ÂÜÀòÉç

Dear ÂÜÀòÉç-Dearborn Community,

I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve as interim Provost, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to Chancellor Scarlatta for her confidence in my ability to lead during this important time in our university’s journey. This transition marks a moment of positive momentum, and I am committed to ensuring it is smooth and supportive of the community’s ongoing aspirations.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated team in the Office of the Provost. Their support in my first few days in the position has been invaluable, and I am deeply thankful for their professionalism and collegiality. I also want to thank the many members of our campus community who have reached out with warm messages of welcome - your kindness and encouragement mean a great deal to me.

As we move forward, I remain committed to building on the important initiatives already underway, and to advancing our shared mission of academic excellence, inclusive innovation, and transformative student experience and success. Together, we will continue to elevate our work and our impact - guided by collaboration, curiosity, and a belief in what we can achieve as a community.

There could not have been a better way to send my first message to the campus community than to celebrate the promotions of 15 faculty members, whose applications for promotion and tenure were approved by the Board of Regents yesterday. 

• John Chenoweth, CASL, Full Professor with Tenure, Anthropology
• Christos Constantinides, CASL, Associate Professor with Tenure, Natural Sciences
• Lee Freeman, COB, Full Professor with Tenure, Information Systems Management
• Yi (Maggie) Guo, COB, Full Professor with Tenure, Information Systems Management
• Elif Izberk-Bilgin, COB, Full Professor with Tenure, Marketing
• Kelly Jabbusch, CASL, Full Professor with Tenure, Mathematics
• Richard Kent, COB, Associate Professor with Tenure, Accounting
• Jaerock Kwon, CECS, Associate Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Xiaohua (Shannon) Li, CASL, Full Professor with Tenure, Natural Sciences
• Samir Rawashdeh, CECS, Full Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Natalie Sampson, CEHHS, Full Professor with Tenure, Health & Human Services
• Hung-Chung Su, COB, Full Professor with Tenure, Operations Management
• Tian An Wong, CASL, Associate Professor with Tenure, Mathematics
• Besa Xhabija, CASL, Associate Professor with Tenure, Natural Sciences
• Xuan Zhou, CECS, Associate Professor with Tenure, Electrical & Computer Engineering

The achievements of the promoted colleagues reflect the highest standards of scholarship, teaching, and service. I congratulate each of you on this well-deserved recognition and challenge you - and all of us - to continue pursuing excellence with purpose and passion.

A shout out to Professor Elif Izberk-Bilgin, who presented highlights of her impressive research on well-being and consumption at the Regents' meeting yesterday. Her presentation demonstrated the excellent work carried out by colleagues across the university. 

As we begin the summer season, I wish you a time of productivity, renewal, and reflection. I welcome the opportunity to meet with members of the university community as my schedule allows, and I look forward to learning from and working alongside you in the months ahead.

Go Blue, Go Dearborn!

Ghassan Kridli
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs