BGSU Zoom News

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Two new deans named | Kinney book wins leading humanities award

James Ciesla

JAMES CIESLA TO LEAD COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Dr. James Ciesla has been selected as the new dean for the College of Health and Human Services. He will begin his position June 28.

Ciesla comes to BGSU from Northern Illinois University, where he is associate dean for research and resources in the College of Health and Human Sciences. He is also interim chair of the School of Health Studies, an administrative unit he helped establish. He has been on the NIU faculty since 1994 and has held positions of increasing responsibility.

He was awarded the title of Distinguished Professional Engagement Professor in 2012 in recognition of the numerous, funded external interdisciplinary partnerships he has cultivated.

One of his primary responsibilities at Northern Illinois has been promoting and supporting faculty research in his college, including developing and administering programs to enhance productivity in research and innovation, strengthening ties with other units on campus, expanding the college’s physical research spaces and fostering faculty success in acquiring grant funding. In addition, he has been involved in negotiations for research startups.

Rogers and Earle on food security – Sentinel-Tribune
Orel on opioid addiction, misuse in elderly – WTOL, The Blade
Mechatronics Engineering Technology prepares students – The Blade

Jennie Gallimore

JENNIE GALLIMORE NAMED DEAN OF COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, ARCHITECTURE AND APPLIED ENGINEERING

The College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering will have a new dean as of June 28. Dr. Jennie Gallimore, associate dean and a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Wright State University, was selected following a national search.

Gallimore holds the distinction of being the first tenure-track woman faculty member in her college at Wright State, where she has held a number of leadership roles. These include serving as associate dean for research and graduate studies, since 2015; as executive director for professional development in the college, from 2012-15; and as director of the Ohio Center for Excellence in Human-Centered Innovation, a center of excellence she helped develop, from 2009-12.

Her administrative experience includes developing partnerships with external groups such as the Air Force Research Laboratory, serving as director of a center comprising representatives from industry and academia, and internally, participating in negotiations for Wright State’s collective bargaining agreement. Gallimore is experienced in the accreditation process, including ABET, which is also held by BGSU’s electronics and computer engineering technology and engineering technology programs.

OBITUARIES
Bernard Woma, 54, master musician and dancer from Ghana, who was a frequent artist-in-residence at the University, died April 27 in Kentucky, two weeks after his last stay at BGSU with his dance troupe, Saakumu. Woma founded the Dagara Music and Arts Center in Ghana in 2000 in consultation with BGSU faculty Drs. Steven Cornelius and Rebecca Green; BGSU students were the first to stay at the center. To contribute to his transport back to Ghana and funeral expenses, visit YouCaring.

Rebecca Kinney

KINNEY BOOK ON DETROIT WINS AWARD

Dr. Rebecca Kinney's book “Beautiful Wasteland: The Rise of Detroit as America's Postindustrial Frontier” has been named the winner of Arizona State University’s Institute for Humanities Research 2018 Transdisciplinary Book Award, presented "for a nonfiction work that reflects the finest contemporary humanities-based scholarship on any topic."

Kinney, an assistant professor in American culture studies and the School of Cultural and Critical Studies, won the prestigious award for her critical analysis of developments in her hometown and what they portend. The IHR site states, “Kinney tackles key questions about the future of postindustrial America, and shows how the narratives of Detroit’s history are deeply steeped in material and ideological investments in whiteness. As cities around the country reckon with their own postindustrial landscapes, she cautions that development that elides considerations of race and class will only continue to replicate uneven access to the city for the poor, working class, and people of color.”

VISIT 'FOCUS ON THE FUTURE' STRATEGIC PLANNING STATIONS

The University’s "Focus on the Future" strategic planning effort is wrapping up its first phase.

If you were unable to attend any of the recent open forums, or if you have additional ideas to share, come to the McFall Center Gallery from May 7-11. The stations related to the core capabilities and competencies BGSU must have in order to thrive will be set up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Faculty, staff and students can view information on academic programs, people, research and creative activity, external relations, and financial strength and facilities/IT, and share their insights and suggestions with administrators by posting notes on the display boards. The results will be compiled and presented by President Rodney Rogers in his State of the University address in the fall.

Find more information on the Office of the President site.