ASU News - Administration + Administration

Financial expertise advances Wamsley to new role

lambraki — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Arizona State University is pleased to announce the appointment of executive director of student business services and investment management Joanne Wamsley as the new senior associate vice president for finance and deputy treasurer, effective Dec. 1.

Wamsley replaces Jerry Snyder, who retired from ASU after 37 years of service in the financial management area.

Wamsley, a 25-year ASU veteran and Gilbert resident, was chosen after a national search, for her breadth of financial management knowledge and experience in higher education.

“Joanne has done an excellent job directing a diverse array of functions at ASU,” said Morgan R. Olsen, ASU executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. “We appreciate Jerry’s many years of exemplary service to ASU, and look forward to Joanne’s leadership of these critical financial management functions.”

Joanne will provide leadership and direction as ASU’s chief accounting officer, overseeing student business services, investment management, tax compliance, business technology services, debt issuance, general accounting and other financial management services. During Wamsley’s tenure at ASU, she has led the effort to update the 30-year-old student financial services applications, allowing Student Business Services to be more customer focused as part of the PeopleSoft initiative; furthered university e-commerce services; oversaw the disbursement of more than $600 million annually in student aid; and managed numerous banking relationships.

“Working in a large university setting, I have had many opportunities to work collaboratively on system and business process projects,” said Wamsley. “Jerry is leaving behind a department with a solid reputation, and I plan to continue to emphasize excellent service, effective financial management tools, and strong financial systems and controls.”

Her goals and understanding of ASU’s role in the economic vitality of the state and the nation will help the university as it navigates through the current financial challenges it’s facing.

“Developing strategies to advance President Crow’s vision of the New American University in a challenging financial environment is an immediate priority,” said Wamsley. “Longer term, the replacement of ASU’s aging financial accounting system is a project that Financial Services will be undertaking.”

Wamsley is a certified public accountant and certified government financial manager. She earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and accounting, as well as an MBA, all from ASU.

Climate change expert named Lincoln Professor of Law, Ethics and Sustainability

jbmagrud — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:08:18 -0700

Daniel M. Bodansky, a pre-eminent authority in international climate change law, has been appointed the Lincoln Professor of Law, Ethics and Sustainability at Arizona State University, according to Paul Schiff Berman, Dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

Bodansky also has been named an affiliated faculty member in the College of Law’s Center for Law and Global Affairs and in the Global Institute of Sustainability’s School of Sustainability at ASU. His appointment is effective Aug. 1, 2010.

“The hiring of Dan Bodansky is a tremendously positive step for advancing ASU,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “On the law and sustainability front, Dan will bring us global thinking at the highest level. This is a great day for ASU.”

Bodansky, the Associate Dean for faculty development and the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law at the University of Georgia School of Law, will be a key player in the development and operation of a new Program in Law and Sustainability at the College of Law. The program, which will be housed in the College’s Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology, is expected to launch next fall. He will teach courses in international law and in law and sustainability.

“Dan Bodansky is the leading figure in international law and climate change,” Berman said. “He is a highly respected international law scholar, and his experience, both in government and policy circles with respect to climate change, is unsurpassed. When I became Dean and we decided to launch both the new Program on Law and Global Affairs and our ambitious transdisciplinary Law and Sustainability Program, Dan was the first person I thought of. I could not be more thrilled that he will be joining us.”

Bodansky said Berman’s enthusiasm about establishing the College of Law as an innovative force in solving global challenges and Crow’s visionary leadership in sustainability convinced him to make the move.

“The law school is a very dynamic place with a real focus on international law, and there’s a synergy in the strong group of people who are doing interesting work there. That was particularly appealing to me,” Bodansky said. “And what Michael Crow is doing in sustainability, building it throughout the entire university – operations, curriculum and research – is very innovative and makes ASU an exciting place. I’m not sure I know of any other school that has that kind of focus.”

