Outlook / the University of Maryland, College Park (2000)

UpUk U^Uoo\

Outlook

The University of Maryland Faculty and Staff Weekly Newspaper

Volume 15 'Number 7 • October 10, 2000

University Awash in New NSF Grants

Faculty & Staff

Convocation,

3:00 p.m. Tuesday,

Oct. 10, University

Chapel

Convocation, page 4-5

NSF Funds New National Center to
Tackle Issues of Math Education

Materials Research Center at Maryland
and Rutgers Gets $10 million from NSF

As part of its effort to address
critical issues relating to mathemat-
ics education, particularly a growing
shortage of mathematics teachers at
all levels, the National Science
Foundation has awarded $9 million
to support a new Mid-Atlantic
Center for Mathematics Teaching
and Learning to he hased at the uni-
versity's College of Education.

The center is a cooperative ven-
ture between Maryland, the Univer-
sity of Delaware and the Pennsylva-
nia State University, and their school
partners: Prince George's County
Public Schools, the Delaware Depart-
ment of Education and Pittsburgh
Public Schools.

Hi is NSF award brings external
funding for the College of Education
to $ 1 6.6 million so far this fiscal
year, up from a total $1 1.2 million
for all of last year.

The new center, one of two being

Mater

funded by NSF, aims to address the

quality of teacher education and to

support teachers before and after

they enter the classroom. This is

particularly important as the

nation is engaged in sig- <1 Tl S / >>

nificant reform in the > "Si *** -* t*

teaching of school

mathematics.

The center will
provide innovative
graduate programs
to prime the
pipeline with doc-
toral students who
will lead the research,
curriculum development
and teacher education pro-
grams of tomorrow. It will also
offer pre-service and in-service
mathematics education for today's
K-12 teachers.

Funding for this center was

continued on page 6

^YI>

The National Science Foundation
(NSF) has announced that it is funding a
aterials Research Science and Engineer-
ing Center (MRSEC) at the

University of Maryland and
Rutgers, The State Univer-
sity of New Jersey. The
joint center is a part-
nering of the
University of
Maryland's existing
NSF-supported
MRSEC with materi-
als research at
Rutgers. The joint
center will receive $ 1
million over five years, of
which approximately S I
million will go to Rutgers and
tlie rest to Maryland. Research and out-
reach activities will be conducted by
both universities.

The Maryland/Rutgers center is one of
29 MRSECs representing a total annual

NSF investment of $52.5 million. "Tlie
products of modern materials research
impact our economy and our everyday
lives," said Thomas Weber, director of
NSF's Division of Materials Research. "The
centers address fundamental science and
engineering problems in the creation of
new materials. They also provide students
a highly interdisciplinary education that is
prized by potential employers in industry,
academia and government,"

Researching for a Revolution

Under the leadership of Ellen Williams,
a professor of physics at the University of
Maryland and director of the joint center,
faculty at Maryland and Rutgers arc con-
ducting basic materials research that has
the potential to revolutionize electronics
;uul many other application areas. "In the
MRSEC we are bringing together the
many talents of our two campuses and
our external collaborators into an inter-

continued on page 6

Geologist Examines University's
Administrative Bedrock

When Assistant Provost Ann
Wylie grew up in west
Texas, everyone was in
the oil business In one way or
another. Her stepfather and uncle
were in the industry, her grandfa-
ther was a petroleum geologist, and
after a stint as a mathematics major,
Wylie herself succumbed. "One
geology course and 1 was hooked,"
she says. "What 1 really liked was
problem solving. So the confluence
of two things, an immediate love for
the subject and this solution that
was mathematical, came together
and 1 decided to major in geology."

Now Wylie explores the bedrock
of Maryland, the institution.

In February, after 28 years of
teaching and fulfilling administra-
tive roles in the department of geol-
ogy, the distinguished scholar and
teacher stepped into the newly cre-
ated position of assistant provost,
bringing with her a long term per-
spective well-suited to a job charac-
terized by evolving responsibilities.

Hired in essence to advance
Provost Gregory Geoffroy's agenda,
Wylie meets with him daily, reviews
his mail, delegates assignments and,
most importantly, takes responsibil-

ity for writing proposals, such as
selling the idea of funding a bio-
sciences building to the state legis-
lature, and explores areas of aca-
demic policy in which the provost
is interested. Wylie chairs commit-
tees, supervises the office of
Organizational Effectiveness, and
acts as the provost's liaison on the
Senate Executive Committee.

"The Provost is a very busy per-
son with an amazing schedule. You
look at his calendar and there's
somebody coining to see him all the
time. He can't get things initiated
very easily without help," she says.

One of Wylie 's current projects is
to devise strategies to improve grad-
uation rates by encouraging full
time enrollment and sustained aca-
demic progress. Policies put into
place in the seventies designed to
give students flexibility greatly favor
part-time enrollment. "There is noth-
ing wrong with flexibility, truly, but
it creates a situation where we
don't make the case for full time,"
Wylie says.

Full-time students get through
college faster with less debt. They

continued on page 3

ACE Fellow Sandra Terrell Chooses Maryland
for Educational Leadership Training

As an American Council on Education fellow,
Sandra Terrell was free to choose from thousands
of colleges and universities when deciding where
she would spend her fellowship year in the
nation's premier higher education leadership
development program.

When she decided on Maryland, she became
the first ACE fellow in over two decades to come
from another institution for a year of intensive
training with this university's top administrators.

"I had the choice of any college or university,
you name it," says Terrell (pronounced TERR-ell),
associate dean of graduate studies at the Univer-
sity of North Texas. "The University of Maryland,
College Park, has not only met but exceeded my
every expectation."

The ACE Fellows Program is the only national,
individualized, long-term professional development

program in higher education that provides on-the-job experience to benefit partici-
pating institutions.

Each year, some 80 to 100 colleges and universities advance nominations for the
program, Thirty to 35 of those nominees eventually are named fellows, They spend
their fellowship years learning about educational leadership and administrative
organization. They also observe the relationships between the president, senior
administration, the governing board, the legislature, business and industry, public
schools and the broader community.

"It's a great way to develop future university leaders," says Greg Geoffrey, senior
vice president for academic affairs and provost.

During Terrell's 2000-01 fellowship year, Geoffrey and Charles Middle ton, vice

continued on page 3

Sandra Terrell

October 10, 2000

dateline

maryland

Your Guide to University Events
October 1 1-18

ongoing

Weekends through Oct. 22:
The Maryland Renaissance
Festival. Madrigal singers, axe-
hurling contests, jousting
matches and lust)' wenches
take guests back in time to
the year 1537. Shops offer
hand-made leather armor,
blown glass and more.The
festival takes place in "Revel
Grove," on Crownsville Road,
Crownsville (in Anne Arundel
County, just outside of Anna*
polis). For events listings, a
photo gallery, directions, park-
ing information and more,
visit the Web site at www.
rennfest.com/mrf/index.html.
Or contact Tony Korol, UM
Theatre Dept., 5-6691, 410667-
8523 or ktkoroI@yahoo.com.

October 1

11 a.m. -12:30 p.m.. Discus-
sion: 'Group Assignments and
Team Projects: How Do We
Get Them to Work?" Critique
Hall, 0104 Plant Sciences. (De-
tails in For Your Interest,
page 8.) Contact Inayet Sahin,
5-9980 or cte@umail.umd.edu.

4-5 p.m., Distinguished Scho-
lar-Teacher lecture: "New Art,
Old Masters:The Public Role
of Artists and Intellectuals" by
Dr. Linda Kaufman, Depart-
ment of English. 2203 Art-
Sociology Building. Reception
follows the lecture. Contact
Betty Fern at 5-3805 or at
bf3@uma il.umd.edu.

October 1;

8 a.m.-3 p.m., Event: Graduate
School Fair. (I>etails in For
Your Interest, pages.)
Stamp Student Union, Colony
Ballroom. Contact the Gradu-
ate School's Office of Gradu-
ate Minority Education at 301-
405-4183, 1-800-245-4723,
cdoswcll@deans.umd.edu or
jgdavts@deans.umd.edu.

1 p.m., Discussion:"How to
Successfully Apply for One-
year Science and Technology
Policy Fellowships in Wash-
ington, DC, for September
2001." Staff from the Ameri-
can Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science will
meet with scientists and engi-
neers. 41 00-D McKeldin
library. Contact Anne Geroni-
mo at 5-4 1 78 or ageronimo*?'

umresearch . umd . edu .

