In the News
Chuck Henry to Focus on Library Needs
For the past two years, Rice vice president and chief information
officer (CIO) Chuck Henry has been performing the equivalent
of two full-time jobs, overseeing both the university’s
information technology and library needs. Because of the complexities
and time constraints of this dual role, Henry has decided to
relinquish his role as vice president and CIO in order to concentrate
on his position as university librarian and vice provost.
“The vice president/CIO position was created to combine the library and
information technology as a new unit on campus,” Henry said, “but
we now realize that each of these entities requires full-time, dedicated leadership.”
Henry will continue to serve as vice president/CIO until a successor is appointed,
and then he will return to his original duties as vice provost and university
librarian—a position he has held since 1996. Provost Eugene Levy said a
committee will be appointed to search private industries as well as universities
for candidates for a new IT senior management position.
“We thank Chuck for the two years during which he accepted—and mastered—the
daunting challenge of overseeing both Fondren Library and Rice information technology,” Levy
said. “He made important contributions to sharpening Rice’s IT mission
and organization while at the same time making progress with plans to prepare
Fondren for a new era in library services, his number one passion.”
When Henry became Rice’s CIO in 2000, 32 members of the information technology
staff reported directly to one director, and 28 reported to another. “It
was a very difficult organization to manage, so we instituted a comprehensive
reorganization, creating eight new manager positions from the existing budget,” Henry
said. “The new organizational structure allows for greater professional
development, accountability, and information sharing, with a much stronger commitment
to customer service and alignment with Rice’s academic mission.”
At Fondren, Henry plans to focus his attention on the major transformations within
academic research libraries brought on by new services, program innovations,
and advances in technology. Working with his senior administrators, he is undertaking
a rigorous review of the changes that have occurred within Fondren Library during
the past 10 years, including services that have been phased out or added, changes
in academic programs, investments in electronic resources, and grants that have
been awarded to the library.
Currall Named First Holder of Sick Chair
Steve Currall, associate professor of management, psychology,
and statistics at the Jones School and founding director of the
Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, has been appointed
the first holder of the William and Stephanie Sick Chair in Entrepreneurship
at Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering. The chairholder,
who requires a combination of technical inventiveness and business
know-how, will help facilitate collaboration between the School
of Engineering, with its inventions and advancements in technology,
and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, with its
expertise in the commercialization of ideas.
Currall’s appointment is the first time a professor from the Jones School
has been named the holder of a chair in the Brown School of Engineering. He
also holds faculty positions in the department of statistics in the School
of Engineering and in psychology in the School of Social Sciences.
The chair was funded by William Sick ’57, a member of the Rice Board
of Trustees, and his wife, Stephanie. “We hope the chair will facilitate
the commercialization of technological innovations and be a focal point in
creating a body of knowledge to better educate students in the process of turning
ideas into successful commercial ventures,” Sick said. “Steve Currall
is the ideal person to occupy the chair. In addition to his clearly demonstrated
ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries, Steve has created
one of the most successful university centers for entrepreneurship in the country,
the Rice Alliance.”
Through hallmark events such as Technology Concept Forums, the annual Business
Plan Presentation Forum, and the Southwest Business Plan Competition, the Rice
Alliance brings together students, faculty, alumni, and others from the Rice
community with Houston-area entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders.
Areas of possible collaboration include engineering, the sciences, software,
and the digital economy.
“The Rice Alliance, under the leadership of Steve Currall, has succeeded
in creating a vigorous environment of entrepreneurship at Rice—a culture
in which science and engineering faculty look beyond the academic realm to consider
the potential commercial applications of their work,” said Sidney Burrus,
dean of the School of Engineering. “Through their generous contribution,
Bill and Stephanie Sick are helping solidify Rice’s reputation as a university
that fosters the entrepreneurial spirit in both faculty and students.”
Gil Whitaker, dean of the Jones School, added, “The Rice Alliance is
the embodiment of the bold and vibrant entrepreneurial spirit at Rice, and
establishment of the chair recognizes the hard work of Steve Currall and the
Rice Alliance staff, who have done a wonderful job at promoting this spirit
of entrepreneurship throughout the university.”
