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OBAMA
From Page 1A
sad because we were right here,"
Naidu said. "We were so excited
when we got into the building."
It was unclear exactly how
many students received tickets.
Michigan Union Director Susan
Pile said for security reasons, the
White House was not releasing
information regarding the exact
number of tickets to the event.
However, she said everyone
who camped out overnight and
received a voucher in line in the
early hours of the morning was
able to geta ticket, as well as some
students who showed up later in
the morning after vouchers were
done being passed out.
LSA freshman Stuart Ina-
huazo, who had camped out since
2 a.m. early Tuesday morning,
said after receiving his ticket, the
long wait was worth it.
"After all the rain and cold, it
feels great," Inahuazo said.
LSA juniors Qisi Yao and Bri-
LIEBERMAN
From Page 1A
rewarding," he added later in a
follow-up e-mail. "They're appre-
ciative and intellectually engaged,
and their enthusiasm redoubles
my own."
For the past 29 years, Lieber-
man has risen through the ranks
in the history department and the
Center for Southeast Asian Stud-
ies. He is currently the Raoul Wal-
lenberg Distinguished University
Professor of History, one of the
University's top honors for profes-
sors in the field, and teaches one
of the University's largest courses
each semester, which focuses on
the history of the Arab-Israeli
Conflict.
Out of more than 300 nominees
- the most in the award's 24-year
history - Lieberman stood out to
the Golden Apple Award Com-
mittee not only because of the
number of votes he received, but
because the comments accom-
panying the votes "highlighted
the characteristics of a profes-
sor truly deserving of the Golden
Apple Award," said LSA senior
Amalia Zimmerman, a member of
the committee.
"Victor Liebermanhas inspired
many students to look at the his-
tory of different peoples and cul-
tures," added Business senior
Jake Levey, another member of
the committee, in a statement.
"All of them are enamored by his
amazing breadth of knowledge
and his passion."
"It was a very memorable and
happy occasion," Lieberman said
of the committee's announcement
of the award in March. "I was
very grateful to receive it."
In class, Lieberman speaks
quickly, filling the entirety of
the time allotted with fact after
historical fact. His lectures are
authoritative and students dili-
gently recordevery word.
It is this perceived unbiased
presentation of historical facts
that students admire the most,
said LSA sophomore Ali Meisel,
who took Lieberman's course last
year.
Meisel said she was able to
form her own opinion of the
controversial subject matter in
a well-informed way because
of Lieberman's approach to the
class. This teaching style led her
to nominate him for the Golden
Apple this year.
"Lieberman made a point of
telling us that although he was
teaching us facts, the 'truth' of
the situation differed for different
groups," Meisel said. "Some pro-
fessors are particularly liberal or
ahna Anders, who came at 7:30
a.m., said they were unsure they
were goingto get tickets, but were
excited they did.
"It's just nice to see a current
president," Anders said. "It's a
cool event."
Pile, whose staff ran the ticket-
ing process, said she thought the
process went very well.
"The students were awesome,"
Pile said. "I think they were excit-
ed, they were energized about
being there, and I think overall
very appreciative of the opportu-
nity to get a chance to hear Presi-
dent Obama."
LSA senior Anne Krema, who
started camping out at 11:30 p.m.
Monday night, said she thought
that the line was fairly calm and
orderly throughout the night and
morning.
"There was kind of an under-
standing among the people in the
line - some people tried to cut
when the line was moving slow,
but everyone yelled at them,"
Krema said. "We've all been in
here all night, so people for the
conservative, and this affects how
they present the material in their
classes, but Lieberman chose to
leave out his personal opinions."
That's not to say the profes-
sor isn't without controversy. On
March 25, he presented a histori-
cal context of the Israeli-Palestin-
ian conflict at a Central Student
Government meeting during a
debate regarding a resolution that
supports the University's divest-
ment from certain companies that
allegedly support human rights
abuses in the region.
Many supporters of Students
Allied for Freedom and Equality,
a Palestinian human rights stu-
dent organization, contended that
Lieberman did not present both
sides of the conflict adequately,
adding that they asked him not
to speak at the meeting because
it was supposed to represent stu-
dents' and not faculty concerns.
Still, Meisel said she nominat-
ed Lieberman precisely because
he accounts for both sides of the
story in the ongoing conflict.
"Lieberman eloquently cov-
ered a major world conflict with-
in a single semester," she said.
"Instead of teaching the events as
neutral facts, he explained .them
from both the Palestinian and
Israeli narratives."
As part of the award, Lieber-
man will give his "last lecture"
Wednesday in Rackham Audito-
rium. The lecture, titled "What I
think I know About History," will
give an overview of human his-
tory as Lieberman has come to
view it.