3:30 p.m., Seminar: "The
Transformation of Financial
Industries through Internet
Technologies." Sudhakar V.
Shenoy, chairman and founder
of Information Management
Consultants, Inc. will discuss
the impact of Internet tech-
nologies on the financial servic-
es endustry. Part of a lecture
series, "Leveraging Corporate
Knowledge." Marriott Room,
Van Munching Hall, Robert H.
Smith School of Business. For
more information or to register,
5-4448 or e-mail gthacker
©rhsrnith.urnd.edu. See also
www. rhsmith . umd . edu/ckim.

4:30-7:30 p.m. Workshop: "Ad-
vanced HTML." Introduces style
sheets and image mapping.
Additional topics covered will
be constructing graphic anima-
tion with banners and graphic
images to enhance Web page
presentations. 4404 Computer
& Space Science. Register via
the Web at www.umd.edu/PT,
For more information, 5-2938
or cwpost@umd. edu.*

October 14

8 p.m., Performance: "Lite Lem-
per, Punishing Kiss." Lisner Au-
ditorium, George Washington
University, 730 21st Street NW.
For information, call 301-808-
6900 or www.dcketmaster.com,*

October 15

7:30 p.m.. Performance: "Bale
Folclorico de Bahia.'The only
professional folk dance compa-
ny in Brazil presents its pulse-
quickening performance of
Carnavat 2000! Concert Hall,
George Mason University. For
information call Center for the
Arts, 703-993-8888; for tickets,
ProTix, 703-218-6500."

October 16

3-5 p.m., Panel Discussion:
"Race, Politics, and Aesthetics in
Contemporary Cuba," with
Jerome Branche, University of
Pittsburgh; Narcisso Hidalgo,
University of South Carolina;
Conrad James, University of Bir-

October 13

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center pres-
ents the tamed Takacs Quartet, who will team
witli special guest pianist Andreas Haefliger in a
concert featuring works of Beethoven, Bartok
and Dvorak. The concert is part of the cham-
ber and early music series.

Four students at Budapest's Liszt Academy
formed the Takacs Quartet in 1975. After
winning multiple competitions in the late
1970s and early 1 980s, the quartet under-
went a change in personnel, leaving two of
the original Hungarians and adding two
British musicians.

The concert will be performed at 8 p.m.
at the University of Maryland University
College Inn and Conference Center, University
Boulevard & Adelphi Road, College Park. Dan
DeVany of WETA-FM and a member of the Takacs
Quartet wiU host a pre-concert discussion exploring
the evening's program at 6:30 p.m. For additional
information, call 301-405-7847.*

mingham; Michael Mason, Smith-
sonian Institution. Multi-Purpose
Room, Nyumburu Cultural
Center. For more information,
contact the Committee on
Africa & the Americas, 5-6835.

6-9 p.m., Workshop; "Introduc-
tion to Adobe PageMaker"
Introduces professional page
layout techniques. Topics cov-
ered include working with
text, importing graphics, text
flow and placement, master
page setup, running headers
and footers, designing brochure
quality work using the editing
and construction tools of the
tool palette. 3332 Computer &
Space Science. Register via the
Web at www.umd.edu/PT. For
more information, call 5-2938,
or cwpost@umd.edu,*

October 17

4-5 p.m., Distinguished Scholar-
Teacher lecture: "Smaller, Faster,
Cheaper: From Transistors to
Artificial Microstructures" by
Dr. Christopher Lobb, Depart-
ment of Physics. 1412 Physics.
Reception follows the lecture.
Contact Reka Shanmugavel at 5-
5946 or reka@physics.umd.edu.

5 p.m., Panel Discussion: "Snow
Falling on Cedars "The Terrapin
Reading Society hosts a discus-
sion of David Guterson's con-
troversial work. (Details in FOR
Your Interest, page 8.) 1137
Stamp Student Union. For infor-
mation, contact the Office of
Undergraduate studies at 5-9357.

6-9 p.m. Workshop : " Basic Com-
puting Technologies at Mary-
land." Introduces network tech-
nologies such as file transfer
between local and host ma-
chines anywhere in the world

via FTP; reading, subscribing
and posting on newsgroups
using Netscape; subscribing
and sending document attach-
ments using Pine, 3330 Compu-
ter & Space Science. For more
information, 5-2938 or e-mail
cwpost@umd.edu. Register
online at ww.umd.cdu/PT.*

October 1

3-5 p.m., Community Forum
to provide updated informa-
tion about campus construc-
tion projects and their impact
on traffic, parking, pedestrian
access and utilities. All are
invited. 1412 Physics. Contact
Richard Stimpson, 4-7775 or
rstimpson@oz, umd.edu,

5:307:30 p.m., Reception:
"Crosscurrents 2000: Handle
With Care, Loose Threads in
Fiber." (Details in FOR YOUR
INTEREST, page 8.) Art Gallery,
Art-Sociology Bldg. See also
www. inform . umd . ed u/ArtGal .

6-9 p.m. Workshop: "Intro-
duction to Microsoft Power-
Point." Provides a basic intro-
duction to designing effective
and professional-looking
slides, overheads, and comput-
er-based presentations. Also
covered will be adding clip
art, creating color schemes, or-
ganizing text, etc. 4404 Com-
puter & Space Science. For
more information, call 5-2938
or e-mail cwpost@umd,edu.
Register via the Web at
www.umd.edu/ FT.*

October 19

calendar guide:

Calendar phone numbers listed as 4-xxxx or 5-kxxx stand for the prefix 314- or 405. Events are free and

open to Die public unless noted by an asterisk ('). Calendar information for Outlook is compiled from a

combination of inlorWs master catendar and submissions lo the Outlook office.

To reach the calendar editor, call 405-7615 or e-mail lo oullook@accmaii.umd.edu.

4:30-7:30 p.m., Workshop:
"Introduction to Adobe Photo-
shop." Introduces the industry
benchmark graphic manipula-
tion package for creating pro-
fessional quality graphics.
Concepts covered: basic tool-
bar, palettes, layers, image fil-
ters and resolution. Digital
image concepts with empha-

sis on Web-based graphics are
also covered. 4404 Computer &
Space Science. For more infor-
mation, 5-2938 or e-mail
cwpost@umd.edu. Register
online at www.umd.edu/PT.*

8 p.m. Lecture: "Water, Earth
and Society: the Mono Lake
Story" by Paul Tomascak. (De-
tails in For Your Interest,
page 8.) 1 140 Plant Sciences.
Contact Bill Minarik, 5-4365 or
minarik@geol.umd.edu. See
also www.geoI.umd.edu/pages/
EventsN ews/pu bl i c . htm .

Outlook

( hitlwk is the weekly faculty-staff
newspaper serving tile University of
Maryland campus community.

Brodie Remington -Vice President for
University Relations

Teresa FJannery • Executive Director
of University Communications arid
Director of Marketing

George Cathcart ■ Executive Editor

Cynthia Mitchel • Assistant Editor

Patty Heneu ■ Graduate Assistant

Letters to the editor, story suggestions
and campus information are welcome,
['lease submit all material two weeks
before die Tuesday of publication.

Send material to Editor, OiirJtwfe. 2101
Turner Hall, College Park. MD 20742

Telephone • (301) 405-4629

Fix - (301) 314-9344

I- tn.li! ' oudook@accntail.untd.edu

Ouifook mn bl found miiitx at
ivu 'ii : ii ifonn . mi i <L ttltt /outlet i k I

Outlook

Sandra Terrell

continued from page I

chancellor for academic affairs, are Terrell's mentors.
"She is in many ways shadowing me, attending various
meetings and activities in which I'm engaged,"
Geoffroy says.

That suits Terrell. "He is an incredible administrator.
I am attending meetings with him, getting a real feel
for what it takes to be a senior administrator and a
leader on a campus that is inundated with superb
leaders."

The focus of her fellowship project is faculty-build-
ing for the 21st century. With that in mind, she nar-
rowed her search for a host institution to research
universities in the South, eventually focusing on insti-
tutions in North Carolina, Georgia and Maryland. Her
final choice was between a Georgia university and
Maryland, both of which pulled out the stops in their
recruitment efforts.

"ft became very apparent that I really had a tough
choice to make. I mean to tell you, they rolled out the
welcome mat," she says. "1 thought to myself, I've got a
problem. But it did not take very long — a matter of a
week — until 1 knew I needed to come to the
University of Maryland, College Park."

Right now, she says, she's in a learning mode.
"Observing, listening, reflecting, meeting with my

mentors. Even President Mote — I know if I send him
an e-mail, he will respond."

Terrell has met with Chancellor Donald
Langenberg and plans to attend university system
meetings and visit other Maryland campuses. "I want
to see how the flagsliip university fits in, how it
relates to system issues," she says. " I want to learn
about and absorb all facets of the university, to find
out how the administrators got there as leaders, the
characteristics of the people who make things hap-
pen. How they see themselves as leaders is a really
important point in this program."

