Board of trustees approves new department heads

Six department heads who were approved by the UI Board of Trustees at its
meeting July 8 in Springfield will begin their duties Aug. 21:

  * Bonnie Armbruster, who will become head of the department of curriculum
    and instruction.

    Armbruster, UI professor of curriculum and instruction and in the Center
    for the Study of Reading, will succeed Steven E. Tozer, who is resigning
    to return to full time teaching and research in the department. 

    Armbruster earned her bachelor's degree from California State University
    in 1973, and her master's and doctoral degrees from the UI in 1976 and
    1979, respectively. 

    She joined the Center for the Study of Reading in 1979 and has been a
    faculty member in the UI departments of elementary and early childhood
    education, educational psychology, and curriculum and instruction.

  * Lee Alden Crandall, who will become head of the department of community
    health.

    Crandall, director of departmental research in the department of
    community health and family medicine at the University of Florida, will
    succeed R. Warwick Armstrong, who is resigning to return to full time
    teaching and research as a professor in the department.

    Crandall earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New
    York College at Potsdam in 1969, and a master's degree and doctorate
    from Purdue University in 1973 and 1976, respectively.

    In 1976, Crandall became a research scientist at the University of
    Florida.  One year later, he joined the faculty of the university's
    department of community health and family medicine, and in 1991 was
    named director of departmental research. Since 1977, he also has held
    an affiliate research faculty position in the department of sociology.

  * Janet Dixon Keller, who will become head of the department of
    anthropology.

    Keller, professor of anthropology and an affiliate of the Beckman
    Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, will succeed Thomas
    Riley, who is resigning to return to full-time teaching and research.
    She will retain the rank of professor.

    Keller earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California
    at Davis in 1970 and her doctorate at the University of California at
    Berkeley in 1975.

    After a year as a fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
    Keller joined the UI in 1976. She has been a Beckman Institute affiliate
    since 1989.

  * Kent B. Monroe, who will become head of the department of business
    administration.

    Monroe, the J.M. Jones Professor of Business Administration at the UI,
    will succeed Frederick W. Winter, who has become dean at the State
    University of New York, Buffalo. 

    Before joining the UI faculty in 1991, Monroe taught at Virginia
    Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the University of
    Massachusetts. He earned his bachelor's degree at Kalamazoo College,
    his master's of business administration at Indiana University and his
    doctorate at the UI. Monroe will continue as J.M. Jones Professor of
    Business Administration. 

  * John A. Gerlt, who will become head of the department of biochemistry.

    Gerlt, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Maryland,
    College Park, will succeed Robert Switzer, who resigned to return to
    full-time teaching and research. Richard Gumport has been acting head
    since Aug. 21, 1993.

    Gerlt has taught chemistry at the University of Maryland since 1984.
    Before that, he taught at Yale University for 13 years. He earned his
    bachelor's degree at Michigan State University and his master's and
    doctorate at Harvard University. 

  * Rand J. Spiro, who will become chair of the department of educational
    psychology.

    Spiro, a professor of educational psychology, of psychology, and in the
    Center for the Study of Reading, and an institute affiliate of the
    Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, will begin his
    new duties Aug. 21. Spiro succeeds Carole Ames, who left the position
    in 1993 to become dean of education at Michigan State University, and
    George McConkie, who has been acting chair. Spiro will retain his rank
    of professor.

    Spiro earned his bachelor's degree from Queens College of the City
    University of New York in 1969, and his master's and doctoral degrees
    from Pennsylvania State University in 1972 and 1975, respectively. 

    Spiro joined the UI department of educational psychology in 1974. In
    1978, he also joined the UI Center for the Study of Reading and served
    as its co-director in 1989-90. In 1989, Spiro was named a Beckman
    Institute affiliate.