"It's very broad," he said. "I
won't be accused of lack of ambi-
tion."
University President Mary Sue
Coleman will also address the
attendants at the event Wednes-
day.
"This is such a wonderful trib-
ute and I want to thank our stu-
dents for the honor," Coleman
said in a statement to the award
committee. "The Golden Apple
symbolizes the importance we
place on undergraduate teaching
at Michigan, and to be associated
with the program this way means
a great deal to me."
Lieberman's history
Lieberman, a self-described
"history buff," said he became
interested in history from a young
age and took classes on "every
part of the world" in college. But
as the Vietnam War escalated
and the United States became
more embroiled in the ongoing
conflict during his time in col-
lege, he focused his attention and
research on Southeast Asia.
most part areinan understanding
about that."
Monday night, Engineer-
ing senior Anshul Mehta cited
an unofficial numbering system
started by students that he said
worked well, though he added
that he wished University staff
had created an official line or
numbering system.
"Right now it's just a bunch of
kids trying to get order, and that
doesn't always work at four in the
morning," Mehta said. "That said,
this numbering system is work-
ing."
While the Obama's remarks
will begin at 2:30 p.m., doors
will open at 12:30 p.m. Univer-
sity spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald
said the University is confident
that everyone who received a
ticket will be able to get a spot,
despite some initial student con-
cern about a clause on the tick-
ets saying they do not guarantee
admission.
"Honestly, I just want to get a
selfie with the president in the
background," Mehta said.
After graduating first in his
class from Yale University in 1967,
Lieberman took a three-year hia-
tus to teach high school history -
and avoid serving in the Vietnam
War - before he earned a Ph.D. in
Southeast Asian history from the
University of London's School of
Oriental and African Studies in
1976.
"I found it topical, I found it
exciting," he said of his research
interests. "I thought I could say
something relatively novel."
He stayed in England until
1985, when he came to the Uni-
versity as an assistant professor
in Southeast Asian history and
taught a class about the Vietnam
War. In the mid-90s, as interest in
the war waned, Lieberman knew
he needed to change topics in
order to keep up with the interests
of his students.
He then began teaching the
course he is perhaps best known
for at the University, "History 244:
The History of the Arab-Israeli
Conflict." With lectures involv-
ing more than 400 students each
semester, the class is one of the
largest the University has to offer.
"I became addicted to the idea
of large, topical courses," he said.
"I looked around to see what
would be appropriate to replace
the Vietnam War course and I
thought the Mideast would fit that
description ... I thought it would
be useful for students, to provide
them with an overview and to
increase understanding and sym-
pathy for different perspectives."
In addition to his responsibili-
ties at the University, Lieberman
is the father of two daughters,
Jessica, 33, and Emily, 38 - both
of whom graduated from the Uni-
versity - and has six grandchil-
dren. He also has two "lovely"
sons-in-law, one of whom took his
class about the Vietnam War dur-
ing his undergraduate years at the
University and met his daughter
while enrolled in the Law School.
His wife of 43 years, Sharon,
passed away a few months ago.
In his spare time, the history
buff says he likes to spend time
with his grandchildren - who
live in Ann Arbor and nearby
Birmingham - as well as attend
Synagogue and exercise.
He also plans to travel more in
the coming years and is working
on a forthcoming book "Why Was
Nationalism European? Political
Ethnicity in Southeast Asia and
Europe, c. 1400-1850," which he
says will occupy him intellectual-
ly for the next two to three years.
"I don't know what I'll do after,
maybe I'll start anotherbook proj-
ect," he mused. "I don't know. I'll
just have to wait and see."
SLOTTOW
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degrees, through both online and
on-campus programs at more than
100 locations across the country.
The university was founded
in 1976 with the aim of serv-
ing working adults who desire
a degree in higher education
offered through flexible and
nearby classes. Today, the Uni-
versity of Phoenix is the largest
for-profit institution of higher
education in the country.
Slottow will fill the role
recentlyvacated by Bill Pepicello,
outgoing University of Phoenix
president, who has served in the
position since 1995.
In a press release, Marrilee
Lewis Engel, chair of the Univer-
sity of Phoenix board of trustees,
said Slottow's experience at the
University makes him an ideal
candidate for the position.
"Tim Slottow's leadership at
the University of Michigan ampli-
fies what he has done throughout
his accomplished career: deliver-
ing measurable results to public
and private organizations as they
embrace the principle of continu-
ous advancement and transition to
reach ambitious goals," Engel said.
Greg Cappelli, a member of
the University of Phoenix board
of trustees and the chief execu-
tive officer of Apollo Education
Group, the university's parent
company, discussed Slottow's
qualifications in an e-mail sent to
employees Tuesday.