As part of her fellowship, die University of North
Texas will send her to Mexico and South Africa. And
she must keep up with her professional obligations
relating to her academic discipline, speech pathology
with a language and culture specialty. She has a book
chapter due in December, "so I'll be spending some
time in the library getting that done," she says.

She also will be working with Council of Graduate
Schools, located in Washington, D.C., as chair of the
advisory committee on minorities in graduate educa-
tion and member of the organization's board of direc-
tors. As president of the Conference of Southern
Graduate Schools, she will preside over its annual
meeting is in February, in Richmond, Va.

Which begs the question; What does she do in her
spare time?"! do have a life," she says, laughing. "My

children are all in Texas. The oldest is in graduate
school at the university of North Texas, in information
technologies, working on her master's degree. My two
younger children, a son and a daughter, are at the
University of Texas, Austin. My daughter is pre-med, my
son in mechanical engineering. They re doing great.
This was, I guess, my development time."

As the host institution, the university is providing
Terrell with office space, administrative support, and a
fellowship fee and development funding. Her home
university pays her salary and benefits. The American
Council on Education guidelines say that fellows are
expected to return to their home institution for at
least one year after the fellowship year.

According to the American Council on Education,
the last time the university was host to a fellow was
1990-91, when Judy Olian, now the senior associate
dean of the Smith School of Business, received the
fellowship and chose to stay at her home Institution
for the year.

The university was both nominee and host in
1979-80 for fellow Robert Ridky, associate professor
of geology. And English professor Theresa Colletti
spent 1989-90 at the University of California, Santa
Barbara.

But not since 1 976-77, when Gene Sherron of
National Defense University in Washington, D.C., has
the university been host to an ACE fellow.

Ann Wylie

continued from page 1

also have a longer lifetime earn-
ing potential. Wylie, die mother
of four children, believes par-
ents expect their daughters and
sons to get through college in
four years but the university
doesn't strongly convey that
expectation. "We actually had a
practice over the last some
years to suggest to people that
they don't register for IS cred-
its. 'Oh, why don't you just try
12? And I think that our stu-
dents are very good and that
they can easily do 1 5 credits a
semester. And we ought to
make it clear to them that this
is the wise course."

Wylie went to college in the
mid-1960s, during a time when
the majority of women became
secretaries or teachers. Alter
working as a secretary one
summer, Wylie made up her
mind to go to graduate school.

"I went to Columbia because
I wanted to go to New York,
and I walked into the most
exciting world that you could
possibly imagine "Wylie says.
"Columbia was the center of
the unraveling ;ind understand-
ing of plate tectonics, which
was a new paradigm for the
way the earth worked. It was
the most exciting, dynamic,
stimulating place I could possi-
bly imagine. There were discov-
eries being made all the time."
Wylie's interest was in econom-
ic geology, the recovery of min-
erals and metals that are mined
for practical, industrial uses. Of
the 150 graduate students at
Columbia, she was one of only
three women.

After graduation in 1972 she-
applied lor the job of assistant

"What I really
liked was
problem solving.
So the confluence
of two things,
an immediate love
for the subject
and this solution
that was
mathematical,
came together/'
— Ann Wylie

professor of geology at the Uni-
versity of Maryland. Meanwhile,
she also interviewed at the U.S.
Bureau of Mines.

"The Bureau of Mines at that
time was completely male and
completely white. And not only
male and white, but short-
haired male and white, "Wylie
recall s, " I n 1 97 2 , s hort haired
meant very conservative and
old fashioned and women-
don' t-belong-in-the- workplace .' "
At an interview at die bureau,
the man in charge of placing
women and minorities asked
Wylie if she was a "women's lib-
ber." After she assured him that
she wasn't a trouble maker but
that she certainly did believe in
equal pay and equal opport uni-
ty, they went to meet her
potential boss.

"The man behind the desk
didn't even stand up and shake
my hand. He just looked at me
and he said, 'at least you're mar-
ried." "Wylie laughs heartily. "The

fact that I'd gotten an interview
had nothing to do with my abil-
ities, my training, my interests
or anything that I could con-
tribute. I knew that right away.
He had just had an opening
and was being forced into
interviewing someone who
was completely unqualified for
what he wanted. He just saw
me as being crammed down
his throat."

Shortly afterward, Wylie was
offered the job as assistant pro-
fessor of geology; she was the
first woman to be hired by die
department of agronomy. In
1973, the university launched
the undergraduate geology pro-
gram, followed a decade later
by the graduate program.

Wylie played an important
role in the growth and develop-
ment of both programs in the
new department. At various
times throughout her tenure
she acted as graduate director,
undergraduate director and

associate dean of the graduate
school.

Wylie worked all the time.
She worked nights and week-
ends, and when she wasn't
working she was taking care of
her children. "My job was a
very high priority, but if I had
to take a child to the doctor, I
didn't have to ask anybody for
permission. Which was won-
derful. I don't think I could
have done this— had my chil-
dren and maintained my
career — if I hadn't had the sup-
port of my department and the
institution."

Wylie began at Maryland
with nothing, "No lab. No
microscope. No startup money,"
she says. "I had to decide what I
was going to do to t>e produc-
tive as a scientist."

Ironically, the US Bureau of
Mines — the same Bureau of
Mines that had rejected Wylie—
provided an answer. The bureau
had a research laboratory in

what is now microbiology. So
Wylie went over and asked if
they had any problems that a
mineralogist would be helpful
in solving.

The EPA and OSHA had just
been established, and the first
laws regulating asbestos were
being felt by the entire mining
industry — not just the asbestos
mining industry, but the
crushed stone industry, the cop-
per mining industry, the gold
mining industry and the iron
mining industry.

'Die bureau asked Wylie if
she could develop methods to
draw distinctions between dan-
gerous types of asbestos and
less harmful forms. Over the
years, Wylie became a world-
renowned expert on asbestos.
She testified extensively about
the fibrous mineral in impor-
tant cases that changed Federal
law. "And that's how I got start-
ed in the Bureau of Mines," she
says with a sly smile. "I worked
for them for many years. They
bought me a facility, and I used
undergraduates in my research."

With days spent primarily as
a teacher and researcher now
past, the successful scientist
turned academic administrator
is no less entranced with
today's work. Nor is she enjoy-
ing a lull in her schedule. In
addition to all her other duties,
Wylie is teaching a graduate
course this semester and chair-
ing the Campus Assessment
Working Group (CAWG) and
the Provost's Advisory Commit-
tee on Admissions and Advising
(PACAA).

"It matters that I've been
able to do what I've done. I'm
very grateful, and I am trying to
give back to the institution,"
Wylie says. "I don't have any
grand ambitions beyond that."

October 10, 2000

University Honors Staff,

Nearly a dozen members of the faculty and staff will be honored for their contributions to making the University of Maryland great at the annual
Faculty-Staff Convocation at 3 p.m. today (Tuesday, Oct. 10) in Memorial Chapel. All faculty and staff are invited to attend. On these pages,
Outlook publishes the citations for the winners of the President's Medal, the Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize, the Kirwan
Undergraduate Education Award and the President's Distinguished Service Awards. The staff of Oudook and University Communications joins the uni-
versity community in saluting all of them.

PRESIDENT'S MEDAL AWARD RECIPIENT

Wiiiiam L. Thomas, Jr.

Vice President for Student Affairs

Recognized as one of the premier student affairs vice presi-
dents in the country, William L Thomas, Jr. has proven himself a
valued leader in his more than 25 years of service to the univer-
sity. "The words 'intelligence," integrity' and 'dedication' come to
mind when describing Bud Thomas," says Gerald R Miller, pro-
fessor of chemistry and biochemistry. "He is fired by a deep
inner core, grounded in a commitment to make a positive dif-
ference in the world.'Through his efforts to improve the aca-
demic and social lives of students, as well as create an atmos-
phere of achievement for his colleagues, Thomas has propelled
the university to national recognition.

Thomas has been the impetus behind a myriad of projects
during his tenure, not the least of which is bridging the gap
between student affairs and academic affairs. His efforts in this
area have resulted in the creation of the College Park Scholars
Program and Civicus. Not one to shy away from the controver-
sial to do what he believes will benefit the university commu-
nity, Thomas also implemented reforms to curb the use of alco-
hol by fraternities and sororities.

