Head of the Class

Deborah Voltz, Ed.D., has experienced firsthand the challenges of urban school systems as a student, teacher, and most recently as the director of UAB’s Center for Urban Education (CUE). Now, as the new dean of the UAB School of Education, Voltz says she will continue to strengthen ties between UAB and the local education and business communities, assuring that those connections will benefit UAB faculty, staff, and students, as well as the school systems UAB students will one day serve.

Voltz, who is the first African-American dean in UAB history, will continue to direct the CUE and will serve on the newly formed UAB Dean’s Council.

Par Excellence

UAB alumnus Graeme McDowell (see UAB Magazine profile here) had quite a year in 2010. The former Blazer golf standout and Northern Ireland native won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, led the European team to victory at the Ryder Cup (beating Tiger Woods to clinch the win), and earned player of the year honors from the Golf Writers Association of America. He began 2011 on a good note as well, earning a place as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on Queen Elizabeth II’s annual New Year Honors List. “I came here as a pretty average amateur golfer and left ready to set out in the pro ranks,” McDowell said on a recent return visit to Birmingham, acknowledging his growth on coach Alan Kaufman’s team. “I was very lucky to end up at a college like UAB with a golf program like this.”

Honor Roll

Eleven UAB faculty members received the 2010 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the annual Faculty Awards Convocation on February 23. The honorees represent each school, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Joint Health Sciences departments. This year’s winners are Colin J. Davis, Ph.D. (College of Arts and Sciences); Lawrence DeLucas, O.D., Ph.D. (Optometry); Steven J. Filler, D.D.S. (Dentistry); Steve Grice, Ph.D. (Business); Patricia Jennings, Dr.P.H. (Health Professions); Nir Menachemi, Ph.D. (Public Health); Marti Rice, Ph.D. (Nursing); Nathaniel Robin, M.D. (Joint Health Sciences); Jane Roy, Ph.D. (Education); Nancy Tofil, M.D. (Medicine); and Peter Walsh, Ph.D. (Engineering).

Also honored at the event were Andrew Keitt, Ph.D., an associate professor of history who was named the 2010 Alabama Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation, and Tamilane Blaudeau, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Human Studies, who won UAB’s Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award.

Learn more about all of this year’s winners in this article from the UAB Reporter.

Leading by Example

The UAB School of Business has recruited two noted teacher-scholars to join its leadership team: Jenice Prather-Kinsey, Ph.D., C.P.A., is the new chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance; Molly Wasko, Ph.D., will serve as the chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Quantitative Methods. Prather-Kinsey, who comes to UAB from the University of Missouri, has authored two books, serves on the editorial boards of three scholarly journals, and is a leader in several leading professional associations in the accounting field. Wasko, who most recently was on the faculty at Florida State University, has served in management positions at leading firms, including PepsiCo. Her research interests include the intersection of social and digital networks in information technology.

In Memoriam

The ultimate legacy for Dale Benos, Ph.D., may be new treatments for everything from cancer, AIDS, and arthritis to cystic fibrosis, hypertension, and even vision diseases. The UAB physiology and biophysics chair, who died in October 2010, made key discoveries about disease progression that could lead to countless future breakthroughs. He joined the UAB faculty from Harvard University in 1985 and was known worldwide for his research. At UAB, Benos also held cell biology and neurobiology professorships, was a senior scientist in eight campuswide research centers, and served as principal investigator on 19 individual research grants. Learn more about Benos's life and legacy in this article from UAB News.