The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences has named several accomplished faculty members to endowed chair and professorship positions. The positions are some of the highest honors that can be granted by the college.
The recipients will be awarded discretionary funding to carry out research and scholarship related to their fields. They will be honored in investiture ceremonies scheduled throughout the year.
“These professors represent the very best of LAS in terms of research, scholarship, public engagement, education, and service,” said Venetria K. Patton, the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of LAS. “We will celebrate their achievements with pride and look forward to their future endeavors and accomplishments.”
The recipients are as follow:
Alison Bell, evolution, ecology and behavior, received the Lavern C. Riess Professorship, an appointment open to any LAS discipline. Bell researches stickleback fish to study proximate causes and ultimate consequences of individual behavior differences. This professorship is named for the late Lavern C. Riess, an LAS graduate, Class of 1945.
James Dalling, plant biology received the Catherine C. and Bruce A. Bastian Endowed Professorship in Liberal Arts, open to any LAS discipline. Dalling studies tropical forest dynamics, plant-soil and plant-fungal interactions, and seed ecology. This professorship was established by the estate of 1954 LAS alumnus Bruce A. Bastian.
Andrew Suarez, entomology and evolution, ecology, and behavior, received the Ralph H. and Ursula F. Goebel Endowed Chair in Liberal Arts. The chair is open to full professors of any LAS discipline. Suarez researches the ecology and behavior of ants, as well as biological invasions. This chair is named for both the late Ralph and Ursula Goebel. Ralph served in WWII in the European theater and upon his return, earned a bachelor of science degree with highest honors in mathematics in 1947. He spent a career in the insurance industry.