Thomas lias also played the lead role in bringing about many
of the institutions that have made the university the success
that it is today. With his sights set on enriching the lives of stu-
dents, he has pursued several initiatives. Shuttle-UM, which has
become so much a part of everyday life at the university, would
not be the convenient reality that it is had Thomas not pushed
for it years ago. Similarly, it was Thomas' vision that brought
about the construction of the Nyumburu Cultural Center and
the Campus Recreation Center.

In addition to the work he does behind the scenes. Thomas
has taught in the College of Education's Department of

Counseling and Personnel Services. Each

year he leads a section of graduate students

through a doctoral seminar, which some

students have called the highlight of their

academic careers. Thomas' experiences

working in both the faculty and staff sides

of the university enabled him to help author the revised honor

code, and he is presently working to extend the university's

academic integrity system to foster ethical development among

students.

Part of the reason that Thomas has been so successful is that
he is an adept leader who knows how to attract other great
leaders. An impressive percentage of his appointees have
earned the President's Medal, the President's Distinguished
Service Award and even national honors. His ability to manage,
delegate and work collaboratively with the high-caliber profes-
sionals he recruits brings out the best in all of those with
whom he works.

Over the years, Thorn as has received awards and designa-
tions enough for two or three lifetimes. The National Associ-
ation of Student I'ersonnel dministrators, the American College
Personnel Association and the American Association of Higher
Education all have recognized Thomas for his outstanding work.
Despite everything that he has accomplished, Thomas' col-
leagues call him a modest and affable person who they are
proud to work beside and even more proud to call "Bud."

The Presidents Medal (formerly known as the Chancellor's Medal) was
created in 1985 by then-Chancellor John H. Slaughter to honor mem-
bers of the College Park community who have made extraordinary
contributions to the intellectual, social and cultural lift- of the
University of Maryland.

THE KIRWAN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AWARD

Tltis prize is presented annually in recognition of the faculty or staff member who has math exceptional
contributions to the quality of undergraduate education at the university.

Denny Gulick
Proff_ssor, Department of

Mathematics

Many freshmen dread having to take a course in calculus.
Professor Denny Gulick eases their pain and builds their confi-
dence with his creative and innovative teaching style, making
him a favorite among students. "It is truly a joy to be in his class-
room," remarks former student Ann Marie Herda.

During his 35 years with the University of Maryland,
Gulick has made many contributions to the Department of
Mathematics, to education at the university as a whole and to
the state of Maryland. His initiation of the "close-contact calcu-
lus" project in the fall of 1994 changed the way calculus is
taught, decreasing the drop-out and failure rate and increasing
success rates for at-risk students. He also co-wrote one of the
most successful calculus texts in the country as well as an
upper-level text for a course in Chaos Theory,

Gulick instituted the World Course program to enrich
the experience of the "regular" student not involved with
honors or scholars programs at the university. Since the fall of
1997, Gulick has taught UNTV 1 ISA, The Creative Drive, which
focuses on creativity in music, architecture and science. He has
also served six years on the CORE Committee, was chair of the
Campus Senate during the 1 998- 1 999 academic year and
served on the Campus Senate ad hoc Committee on Under
graduate Education that wrote the Pease Report.

Professor Ralph Bennett of the School of Architecture summa-
rizes Gulick as an educator: "Professor Gulick is a master teacher
... I find him endlessly helpful, intimidating])' energetic and more
concerned with the education of entire undergraduate persons
than anyone I have encountered— here or anywhere."

John Pease

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Incoming freshman test scores are higher than ever and the uni-
versity is attracting some of the best students in and out of the
state. Much credit is due to John Pease's commitment to teach-
ing and education and his service in the 1 980s on the Campus
Senate ad hoc Committee on Undergraduate Education. As sen-
ior author of the committee's report. Promises to Keep:The
College Park Plan for Undergraduate Education, better known as
the Pease Report, he set in motion the improved CORE general
education program, professional advising, a center for teaching
excellence, living-learning communities, interdisciplinary cours-
es and higher standards for admissions, among many other
improvements.

Entering into his fourth decade at the university, Pease is a
favorite among his students and his peers. Touts Maynard Mack,
professor and director of University Honors: "John's name is syn-
onymous with creative, determined and passionate commitment
to undergraduate education at Maryland.. . [He is) one of the
campus* absolute best teachers." In the past 10 years alone,
Pease has received 17 awards for teaching excellence including
a Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Behavioral and
Social Sciences in 1999 (his third receipt of this award), and
was selected as Favorite Campus Professor by the readers of the
Diamondback in 1996.

Frequently seen "Id rather be studying" bumper stickers,
posters and t -shirts have become the university's unofficial
motto as adopted by the SGA at Pease's instigation. This slogan
epitomizes Pease's humor and investment in teaching and stu-
dents' academic achievement.

THE KIRWAN FACULTY
RESEARCH AND
SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE

Tliis prize is presented annually to a member of
thefaadty in recognition of a highly significant
work of research, scholarship or artistic creativity
that has been achieved tvithin the past three years.

William A. Galston

Professor, School of Public Affairs

"Yes, leadership matters ...But today in our
democracy the core issue is not leadership; it is
citizenship ... Citizenship is the basis of self-gov-
ernment and lasting self-government is a monu-
mental political achievement. In America, we do
not depend on kings, clerics, or aristocrats ... or
self-appointed leaders to serve as the 'vanguard'
for the rest of us. We rely on the will of the peo-
ple — that is, ourselves ."This is an excerpt is from
William A. Galston's highly regarded work on fam-
ily breakdown, civic disengagement and the over-
all state of the nation in a report titled. A Nation
of Spectators: How Civic Disengagement Weakens
America and What We Can Do About It.

The report, published in June 1998, is a result
of the committee that Galston created, the
National Commission on Civic Renewal, funded
by the Pew Charitable Trusts, in which he
brought together a diverse group of leaders to
explore our nation's civic health.

Within two months of the report's release,
more than 1. 2(H) publications and broadcast sta-
tions ran op-eds. editorials, interviews or news
reports, sign ifying its great national impact on
both public and political levels. Former Senator
Sam Nunn, co-chair of the commission, remarked
that, "The commission's report Ls an excellent
example of Bill's ability to offer sound, com-
pelling solutions to complex problems." Former
Education Secretary William J. Bennett, also a co-
chair, hails Galston as "one of the country's pre-
mier social scientists ... He speaks to the coun-
try's deepest prohlems before they are ever rec-
ognized as such. He sees the things, understands
the things and writes about the things that are
most important to this nation— intelligently, fairly,
interestingly and eloquently."

Galston joined the School of Public Affairs in
1988 after earning his Ph.D. in political science
from the I Iniversity of Chicago antl teaching at
the University of Texas where he received an out-
standing teacher award. Galston also served as
director of economic and social programs at the
Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies in
Washington, D.C, from 1985-1988 and was the
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic
Policy during the first two years of President
Clinton's administration.

Galston is presently extending his work on
assessing and improving civic health. Recently, he
released an update of the Index of National Civic
Health and obtained a gram from the Smith
Richardson Foundation to rcinvigoratc civic edu-
cation in schools, Galston is also a co-founder in
launching the university's new Civil Society-
Community Building Initiative.

The Kirwan prizes were established as a
j;ift to the I Iniversity of Maryland by for-
mer President Wiiiiam E, Kirwan and his
wife, Patricia Harper Kirwan, in 1 998, with
the first honorecs selected in Fall 1999.

October 10, 2000

Faculty at Annual Convocation

PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

Judith Bair
Director,
University
^P Publications

As director of University Publica-
tions, Judith Bair has put the uni-
versity's best foot forward at
every turn. "Through her strategic
thinking, leadership and adher-
ence to very high standards of
quality in design, writing and edit-
ing, she has dramatically changed
the perception of the institution
among many important audi-
ences," says Teresa M. Flannery,
executive director of University
Marketing and Communications.

It was Bair who shaped the
award-winning College Park maga-
zine. More recently, she developed
the commemorative publications
Bold New Era, sent to all alumni,
donors, faculty and staff.This fell,
she launched a brand new maga-
zine, Maryland Research, to com-
municate the university's science
and technology strengths to a
high-tech audience.

"It is one thing to produce
glossy, colorful publications and
brochures," says William W. Destler,
vice president for research and
dean of the Graduate School. "It is
quite another to capture the
ideals and the momentum of a
university in print. In my opinion,
no one anywhere has done this
better than has Judith Bair."

Indeed, the publications that
Bair has crafted are consistently of
the highest quality, and the recruit-
ment materials developed with
her guidance have helped attract
the nation's most talented stu-
dents. She has also contributed sig-
nificantly to the creation of the
university's graphic identity, and
the development of the universi-
ty's home page. In January, after 13
years of service, Bair will retire,
but University Publications will
continue to strive for the high
level of achievement that Bair has
set for herself as well as her staff.

