 2012 - 7A
'U' to hire four new deans
after slew of resignations
University students play with a dog at the Puppies on the Porch event on Friday.
Pupies on the Porch event
raises money for charities
More than 300
participate in Sigma
Chi and Pi Beta
Phi event
By PETER SHAHIN
Daily StaffReporter
Copper, a beagle mix, wandered
around anxiously, dodging the
adoring squeals of girls and the
mob of hands that reached down
to pet him at the Puppies on
the Porch fundraiser hosted by
the Pi Beta Phi sorority and the
Sigma Chi fraternity on Friday.
More than 300 people attend-
ed the event, which raised
money for the Greek organiza-
tions' principle philanthropies,
First Book, which provides new
books for low-income families,
and the Huntsman Cancer Foun-
DETROIT
From Page 1A
Schumack said the majority of
the houses in the neighborhood
were built in the 1930s to accom-
modate the influx of workers that
came to Detroit to work in the
then booming automobile indus-
try, but the homes were never
intended to be permanent struc-
tures. Many of the houses, even
the inhabited ones, are in poor
shape due to years of neglect or
abandonment, but according to
Schumack, the goal of the proj-
ect is to make the neighborhood
safer and nicer for the remaining
residents.
"The alternative is unaccept-
able to me under any circum-
stances," he said. "You'll have
one or two houses on a street that
are still inhabited, surrounded by
burned out, trash-filled, danger-
ous structures and drug houses
and prostitutes. Your children
have to walk by that every day on
their way to school ... That's the
alternative."
In the same neighborhood,
Hannah Smotrich, an associate
professor at the School, of Art &
Design, worked with University
students to strip the outside of an
abandoned house and replace the
dation. Proceeds also went to
the Lenawee Humane Society,
a non-profit, no-kill shelter in
Adrian, Mich.
The 12 puppies that partici-
pated in the event came from
the Lenawee Humane Society,
which manages 108 animals on a
budget of $27,000 a month.
LSA sophomore Sarah Gil-
berg, vice president of philan-
thropy for Pi Beta Phi, said she
was glad that her sorority came
together with Sigma Chi to put
on the event.
"Well, everyone loves puppies
and we thought that this would
be a good event to fundraise for
our philanthropy," Gilberg said.
Sasha Wilkerson, assistant
shelter manager at Lenawee
Humane Society, said she hopes
that the event was successful in
raising awareness about aban-
doned animals.
"(We want) to give a lot more
siding with large painted boards
with a map of rehabilitation,
demolition and gardening proj-
ects in the area. The work is part
of a semester-long project with
Neighbors Building Brightmoor.
"We came up with a concept
of what could be on the sides,
what could be useful to the com-
munity," Smotrich said. "They
would really like almost a'visitor
center' in a way ... it would be fun
to have an orientation for people
who don't live here."
At another site in Detroit, stu-
dents worked to help demolish
a series of houses to make way
for a community garden. Busi-
ness Senior Chris Sefcheck, who
volunteered with Phi Chi Theta,
a co-ed business and econom-
ics professional fraternity, said
he expanded his commitment
through the Detroit Partnership
to work on a weekly basis tutor-
ing elementary school students
in Detroit.
"It's very rewarding, it's great
to work one on one with the
kids," Sefcheck said.
At the end of the day, all of
the participants gathered in Sto-
epel Park near Detroit's west-
side to hear from community
leaders and activists about con-
tinuing projects and their appre-
ciation for the volunteers' time in
exposure and let people know
that there is this problem going
on," Wilkerson said. "There are
animals that need our help, so
the more people that can help,
the better."
LSA junior Anna Peters, a
member of the Zeta Tau Alpha
sorority, said she was excited to
see the puppies, adding that the
event was a unique method to
raise money for charity.
"This is an awesome way to
raise money for their philan-
thropies ... Everyone wants to
see puppies," she said.
LSA junior Olivia Roser said
that as a member of a sorority, it
was a great opportunity to sup-
port other Greek organizations.
"It is good to support other
Greek organizations' charity
events," she said. "It won't work
unless we have people that come
to our (events) and we go to
other organizations' (events)."
Detroit.
Speakers included Detroit
City Council members Saunteel
Jenkins and James Tate, Albert
Rush, pastor at West Outer
Drive United Methodist Church,
spoken-word artist Walter Lacy,
longtime community activist
Ron Scott and former Michigan
football coach Lloyd Carr.
"There's so many positive
things going on in Detroit," Jen-
kins told the crowd. "Detroit is a
delicate city. Just like we're full
of challenges, we're even more
full of opportunity."
After attending his first DP
Day last year, Carr said the num-
ber of students volunteering and
the variety of projects through-
out the city through the partner-
ship has continued to impress
him. He added that his message
to students was to keep contrib-
uting to their communities in
any way possible.
"You have to come here to
really see what it is all about,"
Carr said. "My message is that
you can't do everything, but
you can do something. We're
not going to rebuild the city of
Detroit in one day, or one year,
or one decade, (but) I want to
emphasize that what they're
doing is something and it's
important."