Rob Melnick, Executive Dean of the Global Institute of Sustainability, said Bodansky’s experience as climate change coordinator and attorney-adviser at the U.S. Department of State during the Clinton and Bush administrations will bring a new perspective to the institute and to ASU.

“Dan is a world-class leader in environmental and sustainability law, especially in the international arena,” Melnick said. “He has an understanding of how the law on a global level affects, and is affected by, sustainability, and he has the added advantage of having operated in both federal and international policy spaces. His dual appointment is a tremendous asset for both the College of Law and the School of Sustainability.”

Bodansky began working in the global climate change arena nearly two decades ago, before it was trendy to do so. He has authored numerous papers for the Pew Center for Global Climate Change and is an influential voice in international conversations about the issue.

His forthcoming book, "The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law" (Harvard University Press, December 2009), explains the role international law plays in addressing global environmental challenges such as climate change, ozone depletion and the loss of biodiversity.

“Law is an important piece of the puzzle, but the problem with international environmental law has been that people either overwrite the importance of it, or they disregard it altogether,” Bodansky said. “One of the points of the book is to try to provide a more realistic picture of the contributions international law can make, but to convey that it’s not the only thing that’s involved.”

Bodansky attended the recent Climate Change Talks in Barcelona and will be in attendance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. The Copenhagen meeting has been billed as the world’s last chance to stop temperature change before it passes the point of no return. Some have speculated that a political agreement – and not a legal one – will result from the summit.

“Yes, we should be striving ultimately for the legal agreement, but the difference between a political and legal agreement is incremental, not totally game shifting,” he said.

Peter French, director of the ASU Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, said Bodansky is a welcome addition to a stellar group of Lincoln professors who work in a variety of disciplines at ASU.

“Dan’s appointment adds depth to our already outstanding line up of experts in various fields who are working in the ethics areas related to those fields,” French said. “We are looking forward to him bringing another dimension to the Lincoln Center and the Lincoln professors’ group, and we expect there will be a number of collaborative projects emerging from this relationship.”

Bodansky’s scholarship includes three books, 28 scholarly articles and book chapters, five book reviews and more than 40 papers and presentations. In addition to his work at the State Department, he has consulted for the United Nations in the areas of climate change and tobacco control. Bodansky is the recipient of a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, a Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs and a Jean Monnet Fellowship from the European University Institute in Florence.

He currently serves on the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law and is the U.S.-nominated arbitrator under the Antarctic Environment Protocol. In addition, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Society of International Law.

In 2002, Bodansky joined Georgia Law, where he teaches in the areas of public international law, international environmental law, and foreign affairs and the Constitution. He was named Associate Dean for faculty development in 2006. From 1989 to 2002, he was a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Law, and he also has taught as an adjunct professor at the George Washington School of Law and the Georgetown University Law Center. Bodansky clerked for Judge Irving Goldberg of the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals. Bodansky earned a law degree from Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Law Journal, a master’s in the history and philosophy of science from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1979.

'Time' names Crow a top university president to watch

cderra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:01:33 -0700

Arizona State University President Michael Crow has been named by Time magazine as one of the top U.S. university presidents to watch. The November 23, 2009 issue of Time includes a feature on the 10 best college presidents, which includes Michael Crow.

The part of the story that highlights Crow talks about his goal of transforming ASU into the New American University that aims to improve rankings, performance and access all at the same time, going against the grain of most top universities. It also provides a report card.

“During his tenure, the university has more than doubled its yearly research spending, boosted its roster of National Merit Scholars 61 percent, and claimed a spot on three separate rankings of America’s best colleges,” the article states. “Meanwhile the number of low-income Arizona freshman enrolling each year has grown nearly nine-fold and the population of minority students has jumped 62 percent.”

Crow described the goals of ASU as aiming to meet the needs of the people.

“We’re done with trying to raise money for putting brass buttons on the back of our chairs,” Crow said. “What people really want from their university is, ‘Help us with these things that are most important to us.’”