Brian Darmody
Assistant Vice
Presi dknt for
Research and
Economic
Development

Quietly and behind the scenes,
Brian Darmody has acted as uni-
versity advocate to the state and
in developing partnerships with
corporations to bring research
and development opportunities to
the university. His involvement
with the Maryland Applied
I n fo rma t ion Tech nology I n i t ia ti ve
will ensure a leadership role for
the university.

"His ability to establish long-
term effective relationships with
representatives in Annapolis, from
the Governor, to the Senate
Chairman, to the many delegates
who are the decision makers
affecting the university, is invalu-
able" says Maryland Senate
President Thomas V.Mike Millerjr.

It was Darmody 's efforts that
helped create the first Technology
Transfer Office, backbone of the
university's research park effort.
He was also a key player in gain-
ing legislative support for the
Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Center and has been cited as the
individual most responsible for
the relocation of the American
Center for Physics from New York
to College Park.

"Quietly he builds support Tor
the university without ever
expecting or seeking recognition.
He is personable and his un-end-
ing energy and enthusiasm for the
University of Maryland is infec-
tious and affective," says Timothy
F. Maloney, an attorney at Joseph,
Greenwald & Laake, and a former
legislator and board member.

Prior to joining the university,
Darmody worked for the
Maryland General Assembly, the
U.S. House of Representatives and
the U.S. Health Care Financing
Administration.

Warren Kelley
Executive
Assistant to the
Vice President for
^^ Student Affairs,

Director oe Planning and

Research

Warren Kelley wears many hats
for die university. For nearly 20
years, Kelley has worked in key
areas, including administrative,
academic and student affairs divi-
sions of the university. In the last
several years, Kelley has made sig-
nificant contributions
in the university's response to
hate crimes and cult groups and
has served on the Cult Task Force.

in his rule as director of plan-
ning and research, Kelley assist-ed
in career planning, campus recre-
ation, the health center, the stu-
dent union and the university
bookstore. He played a key role in
the decision to privatize the book-
store. Kelley also serves as the
equity officer to the Division of
Student Affairs, allowing student
affairs to explore new areas of
education and training with
Kclley's excitement for cross-cul-
tural learning and issues.

Over the years, Kelley 's many
skills have contributed to his suc-

cess, including his background in
architecture while serving for the
Offices of Facilities Planning and
Budget Analysis. He helped move
the university into a stable finan-
cial environment as director of
budget analysis during the 1990s,
chaired the search for director of
human relations and served on
the 1996 President's Awards
Advisory Committee, among many
other services.

Patricia L. Mielke, director of
resident life, remarks that "Warren
is the quintessential campus citi-
zen whose unique blend of per-
sonality and skills allows him reg-
ularly to serve the campus

whether it is an institu-
tional mission issue or
a quality of life issue."

Erica H. Kropp
^P Director of the

Office of Research

Administration and
Advancement
Erica H. Kropp has come a long
way during her 28 years at the
university, from account clerk in
the Department of Chemistry in
1972 to her current position as
director of the Office of Research
Administration and Advancement
(ORAA). During the past four
years as director, Kropp has led
the university in developing the
Research Administration Certi-
ficate Program; assisted in the
growth of research funding from
$147 million to more than $212
million in two years; and devel-
oped a Web site listing feeulty and
research interests. Engineering
Dean Nariman Farvardin, former
chair of electrical and computer
engineering, describes Kropp as,
"perhaps the most knowledgeable
individual about contracts and
grants rules and regulations we
have in the university. ... [She is]
one of the key players in the uni-
versity's research enterprise."
Prior to being director, Kropp
served as contract administrator
in ORAA for 10 years and assistant
director for seven. While working
at these full-time positions, she
was also earning her bachelor's
degree in business and manage-
ment from University of Maryland
University College.

A leader in the field of
research administration, Kropp
has been appointed to the board
of the Council of Government
Relations and is a member of the
National Council of Univer-sity
Research Administrators. She has
been active in die System
Research Administrators" Group,
offering guidance at the state
level and recently serving on a
review panel to investigate NASA's
granting process.

P

Nancy
Marsanopoli
Executive
Administrative
^^ Assistant, Vice

Presidents Office for

University Relations

In her position at the Vice
President's Office for University
Relations, Nancy Marsanopoli has
shown herself to be a consum-
mate professional. Not only does
she efficiently and accurately
complete the many tasks required
of her, she does them all with
verve and warmth. Marsanopoli
possesses the uncanny ability to
remember all the names of the
multitudes of visitors she comes
in contact with, and she is adept
at making each visitor feel wel-
come at the university.

"Nancy is a wonderful ambas-
sador for the university," says
Brodie Remington, vice president
for University Relations, "She is
the first point of contact for many,
including trembling prospective
employees and affluent powerful
donors. Nancy treats all with
exquisite good cheer, concern for
their well-being and perfect pro-
fessionalism "And Barbara Quinn,
executive director of University
Relations, says that Marsanopoli "is
always cheerful, willing to listen,
helpful, courteous and extremely
hart! working."

Above and beyond her duties
at University Relations, Marsano-
poli does not hesitate to extend
herself to other areas of the uni-
versity, lending a hand wherever
and however she can, be it
staffing a booth at Commence-
ment or helping to host special
events, such as the recent speech
given by Vice President Al Gore. In
her 19 years. Marsanopoli has
proven to be an asset to both the
division in which she works and
the university at large.

Harry Teabout
Director of
Building and
Landscape Services

Come snow or flood,
Commencement or day-to-day
house-keeping, Harry Teabout
works hard behind the scenes to
make sure everything runs
smoothly. Teabout is respoasible
for the housekeeping, grounds
and special service functions for
the university, covering 1,100
acres of land, 1 2 miles of roads, 7
million square feet of facilities and
more than 300 special events
annually.

During his 17 years at the uni-
versity, Teabout has been admired
by his coworkers for his leader-

ship abilities and his dedication to
his employees. "Harry truly cares
about his employees and tries
hard to recognize and reward
them ...A leader should support
their staff and at this Harry is out-
standing," says Kevin Brown, assis-
tant director of landscape services.

Teabout was instrumental in
developing two service initiatives
to Improve the efficiency and
service level of the department
with "team cleaning" in house-
keeping operations and the Snow
Command Center to deal with
weather emergencies.

Teabout is also involved with
the university community. He is
chair of the Black Ministries
Program's Board of Directors, has
served 13 years as a member of
the Blacks in Higher Education
Conference Planning Committee
and is a member of Nyumburu's
Advisory Board and the Black
Faculty and Staff Association,

Larry Volz
Lieutenant,
University Police

In the 12 years that Lt
^^ Larry Volz has served as
a member of the University of
Maryland Pol ice Department, he
has exemplified the phrase "grace
under pressure." For the past
seven years, Volz has excelled as
the event coordinator for UMPD,
which entails the management of
officers at 350 events each year, a
fair number of which involve the
protection of visiting dignitaries.
A hectic schedule such as this
would make most people difficult
to deal with, but Volz seems to
revel in the challenge. "In hLs posi-
tion he could be difficult or intim-
idating," says Sapicnza Barone, as-
sistant to the president. "However,
he Is just the opposite — helpful,
delightful, friendly, a pleasure to
work with, and always profession-
al." Barone isn't alone in her
praise, as Volz was recently named
the "Student Employer of the Year"
for the university by the National
Student Employment Association.

In addition to his duties as a
facilitator for events at the
university, Volz has also been an
innovator. He conceived and
implemented the Stamp Union
Community Office, which has
enabled CM PI > to evaluate and
improve its event management
techniques. Volz is also a member
of multiple event committees, and
he is the liaison l>etwcen UMPD
and several campus groups. And if
all this wasn't enough, Volz also
serves as a Police Academy
instructor.

October 10, 2000

In Dreams: A Portal to the Inner Self

No one really knows where we go
when we sleep, and what we
remember seems suspect: we're
in math class for an exam but somehow
we've failed to attend class all term. Or
we're rearranging mismatched furniture
in a house with no windows in a scary
part of town. Or we're flying, skimming
trectops and dodging mountains.

And then comes that irresistible urge
to share.

Telling dreams "is the quickest way to
kill a cocktail party" acknowledges psy-
chology grad student Tim Davis.

But Davis and his advisor, psychology
professor Clara Hill, are adamant that
dreams aren't merely the oddments of
REM time, but in fact bear crucial infor-
mation about our waking lives.

