College of Liberal Arts names Collegiate Fellows

Linda Maxson, dean of the college, said the distinction is a way for the college to honor outstanding faculty members at the rank of full professor who have consistently demonstrated dedication to the three-pronged mission of the college.

"This award was created to recognize senior faculty whose distinction in teaching and scholarship is matched by exceptional leadership in service to the University, the college, and their departments," Maxson said.

Collegiate Fellows receive an increase in pay as well as a discretionary fund in each of the first two years of a five-year, renewable term. The group also will be invited to meet with Maxson and the college’s associate deans twice each year to discuss opportunities for improving faculty life and undergraduate education.

The fellows are:

• Mark Arnold, professor of chemistry. Arnold has been a College of Liberal Arts faculty member since 1982, earning the rank of full professor in 1994. In a letter nominating Arnold for the honor, Daniel Quinn, chair of the Department of Chemistry, called him "one of the most innovative teachers in the department." He has served on more than two dozen departmental and University committees and held eight different offices in professional societies. His research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the UI Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. Arnold serves as director of the UI Optical Science and Technology Center.
  
  
• Nora England, professor of anthropology. In 23 years as a College of Liberal Arts faculty member, England has taught everything from large, introductory undergraduate courses to specialized seminars for graduate students. She began assuming leadership roles, including directing the Latin American Studies Program before she earned tenure and has served on more than three dozen departmental and University committees. She earned the rank of full professor in 1989. Her research and activism with the Maya has not only produced internationally acclaimed scholarship, but also opportunities for Mayan students to advance to levels of higher education that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. England was recognized with a MacArthur "genius grant" in 1993.
  
  
• Philip Kutzko, professor of mathematics. Kutzko joined the College of Liberal Arts faculty in 1974 and earned the rank of full professor in 1979. He has had continuous National Science Foundation research support throughout his 26 years at the University and has been an invited speaker or visiting professor at some of the most prestigious mathematics departments in the world. He frequently teaches the department’s business calculus course with an enrollment approaching 900 undergraduates. He also has been dedicated to diversity issues on campus, serving on his department’s Committee for Minority Student Recruitment and Development as well as on numerous university-wide committees.
  
  
• Gerard Rushton, professor of geography. Rushton joined the College of Liberal Arts faculty in 1969. He earned the rank of full professor in 1974. He is a leader in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In the last five years, he has made 45 presentations related to GIS, geography, health, and location theory at conferences in the United States and abroad. He has served as a member of several national advisory committees convened by such groups as the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
  
  
• Myron Welch, professor of music. Welch joined the College of Liberal Arts faculty in 1980 as director of bands and earned the rank of full professor in 1983. He is responsible for all UI band activities, conducts the Symphony Band and Chamber Wind Ensemble, teaches undergraduate instrumental methods, and oversees the graduate program in band conducting. He also organizes the annual Iowa Honor Band weekend. For 18 years Welch was the director of the Iowa All-State Music Camp. Under his direction, the Symphony Band has performed at several state and national conventions. Welch also has been invited as a guest conductor for many prestigious bands, including the United States Air Force Band, Marine Band, Navy Band, and the Goldman Band of New York City, as well as guest conducted numerous university bands and is a frequent conductor of all-state bands and music camps throughout the country. In addition to serving on dozens of departmental and University committees, Welch has held leadership positions in several national organizations and has been the president of the American Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors National Association North Central Division, the Iowa Bandmasters Association, and the Big Ten Band Directors Association.

Article by Mary Geraghty Kenyon