Dentistry, Law,
Library, LSA deans
to leave posts in
2013
By AARON GUGGENHEIM
Daily StaffReporter
Come 2013, the University
will have four new deans to help
lead the institution. At a Mar.
26 meeting of the Senate Advi-
sory Committee on University
Affairs, University Provost Phil-
lip Hanlon announced that four
deans - Dean of Libraries Paul
Courant, Law School Dean Evan
Caminker, Dentistry School
Dean Peter Polverini and LSA
Dean Terrence McDonald - will
step down from their positions
followingthe next school year.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said Hanlon will
appoint four different search
committees of faculty and stu-
dents to find a new dean for
each school. He explained that
an active University dean will
help guide the committee's rec-
ommendation and inform the
committee about the role of a
University dean.
Fitzgerald said each search
committee will then submit
three candidates to Hanlon and
University President Mary Sue
Coleman, who will make the
final decisions.
McDonald, Caminker and
Polverini, who have been deans
since 2003, will have all served
two five-year terms when they
step down. Courant will have
served a five-year term and an
18-month term.
Fitzgerald said deans normal-
ly serve two five-year terms and
added that this transition is typi-
cal. He explained that Courant
requested to step down after 18
months instead of completing
his second five-year term.
Courant wrote in an e-mail
interview that during his tenure
as dean, he has helped move the
library into a position to take
advantage of "digital technolo-
gies in the academic world."
"It was and is a struggle and
we have not moved as far as I
had hoped," Courant wrote.
Courant wrote that he is
proud of his work improving
the physical environment of the
University libraries.
"(We were able to) create
welcoming and productive
spaces for students and faculty
to hang out and work, and for
the broader community to enjoy
the libraries treasures and con-
tributions by faculty, students
and visitors," he wrote.
After almost 30 years serving
as University provost, director
of the Institute of Public Policy
Studies and chair of the eco-
nomics department, Courant
wrote that he plans to return to
teaching and researching at the
University.
"I want to ... while I've still
got some energy," he wrote.
Law School Dean Caminker
said he has been satisfied with
his work in improving and
expanding the facilities of the
Law School.
"We are very pleased to have
expanded and updated and
modified the building spaces for
appropriate 21st century legal
pedagogy," he said.
Caminker added that he
helped transition the Law School
to focus on teaching skills-based
learning by providing opportuni-
ties for law students to have real-
world clients and participate in
simulation courses.
"(They are) all designed to
make sure our students not only
think like lawyers, but actually
learn how to be lawyers so they
can hit the ground running," he
said.
Caminker said he hopes his
successor continues the Law
School's emphasis on the learn-
ing initiatives he promoted dur-
ing his tenure.
"There are some potentially
significant changes in the legal
profession right now that (will)
likely influence the way law
schools ought to prepare stu-
dents for practice," he said.
After his service as dean,
Caminker said he will step
down to teach and conduct
research as a faculty member at
the Law School.
Polverini said he has found
the success of his faculty to
be the most rewarding part of
being a dean. He added that
he is proud of the innovative
research by his faculty, com-
menting specifically on the
research on regenerative medi-
cine.
"Any dean measures his or
her success on other peoples'
success," he said.
Polverini said despite an
increase in funding from the
National Institutes of Health,
tough economic conditions have
made it difficult to invest in
research. Still, he said the Dental
School's investments have paid
off.
He added that he is glad
for the independence that the
administration has given him
involving research programs.
"They certainly have provid-
ed some important guidance,"
he said. "They have been very
supportive of what we do."
Polverini said after his ten-
ure is finished, he would rather
help shape health care policy
in the dental field than return
to research, adding this would
require an increase in preventa-
tive care and education.
"My goal is to do something
entirely different," he said. "(I
want) to try and look how we
can operationalize the evolving
field of perspective health care
in dentistry."
McDonald wrote in a letter to
LSA faculty and staff that he is
proud to have served as dean.
"I have found my time in
deanship to be endlessly inter-
esting, energizing and inspir-
ing," he wrote.
McDonald wrote that he feels
his accomplishments include
hiring distinguished faculty and
expanding the number of tenure
track faculty by 10 percent.
"The foundation of our suc-
cess has been an enormous
and continuous investment in
faculty," he wrote. "We have
enlivened the intellectual atmo-
sphere on campus."
McDonald added thathe is also
pleased to have invested in the
infrastructure of LSA. He stated
that more than $70 million have
been spent to improve classrooms
and learning spaces, including
$1.5 million that were invested in
building a wireless network.
After nearly a decade as dean,
McDonald wrote that he plans
to return to teaching.
"It has been a privilege to be
your dean but most importantly
to me, to be, first and always,
your faculty colleague," he
wrote.
FOLLOW THE DAILY
ON TWITTER
@michigandaily
@michidandaily
@michdailynews
@michdailysports
@michdailyarts
@michdailyoped
@michdailyphoto
@michdailydesign
*This offer is not YWid an LMW bmOrmr sLjW lo creM and coWOspuat WvW vft EI[lydwalk WRW qbUf
Arn at P a Rate W9 c4 Horne a ti + : andghlip bmm8