"We're always thinking. Our minds
never shut off. Dreams are fust as impor-
tant as any other mode of experience,"
says Hill, whose 1996 book, "Working
With Dreams in Psychotherapy," outlines
her cognitive-experiential model of
dream interpretation. "It's not like, oh,
that was just a dream. No, it was a pow-
erful experience."

Adds Davis: "We are looking for a way
to connect with a higher power, a higher
consciousness, and here we have this con-
nection in our sleeping life. It's like this
treasure chest that opens every night."
Hill and her students have conducted
some 15 studies using her
^k model, which she for-

M Ifc^^ mulated by drawing
^^ from a number of

m theoretical orienta-
tions, including
^^^^^ Gestalt, psychoanalytic,
cognitive, behavioral and
humanistic/ex pc rien tial .

\>

The model involves three stages: explo-
ration, insight and action.

In the exploration stage, the client
examines his or her dreams, and with
the therapist's help, re-experiences the
dream's thoughts and emotions. In the
insight stage, therapist and client collab-
orate on a new understanding of the
dream. In the action stage, the client
explores possible changes to the dream
and the therapist helps the client figure
out how to translate those changes to
waking life.

Unlike the perhaps more familiar
Freudian and Jungian theories that incor-
porate archetypes or standard symbolic
interpretations, the Hill model posits that
dreaming is personal. Because only the
dreamer holds the key to the dream's
meaning, the therapist is not the expert
interpreter; rather, the therapist's function
is to facilitate the client's exploration and
eventual interpretation of the dream.

"When the client first tells the dream,
the therapist most often has no aware-
ness of what the dream might mean for
the client," Hill says.

With her model, the first goal is to
find out how the dream can be under-
stood in terms of waking life. Second,
the dream is interpreted as "parts of
self," that is, how inner dynamics are
reflected if each image or person in the
dream is understood as part of the
client's personality. The dream also may
be regarded as an experience in and of
itself, without further translation or
interpretation.

Alternatively, says Hill, "the dream can
be understood in terms of spiritual
issues, or what the dream reflects ahoni
the person's relationship witli a higher
power, or existential issues such as the

meaning of life."

Davis developed a technique for help-
ing therapy clients understand the spiri-
tual aspects of their dreams, using Hill's
cognitive-experiential model. This alter-
native is the focus of Davis' research for
his dissertation. His assumption is that a
healthy sense of spirituality correlates
witli well-being.

"I believe dreams can be spiritual," he
says. "So my question was, how can I
modify the Hill model to enable clients
to look at their dreams from a spiritual
perspective?"

In his most recent study, Davis
worked with 65 client-subjects who
were not told of his bias. He did, howev-
er, screen out those clients who said
they had no beliefs or spirituality.

"If [a therapist] knew someone had
no spiritual basis whatsoever, [the thera-
pist) would never use this approach in
the field," Davis says.

He split his clients into two groups.
Both groups examined their dreams in
the context of their waking lives. One
group then went through the "spiritual
condition" model.

In that phase of the dream interpreta-
tion, Davis worked to gain a thorough
understanding of each client's belief sys-
tem. After determining what the word
"spirituality" meant to each subject and
how it worked in their lives, the clients
and Davis further interpreted the dreams
from the clients' spiritual perspectives.

The study's data have yet to be quanti-
fied, but Davis expects his results to show
that those who had the spiritual compo-
nent found their dream-interpretation
sessions deeper and more meaningful.

Davis says that studies of American
attitudes toward spirituality have shown

that more than 90 percent of the people
in this country profess a belief in God or
a higher power, compared to about half
of all psychologists.

At the same time, he says, research
has shown an empirical connection
between religious or spiritual beliefs and
good mental health. "So how do we in-
corporate that element of [clients'] lives
into our treatment, which is traditionally
not spiritual at all?" Davis says. "The field
wants so much to be a science, but you
are never going to be able to quantify
the evidence of a soul, or God."

The idea he worked with is that
when people are asleep, they are com-
pletely unblocked — creatively, morally
and socially. "And because we are our-
selves in our purest forms, that is the
purest avenue for God to speak to us,"
Davis says. "There is so much less distor-
tion than when we are awake. Most peo-
ple who are religious say, What a beauti-
ful time for God to speak to us."

Davis collaborated with Hill on a
chapter for a book, "Innovations in
Clinical Practice," which will include dis-
cussion of the spiritual component. Hill,
who has been researching dream inter-
pretation for about 10 years, plans to
write another book.

And her students, like Davis, will contin-
ue to need suhjects for studies that incor-
porate different aspects of the Hill model.

"We're finding that people who do
dream interpretation like it better than
regular therapy sessions," says Hill. "We
still don't know what the functions of
dreams are. But for therapeutic purpos-
es, it doesn't matter. Because if we can
use dreams to help people think about
themselves at a deeper level, then that's
great." — PATTY HENETZ

NSF Grant to MRSEC

continued from page I

disciplinary environment to
investigate materials in new
ways," Williams said. "Re-
searchers on our campus are
exploring novel uses of tliin
film metal oxides, studying the
dynamics of surfaces and devel-
oping novel techniques to
probe extremely small struc-

i tures (nanostructuresj,"
MRSEC research at Rutgers
is spearheaded by physics
department faculty members
Sang-Wook Cheong.Valcry

Kiryukhin, Karin Rabe and
Andrew Millis. "This grant,
along with matching funds pro-
vided by Rutgers' Faculty of
Arts and Sciences, will enable
us to expand the experimental
infrastructure in our laborato-
ries. It is a wonderful recogni-
tion of our very strong faculty
and program in materials sci-
ence," said Paul Leath, Rutgers'
physics and astronomy depart-
ment chair.

The research on the Rutgers
campus focuses on the physics
and materials science of novel
metallic magnetic oxide ma-

terials and of ferroelectric thin
films. Ferroelec tries are used in
"smart cards" and other applica-
tions where a simple, robust
memory Is needed.The magnet-
ic oxide materials are metals
that are useful for magnetic
field sensor applications.
Understanding and controlling
ferroelectric, magnetic and
other properties of complex
oxides will require new con-
cepts and techniques that the
MRSEC will develop.

Educational Outreach,
Industrial Collaborations

In addition to research, the
center focuses on educational
outreach and industrial collabo-
rations. In its education out-
reach, the MRSEC is dedicated
to inspiring future scientists
and engineers to achieve scien-
tific excellence in a context of
community service and eco-
nomic accountability.

Educational outreach activi-
ties are designed to communi-
cate the excitement and useful-
ness of basic materials research
to the public, and to focus on
encouraging women and histor-
ically under-represented groups

■ ,>r •

to enter scientific fields.

Outreach to industry and
national labs is another essen-
tial component of die activities
of the MRSEC. "We are continu-
ously working to harness the
competencies within the
MRSEC and develop strategic
partnerships with industry and
national lab partners so that we
can further leverage the invest-
ment from NSF and the two
universities," said Maryland's
Ramamoorthy Ramesh, associ-
ate director of the center and
coordinator of the industrial
outreach effort.

NSF Math Education
Grant

continued from page I

prompted by the realization
that the infrastructure for
developing and maintaining the
nation's future math leaders is
failing. Last year there were
more than 200 openings for
mathematics education profes-
sors at colleges and universities
across the country. There were
only 100 doctoral graduates to
meet that need. Additionally,
nearly 50 percent of current
math education faculty will he
eligible for retirement in the

next two years.

"This project will jumpstart
the development of new math-
ematics education leaders for
the school and college levels,
as well as for the nation's poli-
cy-making bodies ," said James T
Fey, the center director and
mathematics education profes-
sor. "Our three universities
will work together in the
design and delivery of doctoral
and post-doctoral studies in
mathematics education, and
prepare leaders for school
mathematics education across
the nation."

In Prince George's County,
the project will work directly

with the mathematics depart-
ment chairpersons of the 26
middle schools and the mathe-
matics specialists in 10 ele-
mentary schools. These lead-
ers will receive the latest infor-
mation on reforms in teaching
practices and then serve as
coaches and mentors for col-
leagues in their respective
schools.

"This grant recognizes the
leadership role the College of
Education takes in refining the
knowledge and practice of
mathematics education," said
Dean Edna Mora Szymanski. "It
enables us to build on the rich
history of the college's

Mathematics Education Center.
By collaborating with our part-
ner universities and schools,
we combine our strengths and
resources to address, head-on,
the issues facing mathematics
education today."

Faculty at each university
will work with their school
partners to develop model
education programs for
prospective teachers and pro-
fessional development for prac-
ticing teachers that reflect the
current best thinking about
math content and teaching
methods.

The project will offer full
tuition and stipend support for

15 doctoral students at each of
the universities, and provide
them with access to the best
faculty and facilities at the
three institutions.

