July 7, 2004
TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Dear Colleagues:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael S. Witherell, currently the director of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, as our next vice chancellor for research, effective July 1, 2005, pending approval by President Dynes and The Regents. Dr. Witherell will also hold a faculty appointment in our Department of Physics, effective July 1, 2004.
This appointment is the result of an extensive national search and recruitment process. I would like to thank Professor Diane Mackie, chair of our search advisory committee, and all of our committee members for their outstanding work. The members of the committee are listed below. I would also like
to thank all the members of our campus community who participated in the search process.
Many of you will remember Dr. Witherell from his years as a professor of physics here at UCSB in the 1980s and 90s. We are delighted at this opportunity to welcome him and his wife, Elizabeth Hall Witherell, back to our campus community.
Dr. Witherell is a leading physicist with a long and distinguished career in teaching, research, and public service. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He became an instructor at Princeton University in 1973, and an assistant professor in 1975. He was a member of our UCSB faculty from 1981 until 1999, when he moved on to the directorship of Fermilab in Illinois.
He has received numerous prestigious honors for his achievements and contributions, including election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society’s W. K. H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics. He is a former Guggenheim Fellow, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Dr. Witherell is a superb addition to our administrative team, and we look forward with great excitement and anticipation to the exceptional scientific ability, leadership, and inspiration he will bring to our campus.
I am also pleased to announce that Professor Steven Gaines has graciously agreed to continue serving as our acting vice chancellor for research through June 30, 2005. We are deeply grateful for Professor Gaines’ many contributions to our campus, and for his exemplary and dedicated leadership during this interim period. I might also add that during the past year (FY 2003-04), the total extramural research awards for our campus reached an all-time high of $162 million, 11% higher than last year and twice as much as ten years ago. Congratulations to Steve and all of our faculty, staff, and administrative colleagues who contributed to this success.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
Search Advisory Committee for the Vice Chancellor for Research
Diane Mackie, Chair – Professor, Psychology
S. James Allen – Professor and Chair, Physics
Bruce Bimber – Associate Professor, Political Science; Director, Center for Information Technology and Society
Jacqueline Bobo – Professor, Women’s Studies Program and Black Studies
Jeffrey Dozier – Professor, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
Michael Furlong – Professor, Education
Glenn Fredrickson – Professor, Chemical Engineering; Director, Mitsubishi Chemical Center for Advanced Materials
Sabine Frühstück – Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies
Carol Genetti – Associate Professor and Chair, Linguistics
Evelyn Hu –Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Co-Director, California NanoSystems Institute
R. Stephen Humphreys – King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud Professor of Islamic Studies, History
Daniel Morse – Professor, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Director, Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies; Director, Marine Biotechnology Center, Marine Science Institute
Carlos Morton – Professor, Dramatic Art; Director, Center for Chicano Studies
Jonathan Pearl – Graduate Students Association
Leslie Sanchez – Employee and Labor Relations Manager, Human Resources
Consultant to the committee:
Joseph Castro – Coordinator, Affirmative Action Program