From the Duke News Service

April 5, 2001

Five Duke University faculty members have been appointed to endowed chairs through the university's Bass Program for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, a $40 million initiative that recognizes faculty members who are gifted teachers as well as scholars, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Thursday.

The new chairs were endowed as part of a $10 million challenge gift to Duke by Anne and Robert Bass of Fort Worth, Texas, in September 1996. Under the challenge component, donors may endow a full professorship with a gift of $1.125 million, with the Basses contributing the remaining $375,000 required by Duke. The Basses also have established three professorships in their own name.

The initiative also established the Bass Society of Fellows, in which the chair holders meet regularly to discuss issues related to higher education.

The newly appointed Bass Fellows are:

• Robert L. Clark, Jeffrey N. Vinik Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Clark, who was educated at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, began teaching at Duke in 1992. His research interests span a variety of fields, including acoustics, structural dynamics, control and conceptual design. He teaches several courses on dynamic systems.

• Malachi H. Hacohen, Fred W. Shaffer Associate Professor of History. Hacohen came to Duke in 1993. Previously, he studied at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and Columbia University. His research interests focus on German, Austrian and French history, as well as social theory, political philosophy and philosophy of science. His classes include European intellectual history, modern European culture and politics and 20th century liberalism.

• Craig Henriquez, W.H. Gardner Jr. Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Henriquez, who is a Duke alumnus, started teaching here in 1989. His research looks at computational biology as it relates to electrical signaling in the heart and brain. He teaches courses in electrobiology, biomedical device design, computational methods for biomedical engineering, electrocardiology and computational neurobiology.

• Alberto Moreiras, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Associate Professor of Romance Studies. Moreiras, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Emory and the University of Giessen (Germany) prior to joining the Duke faculty in 1992. He teaches courses in Latin American literature and cultural studies as well as contemporary theory, political philosophy and subaltern studies. He also does research on the history of the Spanish empire.

• Charles D. Piot, Creed C. Black Professor of Cultural Anthropology. Piot was educated at Princeton University and the University of Virginia and came to Duke in 1993. His research interests include the political economy and history of West Africa, the history of anthropology, African-American studies, diaspora studies and popular culture. His classes include global culture, African culture and politics, the African diaspora, transnationalism and public culture.

The five new recipients raise the total number of Bass Fellows at Duke to 19.

In addition, five new endowed professorships were created through gifts as part of the Bass challenge:

• The Anderson-Rupp Professorship in the Pratt School of Engineering was established by Duke parents Carol and Howard Anderson of Massachusetts. Their son is a Duke junior majoring in Russian and comparative area studies. The Andersons are national chairs of the Parents Committee and serve on the Campaign for Duke Steering Committee. The professorship also honors a family friend and Duke alumnus, Glenn Rupp, who is chair and CEO of Converse Inc. Howard Anderson is senior managing director of YankeeTek and Carol Anderson is with Harbor Vest Partners. The Creed C. Black Associate Professorship for Trinity College was established by Steven Davis Black and Deborah Groves Black, both members of Trinity College Class of '74, in honor of Steven's father, Creed C. Black of Miami. Steven Black has served on the Trinity College Board of Visitors and the New York Development Council. He is managing director of institutional equities for Chase. Deborah Black is a community volunteer. They reside in Greenwich, Conn., with their three children.

• The W.H. Gardner Jr. Associate Professorship was established by J. Alston Gardner in honor of his father, W.H. "Nick" Gardner, a Duke alumnus. Nick Gardner is the former president and current vice president of Gardner and McDaniel, a civil engineering firm. He taught at Duke from 1953-1963 and served as head engineer for many Duke buildings constructed over the last 50 years. Nick Gardner and his wife Mary Louise Powe Gardner live in Durham, and Alston Gardner resides in Georgia.

• The Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professorship in Trinity College was established by James and Audrey Gorter of Illinois in memory of their late son Kevin, who graduated from Trinity College in 1987. Kevin doubled majored in political science and religion and earned a senior leadership award at graduation. His parents have served on the Parents Committee and the Capital Campaign for the Arts and Sciences Executive Committee. James Gorter is chair of Baker Fentress, an investment management company. They also are parents of Duke alumna Mary Gorter Krey.

• The Jerry G. and Patricia Crawford Hubbard Professorship was established by Duke alumni Jerry G. and Patricia Crawford Hubbard of Georgia. Jerry Hubbard has served on the Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business and is retired president and CEO of Marglen Industries, a carpeting manufacturer. They are parents of Trinity College alumnus Patricia L. Hubbard.

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