The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents granted
emeritus status to three former faculty members and one
former staff member at its regular meeting June 20.
To be awarded emeritus status, faculty and staff must
have served EMU for at least 15 years and be nominated
for emeritus faculty status upon retirement.
Faculty granted emeritus status are:
 |
Bird |
P. George Bird, professor, department of communication
and theatre arts, retired after 51 years of service. Bird,
of Ypsilanti, has a master's degree and bachelor's degree,
both from the University of Wisconsin.
As a teacher and adviser, Bird specialized in technical
theatre. He served as a director and designer, building
sets for more than 300 theatre productions and directing
more than 60 plays during his career at EMU. Bird said
favorites from his body of work include the award-winning "Anne
of the Thousand Days," "Moon for the Misbegotten," "Elizabeth
the Queen," "Caesar and Cleopatra," "Desire under the
Elms" and "Mourning
Becomes Electra."
 |
Franks |
Thomas H. Franks, Jr., professor, department of history
and philosophy, retired after 39 years of service. Franks,
of Ypsilanti, has a doctorate and a master's degree, both
from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree
from Franklin and Marshall College.
An expert in early 19th-century continental philosophy,
Franks was the only continental philosopher at EMU for
many years. During his tenure, he served as the chair of
the philosophy section numerous times, a position that
rotates within the department. In that role, Franks hired
regular faculty and adjuncts, and helped to institute the
humanities courses. He also has been active in the community,
participating in local theatre and activities at his church.
 |
Welber |
Joel Welber, associate professor, department of marketing,
retired after 22 years of service. Welber, of St. George,
Utah, has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan
and a Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University.
In addition to teaching at EMU, Welber was involved in
many community service activities. He served as a legal
counsel to the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy
for 28 years and made numerous presentations at National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) state conferences.
He published a chapter for the Institute for Continuing
Legal Education titled "Amenities Trusts for Persons with
Developmental Disabilities or Mental Illness." In June
2005, Welber received a community award from NAMI for
his contributions.
 |
Salisbury |
The staff member granted emeritus status is:
Robert A. Salisbury, associate director
of academic advising, retired after 34 years of service.
Salisbury, of Howell, received both his MBA and bachelor's
degree in business administration at EMU.
Salisbury began
working at EMU in 1972, as an admissions and financial
aid counselor. He served numerous roles across campus,
assuming his ultimate position in academic advising in
1996. Salisbury provided faculty training on advising
for many years, worked with program review to keep
advising center staff updated on changes in programs of
study and course offerings, and served on numerous committees,
including Continuous Improvement and AQIP. He also participated
in many fundraisers and promotional activities at EMU.