Media contact:
Virgil Renzulli, (480) 965-8526

UAE to model new innovation center on ASU’s SkySong

cderra — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:08:18 -0700

A visit to the United Arab Emirates by Arizona State University President Michael Crow and Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs R.F. “Rick” Shangraw Jr. could help the Arab state face its challenges by unleashing the talents of its entrepreneurs and innovators. During their visit, Crow and Shangraw came to an agreement with UAE officials on replicating ASU's SkySong in their country.

As it turns out, both sides had a lot in common, said Shangraw.

“Our physical environments are very much the same – we're both rapidly growing desert regions,” Shangraw said. “Because of that, we face a lot of the same challenges for managing resources and planning for growth. It turns out that innovation was a common goal, too.”

As a result, the first National Innovation Center in the UAE will be in place by the end of 2010, said Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, the UAE economic minister. The UAE center will identify key projects in alternative energy, environment, education and information technology.

ASU’s SkySong Innovation Center, located in Scottsdale, Ariz., supports firms entering or expanding within the United States. SkySong is designed to help companies grow by providing business services and programs – access to new technologies, capital networks, business education and a skilled workforce – offered or facilitated by ASU.

Shangraw explained that the goal of the ASU-UAE discussions was to find common ground in areas where both entities could benefit, but not act like other universities and simply replicate infrastructure.

“We’ve been talking with UAE for the past 18 months on moving the concept of SkySong over to UAE,” he said. “We aren’t talking about a building and a sail in UAE, but to help them build a SkySong equivalent activity over there to help encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, which will be tied back to ASU by offering versions of our entrepreneurship training and the way we think about connecting global companies with other companies, and how we bring venture capitalists into that environment.”

SkySong wasn’t the only focus of the discussions.

“We are also moving forward with the concept of a national decision center (based on the Decision Theater concept) in UAE and an advanced educational platform as well,” Shangraw said.

“Each of these three concepts exist at very nontraditional intersections and collaborations,” he added. “ We aren’t talking about picking up ASU and putting it over there and start offering degrees. We are talking about bringing the concept over.”

One of the more interesting initial challenges of the UAE innovation center will be to address alternative energy.

“There are certain parts of the economy that we would like to build and enhance, especially alternative energy,” al Mansouri said.

That gave Crow the opportunity to talk about one of ASU’s newest initiatives, LightWorks, which focuses on the university's strengths in renewable energy fields including artificial photosynthesis, biofuels and next-generation photovoltaics. LightWorks will expand to include other light-based projects, such as lasers for biomedical applications, energy-efficient lighting and smart-grid technologies.

Shangraw said that the two sides are exploring ways where ASU can bring some of its expertise in solar, biofuels and smart-grid technology to the UAE. Additional challenges the UAE innovation center will address include population stress, the urban heat island and sustainable development.

Karin to establish work-life policies program at law college

shibner — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:18:48 -0600

Drawing on her experience with Georgetown University Law Center's national initiative on workplace flexibility, Marcy Karin has joined the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law as an associate clinical professor and director of the Civil Justice Clinic's new Work-Life Policy Unit.

Karin said her goals are to continue to build on the reputation of the award-winning clinic, which represents clients in civil disputes and administrative proceedings, and to expand its services into developing public policy on work-life balance issues.

"I want to support a clinic environment that doesn't end when you walk out of your class or the day you get your grade or the day your client's case is dismissed, favorably or not," she said. "Part of what's made it so exciting to come here is that the people at Georgetown spoke highly of the people and programs here. It's exciting to be a part of the clinic and to be able to bring a bit of policy development to the mix."

As legislative counsel for Georgetown Law's Workplace Flexibility 2010, Karin helped develop a constituency base and political support for comprehensive public policies on flexible work arrangements, short-term, episodic and extended time off, and career maintenance and re-entry, among other issues.

