The board of trustees of the State University of New York System has announced that eight faculty members have been named as Distinguished Professors. Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor the State University of New York System, stated that “these are some or our brightest minds, and they are also some of our greatest teachers. I am proud that they are part of the SUNY family. Three of the eight new Distinguished Professors are women.
Yuanyan Yang is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Stony Brook University on Long island. She is an expert in cloud computing systems and networks. Professor Yang is the associate editor-in-chief of the journal Transactions on Cloud Computing. Dr. Yang holds bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science and engineering from Tsinghua University in China. She earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Latha Chandran is a professor of pediatrics and vice dean for undergraduate medical education at Stony Brook University. She is the founding director of the Academy of Clinical and Educational Scholars. Dr. Chandran has been recognized as a national leader in pediatrics education and educational scholarship in her role as a co-leader and co-developer of the Academic Pediatric Association’s Educational Scholars Program. She received her medical degree from University of Kerala Medical College in India.
Laura J. Person is a professor of mathematics at the State University of New York at Potsdam. She joined the faculty at the university in 1989. Dr. Person is the co-author of the textbook Write Your Own Proofs in Set Theory and Discrete Mathematics (Zinka Press, 2005). During her tenure at SUNY Potsdam, Professor Person has taught more than 20 undergraduate and graduate courses. She holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Geneco comes to her new role from Tufts University in Massachusetts, where she has served as provost for the past four years. She is slated become the University at Buffalo's first woman president on August 10.
The new presidents are Laurie A. Boeding at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and Melissa Frank-Alston at Northeastern Technical College. Both women are expected to begin their presidencies on July 1.
Dr. McEwen comes to her new appointment following four years as president and vice chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Earlier, she served in several leadership roles at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She received some of her education in the United States.
The new provosts are Barbara Rodriguez at the University of New Mexico, Bridget Chalk at Manhattan University in New York, and Jaci Lederman at Vincennes University in Indiana. All three women had been serving as their university's interim provost.
Dr. Howard joins Spelman from Ohio State University, where she has been serving as dean of the College of Engineering. She is a nationally recognized expert in robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-centered technology.