He explained that the Rice Alliance began as a vision for elevating Rice to
a leadership role in facilitating commercialization of new innovations. “It
is the university’s initiative to ensure that Rice is to Houston what
Stanford has been to Silicon Valley and what MIT has been to Boston,” Currall
said. Although only in its third year, the Rice Alliance has helped establish
more than 90 start-up ventures in Houston.
Martin Appointed Chair of Psychology
Randi Martin, the Elma Schneider Professor of Psychology, has
been appointed chair of the Department of Psychology. She had been
director of the department’s Cognitive Sciences Program.
A member of the Rice faculty since 1982, Martin specializes in
research on the cognitive mechanisms involved in language comprehension
and production. Last year, she was elected a fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest
federation of scientists. Eric Margolis, associate professor of
philosophy, is the new director of the Cognitive Sciences Program.
Former department chair Robert Dipboye will continue with his research
and teaching as a professor of psychology and management.
Matusow Named Associate Director of the Baker Institute
Allen Matusow has been appointed associate director for academic
programs at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
by Rice University president Malcolm Gillis on the recommendation
of institute director Edward Djerejian. Matusow succeeds Richard
Stoll, who was the first associate director of the Baker Institute
and is now associate dean of social sciences.
Matusow, the William Gaines Twyman Professor of History, joined the Rice faculty
in 1963. He served as dean of humanities from 1981 to 1995. He has won many
teaching awards, including the Rice University History Majors Society Award
for Best Teacher, the Nicholas Salgo Distinguished Teaching Award, the George
R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching, the Piper Professorship Award, and the
George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching—the most prestigious
teaching award at Rice.
In addition to his new policy-management role, Matusow will continue to teach
history courses. His specialty is 20th-century U.S. history. He also is in
the beginning stages of writing a book about the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
Zeff Inducted into Accounting Hall of Fame
For his contributions to the study of accounting from historical
and international perspectives, Stephen Zeff, the Herbert S. Autrey
Professor of Accounting and professor of managerial studies, adds
another feather to his cap with his recent induction as the 70th
member of the prestigious Accounting Hall of Fame.
Zeff, who was recognized last year for his work in historical research in accounting
with the Hourglass Award from the Academy of Accounting Historians, was inducted
into the Accounting Hall of Fame at the American Accounting Association’s
(AAA) annual meeting August 15.
“This scholar-educator’s keen observations and insights have enhanced
our perspective on accounting in both national and global domains and sharpened
our understanding of critical accounting-policy issues,” said Thomas R.
Dyckman, professor of accounting at Cornell University, who installed Zeff at
the induction ceremony held at the San Antonio Marriott.
Zeff joined the Rice faculty in 1978 and, in 1979, was named the Herbert S.
Autrey Professor of Accounting. Throughout his career, he has conducted extensive
research in the dual areas of historical and international accounting. In 2001,
after 30 years of research, Zeff published his critically acclaimed biography
Henry Rand Hatfield: Humanist, Scholar, and Accounting Educator. The book earned
him a second Hourglass Award, making him one of the few who received the award
twice.
Zeff is the author or editor of 25 books and more than 90 scholarly articles,
serves on the editorial board of more than 20 research journals in 10 countries,
and is book review editor of the International Journal of Accounting. He was
editor of the Accounting Review from 1977 to 1982 and was president of the
American Accounting Association in 1985 and 1986. Maintaining a rigorous worldwide
speaking schedule for more than 35 years, Zeff has given more than 500 lectures
and seminars to students, academics, and practitioners, more than 380 of which
have been outside the United States.
While he greatly appreciates the many recognitions of his accounting research
and services to his profession, the accolades Zeff prizes the most are those
that recognize his dedication to teaching. In 1988, Zeff received the AAA’s
Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, and in 1999 the AAA’s International
Accounting Section named him the recipient of its International Accounting
Educator Award. A four-time recipient of the George R. Brown Award for Superior
Teaching, Zeff was honored by the Rice Student Association with the Mentor
Recognition Award during 1990–91.
Despite innumerable recognitions of his contributions to accounting teaching
and research, Zeff considers his work as its own reward. “I enjoy teaching
students and helping them plan their careers. It’s fulfilling to see
them develop and work in fields where they can make a difference,” he
said. “I look forward to more years of teaching and conducting research—continuing
to do the work that I love.”
—Reported by B. J.
Almond, Jade Boyd, Ellen Chang,
Margot Dimond, Jennifer Evans,
and Maileen
Hamto
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