"There are some legal obstacles that need to be reworked and some incentives that the federal and state governments could do to support this in ways that meet the needs of employees, employers and the community," Karin said. "Students in the clinic and I will work with clients to develop and change existing law to support these solutions."

"What's neat about ASU is its proximity to the state legislature, and that it's one of the few places that have a vibrant business and advocacy work-life network," she said. "That students at the College of Law can be a part of this conversation and problem solving is very unusual, because there are very few places where it is being talked about with such sophistication."

Before joining Georgetown Law in 2006, Karin was an associate at Arent Fox PLLC in Washington, D.C., and she was the recipient of the 2005 Albert E. Arent Pro Bono Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Public Interest.

The issues Karin worked on as an attorney – helping with amicus briefs in U.S. Supreme Court cases which aided victims of domestic violence and working on state and national policies affecting military families, the disability community and the aging population – are the ones she still cares about as a teacher.

"For the past 15 years, there's been a movement in academia and the advocacy community for building the case for why a variety of work-life issues are important," she said. "How the workplace is structured impacts lives, and not just for the single working mom, but for the domestic violence victim who could use a flexible schedule or telework option for their safety and for military families who need support other than just giving their loved ones time off to serve, among others."

Karin also was an adjunct professor, teaching fellow and supervising attorney in Georgetown's Federal Legislation and Administrative Clinic. There, she taught classes, seminars and workshops on employment law, legal and political research, and oral advcacy. She also introduced students to legislative lawyering skills that combined knowledge of the political process with legal issues.

"Not every person who graduates from law school will go into the litigation arena," said Karin, who received her law degree from Stanford Law School in 2003 and an LL.M in advocacy from Georgetown in 2008. "But some of the same skills that litigators need – getting to know your client, fact investigation, drafting documents, negotiating – are necessary for attorneys who choose to use their abilities to develop thoughtful public policy."

Karin recently authored the paper, "Time Off For Military Families: an Emerging Case Study in a Time of War ... And the Tipping Point for Future Laws Supporting Work-Life Balance?"

Janie Magruder, Jane.Magruder@asu.edu
(480) 727-9052
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs joins College of Law

shibner — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:13:22 -0600

When Carl J. Artman was in second grade, he watched the Watergate hearings on television.

"I saw the people whispering in the ears of the senators, and I knew I wanted to be one of those people," he said.

Carl Artman, who realized that dream of leadership in Washington, D.C., by becoming Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Department's Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs, recently joined the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law as a professor and director of the Economic Development in Indian Country Program.

Artman, an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, spent much of his childhood visiting relatives on the reservation.

"I always knew I was an Indian growing up," he said.

A self-defined "policy wonk," Artman considered journalism, after have read "All the President's Men," Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's description of reporting the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation.

But he also read the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke and the letters of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. And he learned that the Oneida Nation was one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, which is said to have influenced the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution. And that the tribe supplied corn that kept President Washington's troops from starving at Valley Forge in 1777.

"I was honored to know that my tribe helped create what we have today," he said.

And so he chose the path of government service.

Artman has worked in policy-making on Capitol Hill; lobbied for his tribe; worked on business deals for the Oneida Nation, including a telecom business; developed a high-tech business; and eventually became Chief Counsel for his tribe. After he left the Department of the Interior, Artman built an Indian law practice at Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee, Wisc.

"When I was in law school, there was not a lot of focus on Indian law," Artman said. "I always thought I would end up in Indian Country, preferably working for my tribe, but I never felt compelled to follow a strict Indian law process.

Instead, at Washington University School of Law, Artman focused on business and policy, and their intersection with law. He also earned an MBA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an LL.M. in natural resources and environmental law at the University of Denver.

"Everything I've done has crossed government, business, management and policy," he said.

Artman said he began thinking about ASU after Dean Paul Schiff Berman approached him at a conference the Indian Legal Program organized in 2008 about Indian gaming, at which Artman was a presenter.