"One of the real strengths
of this project is the incentive
it offers to attract the best can-
didates back to doctoral study,"
said Patricia Campbell, mathe-
matics education professor and
co-principal investigator at the
center. "Typically, these are
exemplary KT2 teachers who
have the experience that could
make them good leaders, hut
who would find it difficult to
give up their jobs to become
full-time students."

October 10, 2000

■

In Memoriam: Frank J. Kerr

Frank J. Kerr, University of Maryland Professor
Emeritus and one of the world's leaders in
research on Galactic Structure, died of cancer
September 1 5 at his home in Silver Spring,
Maryland. He was 82.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday,
October 1 1 at 9:30 a.m. in the West Chapel of the
Memorial Chapel on the University of Maryland
campus. The service will be immediately followed
by an informal reception in the Fairway Room in
the University of Maryland Golf Course
Clubhouse.

Kerr was a highly respected professor within
the University of Maryland's Astronomy Program
(later the Department of Astronomy). Coming to
Maryland in 1966, initially as a visiting researcher,
he stayed on and rose to become the Director of
the Astronomy Program in the mid-1970s and was
Provost of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences
and Engineering Division from 1978 to 1985.

Kerr made numerous contributions to the
fields of astronomy and education during a career
that spanned six decades. He was among the first
radio astronomers in the years following World
War II, and became the first to systematically
study the echoes of radio waves bounced off of
the moon. He was a leader among those making
the first detections of 21-cm. neutral hydrogen
from an external galaxy: the two clouds of
Magellan. In collaboration with scientists at the
University of Lieden in the Netherlands, Kerr
conducted pioneering research on, and mapping
of, the Milky Way galaxy. In more recent years,
Frank successfully searched for evidence of galax-
ies behind the Milky Way.

Kerr has held numerous positions in both
national and international astronomy organiza-
tions. He was on the Council of the American
Astronomical Society (1972-75) and was vice
president of that organization (1980-82), He was
vice president and later president of Commission
33 (Galactic Structure) of the International Astro-
nomical Union (1973-79).

Born January 8, 1918 in St. Albans England.
Kerr obtained his B.Sc, M.Sc., and D.Sc. in Physics
from the University of Melbourne. He was Staff
Member of CSIRO at die Sydney Radiophysics
Laboratory from 1940-1968. He was invited to be
a Research Scholar at Harvard University (where
he also obtained an M.A. degree), Lieden
University, and the University of Texas before
coming to Maryland. After retiring from the uni-
versity, Dr. Kerr became the director of the
Division of Astronomy and Space Physics for die
Universities Space Research Association from
1983-1995.

Predeceased by his first wife, Kathleen, and
second wife Maureen. Kerr is survived by a son
and a daughter from his first marriage, a sister
and four grandchildren.

New Greenhouse Site Approved

University officials last week
gave the go-ahead to start
planning and design of a
greenhouse on a new location
between the Comcast Center and
the Chesapeake Building on the
north side of campus.

The greenhouse facility, partial-
ly funded by a grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, is nec-
essary to advance the research
mission of the College of Agricul-
ture and Natural Resources and
the College of Life Sciences, said
Thomas A. Fretz, dean of agricul-
ture. The college's existing green-
houses at U.S. 1 and Paint Branch
Parkway, are more than 50 years
old and seriously deteriorated,
limiting what scientists can do
there.

"The greenhouse is essential to
the university's efforts to elevate
the level of biological sciences and
to Its ability to meet critical envi-
ronmental, natural resources, and

agricultural needs in this state,"
said Fretz. "This new complex will
serve the diverse research and
teaching needs of cell biologists,
entomologists, agronomists, horti-
culturists, environmental and bio-
logical resources engineers as tiiey
and their students address a vari-
ety of critical environmental and
agricultural issues, such as plant
breeding and cultivar improve-
ment, compost evaluation, wet-
lands mitigation, animal waste- .
water treatment systems, and inte-
grated pest management strate-
gies,"

The planned site is currently
occupied by parts of parking lots
4b and 4f as well as some trees,
but it is not in a floodplain and
contains no wedands, said Frank
Brewer, assistant vice president for
facilities managcment.The univer-
sity withdrew applications in
August to build the greenhouse on
a site containing wetlands east of

die newly selected site.
The university will build new park-
ing lots near the Chesapeake
Building to replace parking lost to
die new greemhousc.

Facilities managemenl staff have
been studying alternative sites for
the greenhouse since the universi-
ty decided in late August to aban-
don a proposal to locate it in a
wooded area containing wetlands
east of Paint Branch Drive. Another
site that looked promising at first
would have added considerably to
-the cost, and construction could
have been delayed until after a fed-
eral deadline had passed.

The new site will require re-
design and additional costs. Brewer
sald.The new site also will require
a permit from the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources
because about one and a half acres
of trees will need to be cut,
Brewer said. Construction could
begin as early as July 2001.

Maryland Athletic Dept. Partners with Nextel

The University of Maryland
athletic department and Nextel
Communications have announced
a 1 0-year agreement in which
Nextel will become the official
wireless communications sponsor
for University of Maryland
Athletics.

Nextel, a leading provider of
wireless communications servic-
es, will become a primary spon-
sor of the new Comcast Center.
The company will invest about
$6.7 million in the university over
the duration of the agreement.
The agreement provides Nextel
with extensive visibility within
the new Comcast Center, the
future home of Maryland's men's
and women's basketball, and in
Byrd Stadium, the home of
Maryland football and men's
lacrosse. The banquet facility in
Comcast Center will be named
"Nextel Heritage Hall," The com-
pany will receive other significant
benefits, including game program
acknowledgements, designation
as the Official Game Sponsors of
choice basketball and football

games, the ability to demonstrate
its services through a Nextel Call
Center, and tickets to games for
customer appreciation.

"Investing in a prestigious
institution of higher learning like
the University of Maryland cre-
ates a legacy for decades, even
generations," said Bob Johnson,
president of Nextel in the Mid-
Atlantic area. "We consider this a
strategic business alliance. With
Nextel's national and internation-
al headquarters located nearby in
Rest on, Va., we believe this invest-
ment will help us attract the tal-
ented workforce essential to our
future success. Also, today's stu-
dents are tomorrow's business
owners and government decision-
makers, so we're also plandng the
seeds of awareness among our
target market in the coming
decade. In the meantime, with
the visibility this investment
brings, we will also be reaching
the decision-makers of today by
gaining regional as well as nation-
al exposure."

Said Deborah A. Yow, Mary-

land's director of athletics,
"Nextel and the University of
Maryland athletics program both
value the pursuit of excellence
This partnership is a natural fit
between two entities that have
much in common."

The 17,100-seat Comcast
Center, under construction on the
northeast side of campus since
June, is scheduled to open in the
fall of 2002. Headquartered in
Reston.Va., Nextel has built the
largest guaranteed all-digital wire-
less network in the United
States. Nextel and Nextel
Partners, Inc. currently serve 98
of die top 100 U.S. markets.The
Nextel National Network offers a
fully integrated wireless commu-
nications tool with digital cellular,
text/numeric paging, wireless
Internet access, and Nextel Direct
Connect — a digital two-way radio
feature. In addition, through
Nextel International, Inc., Nextel
has wireless operations and
investments in Canada, Chile,
Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the
Philippines, Peru, and Japan.

NOTABLE

Distinguished professor Ellen Williams

has been awarded the American Physical
Society's 2001 David Adler Lectureship
Award. The award, among the most pres-
tigious in the field of materials physics,
recognizes outstanding contributions to
the field noted for her or his research,
review articles and lecturing. Williams is
being recognized in particular for her

"elegant experimental
exploration of die struc-
tures and phase transi-
tions of surfaces and for
her effective communi-
cation on this subject in
lectures and publica-
tions.'The award will be
presented at the APS's
March 2001 meeting.

The Office of Continuing and Extended
Education has appointed Patricia
Friend to the position of assistant direc-
tor of marketing and communications.

Friend has more than 20 years' expe-
rience in progressive marketing and
public relations in her work as an inde-
pendent consultant and higher educa-
tion administrator.

She was director of marketing and
public information at Hagerstown
Community College and public Informa-
tion officer at Frostburg State University
Center in Hagerstown, and was 1 998's
National Council for Marketing and
Public Relations representative of the
year. She is currently pursuing her MBA
at Frostburg State, where she earned her
bachelor's degree.

Detroit Free Press deputy metro editor
Valarie Basheda is the new managing
editor of American Journalism Review.
She succeeds Christine Harvey, who is
rejoining the faculty of the university's
College of Journalism full-time to teach
an online journalism course.