"What stood out during our
interviews was Tim's personal
passion for our mission to pro-
SLEEP
From Page 1A
evidence showing that different
groups of clock neurons actually
play their own parts in keeping
time for the body.
"We used to think there was
one small set of neurons that were
the conductors," Shafer said.
"Our work suggests that it's more
of a committee decision. There
are several important groups of
time neurons that interact with
each other to produce a sense of
time."
The researchers studied fruit
flies, organisms with circadi-
an rhythms similar to those of
humans. Rackham student Zepeng
Yao said many of the 150 clock
neurons in fruit flies responded to
environmental cues rather than
cues from "conductor" neurons.
"Some of them might respond
to light information ... some of
vide the opportunities for stu-
dents to advance in their lives
- and in their careers - through
high-quality, accessible, higher
education programs," he wrote.
"He is determined to make edu-
cation work for working stu-
dents, and we're so incredibly
pleased that he chose us to fur-
ther his efforts."
Traditionally, the position of
University provost has been the
stepping-stone to the presidency
of another university. Former
University provosts Phil Hanlon
and Teresa Sullivan were selected
to lead other institutions - Dart-
mouth University and the Uni-
versity of Virginia, respectively
- during their tenures as provost.
In a letter to colleagues in
the University's Office of Busi-
ness and Finance, Slottow said
the country's future relies not
only on institutions like the Uni-
versity, but also on those more
focused on meeting the needs
of non-traditional, mid-career
adult students. With the Univer-
sity of Phoenix's online program,
a college education is available to
a larger number of students and
professionals.
"As you know, I am passion-
ate about higher education and
believe deeply in the important
role the University of Michigan
plays in preparing future leaders
and helping to solve many of our
most vexing societal challenges,"
he wrote. "We know, too, that
our country's competitiveness
will rely on the full spectrum of
higher education opportunities
to educate our workforce so it
can meet its potential and fuel
U.S. economic development."
The departure also poses an
them might be more sensitive to
temperature changes," Yao said.
"These cues will either advance
or delay the clock neurons."
Clock neurons are highly sensi-
tive in response to environmental
factors, Shafer said. The clock can
be prompted to reset by receiv-
ing a waking cue at a time when
it wants to sleep. For example, in
the modern world, the constant
input of light when clock neurons
want darkness can keep one's
body awake. In the same way, eat-
ing late at night can also reset the
clock.
"In this very complicated mod-
ern world, we get all the natural
cues - for example, the sun com-
ing up and going down every day,"
Shafer said. "People who stay up
late, they're getting conflicting
information about what time itis."
Failure to follow circadian
rhythms is associated with stress,
obesity, diabetes and cancer. Sha-
fer said in light of his research
Wednesday, April 2, 2014 - 3A
additional challenge for Uni-
versity President-elect Mark
Schlissel, who will need to fill
multiple interim positions at the
beginning of his term. S. Jack Hu
is currently serving as the inter-
im vice president for research,
and Michael Johns will fill in as
interim CEO of the University of
Michigan Health System follow-
ing Pescovitz's departure.
Duringhis 12 years inthe posi-
tion, Slottow led the University
through a number of cost-saving
initiatives designed to keep bud-
gets in check during a period of
declining state funding.
Slottow piloted programs such
as strategic sourcing - procure-
ment measures designed to save
money by buying equipment and
supplies in bulk across multiple
Universityunits - and the Admin-
istrative Services Transformation
Project- an initiative thatwilleen-
tralize department-level employ-
ees in a shared services center.
"Collectively we have met the
largest and smallest challenges
- posed by our external environ-
ment and rapidly changing cam-
pus needs - with innovative new
ways of doing business," Slottow
said in his statement.
In October, Slottow
announced the University's
endowment reached an all-time
high of $8.4 billion over the fiscal
year. The endowment is now the
second-largest of any public uni-
versity, according to the National
Association of College and Uni-
versity Business Officers and the
Commonfund.
During Slottow's time at the
University, the endowment has
increased from $3.5 billion in
2003 to $8.4 billion.
displaying how complex clock
neurons are, one should be wary
ignoring them.
"Not being able to follow your
own body clock is really bad for
you," Shafer said. "You shouldn't
continually ignore what time it is
in your brain... These are intricate,
highly evolved timepieces that are
there for a reason."
Although circadian rhythms
are far from completely under-
stood, Yao said this discovery
could lead to new insights. In the
long run, it could lead to a method
of targeting specific neurons to
reduce negative effects of deviat-
ing from the rhythms.
"We hope with our research
we can pinpoint which neurons
are responsible for which kinds
of behavior," Yao said. "We want
to see whether we can change
the properties with drugs or
other processes to alleviate
sleeping disorders and other
syndromes."
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