"I did a lot of research, looking at ASU's philosophy under President Crow, his vision of the New American University and its entrepreneurship," Artman said. "I knew that if I had the opportunity to work with students here, they would take what we worked on and translate it into something real."

Artman said he also was attracted by the Indian Legal Program team, which he said he is proud to join.

"The impact they have leads to endless possibilities," he said. "It's ready-made to help tribal leaders."

In addition to teaching, one of Artman's first projects is planning a national conference on tribal energy economies, which will be held March 25-26, 2010.

"It's about the whole world of energy, coal, natural gas, oil, the whole gamut, spanning all the way to alternative and renewable energies and beyond," Artman said. "Many tribes are just tapping into their natural resources, and we'll look at a strategic plan to promote investment and turn them into truly sustainable economies.

"We'll look at the issues from 10,000 feet, but also in detail. I want tribal leaders – government, business, legal, chiefs of staff – to walk out saying, 'That was inspirational. I learned what other people are thinking on the subject. There were partners and stakeholders who spoke with us.' I want it to be a true exchange of ideas."

Judy Nichols, Judith.Nichols@asu.edu
(480) 727-7895
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

ASU helps shape debate on energy and competitiveness

cderra — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:48:02 -0600

Jim Buizer, special adviser to ASU President Michael Crow, once had a brief encounter with Vice President Joe Biden. It came at a dinner, where Biden was speaking on U.S. competitiveness, a topic Buizer knew well because he was deeply involved in the recommendations for the future of U.S. competitiveness through his work with the Council on Competitiveness.

At the end of the speech, Biden and Buizer’s paths crossed and for a few moments they exchanged pleasantries, in which Buizer invited the vice president to Tempe for a campus visit.

“I fully intend to follow up and send a formal invitation,” Buizer says.

The fact that ASU was at the table helping to chart a course for the U.S. in terms of competitiveness and sustainability speaks to how far the university has come. The important work was not rubbing elbows, but in hashing out details of a report of the Council on Competitiveness, which was presented at the National Energy Summit and International Dialogue, Sept. 23 and 24, in Washington, D.C.

The Council on Competitiveness is a non-partisan and non-governmental organization of CEOs, university presidents and labor leaders working to ensure U.S. prosperity.

The summit – which Buizer, President Crow and Assistant Vice President for Policy Affairs Stuart Hadley attended – included the participation of several luminaries, including Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren, and U. S. Sens. Mark Warner (R-Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

“ASU’s leadership in sustainability is evident by our engagement in national policy discussions like this one with the Council on Competitiveness,” says President Crow, who served on the CEO-level Steering Committee for the Council’s Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative.

A major portion of the summit was to deliver the Council on Competitiveness’s report, “Drive. Private Sector Demand for Sustainable Energy Solutions.”

The report details what needs to be done to build the U.S. economy, but to do so in a manner that is sensitive to the environment and to make the economic recovery more sustainable. A copy of the report will be given to President Obama as a pathway for energy and sustainability policy. To see the report, go to: www.compete.org/.

“The Council on Competitiveness believes there is tremendous economic opportunity inherent in the shift to a low-carbon economy, but only if our nation takes immediate steps to create the right price signals to encourage business and consumers to pursue cleaner and more efficient energy practices, products and technologies,” says Susan Rochford, vice president of energy and sustainability initiatives at the Council on Competitiveness.

“This was a serious, high-level engagement of corporate CEOs, university presidents and civic leaders talking about what is needed to compete in energy and sustainability,” Buizer says. “It created the link between three key constituents – leaders in education, industry and government policy.”

For Buizer, the summit and the dinner were the culmination of two years of work that helped elevate ASU as a key player in the dialogue on our country’s future.

Crow addresses 'Challenges' facing ASU

gcampbel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:31:10 -0600

President Michael Crow discussed the upcoming ASU initiatives to address a variety of challenges facing the state and nation on Eight/KAET’s Horizon.