Basheda will join AJR on Oct. 5. She
was a reporter tor die Detroit News for

seven years before joining the Free Press
in 1996 as an assistant metro editor. She
holds a bachelor's in English from
Muhlenberg College and a master's in
journalism from Maryland,

Harvey, previously an editor and
instructor in the Washington, D.C., and
Annapolis bureaus of the Capita] News
Service, joined AJR from washington-
post.com, where she was an associate
editor at the online newspaper.

The Brody Public Policy Forum has
been awarded the Grade Allen Award by
the Foundation of American Women in
Radio and Television for its program on
"Two Women of Peace:A Conversation
with Lea Rabin and Jehan Sadat." The
program was broadcast on Maryland
Public Television on April 29, 1999.

October 10, 2000

For_Your_Jiiieres

It's that time of year again: The open
enrollment period for health benefit
programs is scheduled to run from
October I through November I, 2000.
During this period, all regular employees
eligible for health plans can enroll or
add insurance coverages, change cover-
ages or vendors, add dependents to their
plans and enroll in flexible spending
account programs. Any changes made
during open enrollment become effec-
tive Jan. 1,2001.

For more information regarding all of
the state insurance options and rates,
attend the Open Enrollment Health Fair
on Friday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in
the Colony Ball Room of the Stamp
Student Union. Stop by the Stamp
Student Union to speak directly with the
health care provider of your choice.

If you have any questions regarding
open enrollment, your coverage, or use
of the IVR system, please feel free to
contact the UMCP Personnel Services
Benefits Office at 5-5654.

Teamwork in Teaching

The Center for Teaching Excellence
presents "Group Assignments and Team
Projects: How Do We Get Them to
Work?" Group assignments and team
projects are becoming an integral part
of an increasing number of courses in
all disciplines. Research has shown that
collaborative learning is an effective
teaching technique that can enhance
student learning and prepare students
for the real world. This conversation
will look at the plannning and design re-
quired to construct effective team pro-
jects. Faculty and student representa-
tives from outstanding programs on
campus will share their experiences
and insights.

All members of the university com-
munity interested in leaching and learn-
ing are invited to join the CTE for this
discussion, which takes place today-
Tuesday, Oct. 10 from II a.m.-12:30
p.m. in the Critique Hall. 0104 Plant
Sciences. For further information, con-
tact Inayet Sahin at 301-405-9980 or
cte @umail . umd . ed u .

Tackling Tough Themes

The Terrapin Reading Society this
year examines issues of diversity, interra-
cial love, and individual and societal
responsibility through the campus-wide
focus on David Guterson's controversial
work Snow Falling on Cedars. In con-

junction with the Asian American
Student Union, the College of Library
and Information Services, the Depart-
ment of English and Creative
Writing and other campus groups,
die Society, run by the Office of
Undergraduate Studies, is plan-
ning a number of
events on campus to
stimulate interest in
these dialogues. Of
particular note is an
upcoming panel dis-
cussion about the pros
and cons of Snow as a
literary work, as a work
with historical context,
and as it relates to
issues of race, gender
and professional and
social responsibility.

The panel will con-
sist of students and fac-
ulty from College Park
Scholars, History, Plant
Sciences, English and
Women's Studies, among
others. Associate Dean
Kathleen Burke will mod-
erate. The discussion will
take place Tuesday, Oct. 17
at 5 p.m. in 1137 Stamp
Student Union. For further
information, contact the Office
of Undergraduate studies at 5-
9357.

Water Wars

Earth Science Talks, sponsored by the
Geology Department of the University of
Maryland, presents Paul
Tomascak, who will speak
about "Water, Earth and
Society: the Mono bike Story.

tions and Professional Chronology and
an index. It is published by Omni-
graphics, Detroit, 2000, ISBN 0-7808-
0433-3 (www.omnigraphics.com).

Graduate School Fair

Nestled at the eastern slope
of the Sierra Nevada in
California, humble Mono Lake
became the nexus of contro-
versy in the 1 970s over water
rights, ecological conservation,
environmental degradation,
and how society values scenic
America. The City of Los
Angeles' insatiable thirst for
fresh water led to the diver-
sion of "water from the
ialned *■ Sierras even before World

j/lono La Re ^Lgeles' t" l,st " War II. This diversion eradi-
nuenc* 1 V catetl Owens Lake, and

would have done the same to Mono lake,
one of the oldest VIS. lakes, were it not for the actions of a
grassroots movement. This talk will review the natural his-
tory of the area, its ecological and environmental signifi-
cance, and the sources of debate over what came to be
protected as a Public Trust in 1994.

Contemporary Threads

The lecture will be held on Oct. 19 from 8:00-9: 00
p.m. in 1 1 40 Plant Sciences. For more informa-
tion, see www.geol.umd.edu/pages/
Events News/public, htm or contact Bill

Minarik, minarik@geoi.umd.edu or
301-405^365.

The annual exhibition dedicated to
artists working within 1 50 miles of Col-
lege Park — this year entitled Crosscur-
rents 2000: Handle With Care, Loose
Threads in Fiber — features fiber as a
material for experimentation and explo-
ration. Cu rated by Annet Couwenberg,
Chair of the Fiber Department, Maryland
Institute College of Arts, the show
includes works by Susie Brandt, Sandra
Brownlee, Sonya Clarke, Audrey Heim-
gartner, Sue Patterson, Renee Rendine,
Piper Shepard and Tabatha Tucker.

A panel discussion entitled "Contem-
porary Fiber Art"is scheduled for Friday,
Nov, 10 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. with speak-
ers Elissa Anther, Gerhardy Knodel,
Warren Scelig and Rebecca Stevens.

The show opens Oct. 19 with a re-
ception from 5:30-7:30 p.m., and will
remain in the gallery through Dec. 16. All
events take place in The Art Gallery, Art-
Sociology Building. For more informa-
tion on these and other exhibition-relat-
ed events, visit the gallery's Web site at
www. inform. umd.edu/ArtGal.

Flu Vaccine Delayed

The Health Center will be giving flu shots this year as usual,
but as has been reported in the media, there will be a delay in
vaccine shipments.

"At this point we do not have a definite date when we will
get vaccine," said Dr. Judith Perry of the health center. "We have
been told it will be in late October. We will send out an
announcement when we will have vaccine and what the dates
of flu clinics will be."

The Best off Times

The Best of Times: A Personal and
Occupational Odyssey details the life
and career of Paul Wasserman, a pioneer
in the field of library services who estab-
lished the University of Maryland's
School of IJbrary and Information Ser-
vices in the 1960s. His many other ac-
complishments include writing forward-
looking books on the library profession;
creating and editing numerous refer-
ence books that have become standards
in their field; and offering instruction at
institutions in developing countries. He
has made worldwide contributions to
his profession, serving as visiting profes-
sor, consultant, trainer and member of
the board of directors for international
library projects from Paris to Beijing.

Wasserman's autobiography is
organized in two parts: personal
and professional. In the former
he writes of growing up during
the Great Depression in New
York and covers his army serv-
ice in Europe during World
War II as well as his entrance
to college as a military veteran.
Coverage of his professional life
begins in 1948 at the Brooklyn
public library, tracing the path by
which he pursued his extensive
education and career in the field of
library services.

Among the work's features are
numerous photographs, a Publica-

The Graduate School, the

University Honors Programs and

the Campus Wide Recruitment

Committee will host a one-day

Graduate School Fair this

week in the Adele H. Stamp

Student Union.

The fair will feature
"how-to" workshops de-
signed to offer students
practical strategies for ap-
plying to and securing
financing for graduate
school, as well as for suc-
ceeding once enrolled. An
important goal of the fair is
to identify students of great
promise and recruit them
for graduate study here at
the university.

Participants will have
the opportunity to attend im-
portant workshops and an
interactive luncheon with cur-
rently enrolled graduate stu-
dents, as well as to meet with fac-
ulty representatives from each grad-
uate program. While the fair is open
to all competitive juniors and seniors,
students of African American, Asian
American, Hispanic/Latino and Native
American heritage are especially
encouraged to attend.

The fair takes place on Thursday, Oct.
12 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration,
during which a continental breakfast
will be served, begins at 8 a.m. and con-
tinues until 8:50 a.m., at which time the
events begin with a greeting and pro-
gram overview. A buffet luncheon will
be served simultaneously with the
graduate student panel.

For more information, contact the
Graduate School's Office of Graduate Mi-
nority Education at 3014054183 or 1-
800-2454723, cdoswell@deans.umd.edu
or jgdavis@deans.umd.edu.