The interview, with KAET’s Ted Simons, covered the university’s focus on the “Challenges Before Us” Initiative. The inititiative, which will officially launch in late October, targets a series of key challenges for the university to address through its academic and research efforts.

“For us it has got to be a lot more than just the normal things only,” said Crow. “We are going to do all of those – creative learning, great instruction and great learning for our students. We also want to take all of the power and the know how and the capability of our university and begin addressing a series of challenges that we think are essential for our state and nation to address.”
The full interview, which aired October 1, can be found at http://www.azpbs.org/horizon/play.php?vidId=1391.

Podcast: The Case for a New Kind of Public University

sjkeele1 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:04:03 -0600

Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University, talks to The Chronicle of Higher Education about how public research universities must find new ways to serve students and tackle social problems. He discusses how his institution has taken steps in that direction.

Gary Dirks to lead LightWorks solar research initiative

lccampb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:57:36 -0600

Arizona State University has selected Gary Dirks as director of LightWorks, a new initiative to position ASU as a leader in solar-based energy and other light-inspired research. Dirks is the former president of BP Asia-Pacific and BP China.

In addition to directing LightWorks, Dirks has been appointed the Julie Wrigley Chair of Sustainable Practices and a professor of practice in the School of Sustainability. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Sustainability at ASU.

LightWorks will capitalize on ASU’s unique strengths in renewable energy fields including artificial photosynthesis, biofuels and next-generation photovoltaics. LightWorks will eventually broaden to include other light-based projects, such as lasers for biomedical applications and energy-efficient lighting.

“Gary Dirks will help position Arizona nationally and globally as a leader in renewable energy and light-based research,” says ASU President Michael Crow. “Gary’s broad range of experience will help us meet President Obama’s challenge to lead a green revolution and develop clean sources of energy.”

Dirks received his doctorate in chemistry from ASU in 1980. He was the first doctoral student to work with Devens Gust, Thomas Moore and Ana Moore in ASU’s Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis (now the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis).

Dirks went on to work in the energy industry as a researcher, strategic planner and then ultimately, president of BP China and BP Asia-Pacific. In China, Dirks grew BP from an operation with fewer than 30 employees and no revenue to more than 1,300 employees and revenues of about $4 billion in 2008.

“What does that mean for ASU?” says R. F. “Rick” Shangraw, the vice president for research and economic affairs.

“It means we have somebody who respects and understands the academic enterprise, but also somebody who is very practically grounded in what works in the energy world. We have somebody who knows the energy environment not just nationally, but globally.”

“I feel privileged to have been selected,” Dirks says. “As I explored the opportunity to direct LightWorks, I was struck by the depth and breadth of capability at ASU to apply light to big social challenges. When you combine the capability that ASU has, the social need and the very strong support from President Crow and his team, it makes a very attractive opportunity for my next career.”

Dirks will provide the enhanced strategic focus needed to pursue major funding opportunities, including those in the competitive arena of federal stimulus grants. He also will facilitate collaborations with other universities, industry and government agencies. He says his initial focus is to communicate ASU’s strengths and capabilities through the vehicle of LightWorks and to connect ASU with major sponsors and partners.

Dirks already is fully engaged.

“I am working on two large energy projects now,” he says. “The first is a Department of Energy proposal to identify pathways to commercial production of liquid fuels from algae. We have more than 20 partners from across the country, and ASU is leading. The second project is in anticipation of congressional support for the Department of Energy Hubs program,” he says.

“It is incredibly important to bring resources into Arizona that will fund jobs and create an environment for growing new companies,” Shangraw says.

However, Shangraw adds that Dirks will not neglect the importance of basic research.

“We do not have all the answers, particularly in terms of renewable energy,” he says. “We can’t simply take our existing science and convert it magically into commercial products. We still have to do a lot of basic research in this area to be successful in the long run.”

Diane Boudreau, diane.boudreau@asu.edu
(480) 965-7260
Office of Research and Economic Affairs