University of Rochester

In Brief

Kathy Rideout ’95W (EdD), ’03 (FLW) has become the new dean for the School of Nursing. Rideout, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, has served as an associate professor of clinical nursing and in administrative roles at the school over the last 26 years. Previously, she was the school’s senior associate dean for academic affairs.

As dean, Rideout will continue to work part time as a pediatric ostomy nurse practitioner, a position that she maintained while serving as interim dean from September 2011 until her permanent appointment. “Kathy cherishes her role of working with children and families,” said Medical Center CEO Bradford Berk ’81 (MD/PhD) at the August announcement of Rideout’s appointment. “It’s intrinsic to who she is and further demonstrates the patient-centered focus she brings to preparing the nurses of tomorrow. “It’s rare to find an administrator who works so hard to remain at the bedside as she does, and in doing so, she truly embodies the School’s unification model of practice, education, and research.”

Catherine Cerulli Leads Susan B. Anthony Center

Catherine Cerulli, an academic and legal leader with more than two decades of commitment to battling domestic violence and victimization, is the new director of the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership. She succeeds Nora Bredes, who led the center from 1999 to 2011, when she died of complications from breast cancer.

Cerulli joined the University in 2002 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Most recently, she served as the director of the University’s Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization and had joint appointments as director of research at the Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic, which she cofounded in 1992 at SUNY Buffalo’s School of Law.

Admissions Adopts Test Flexible Policy

This fall, the Admissions Office became “test flexible,” allowing applicants to the undergraduate College of Arts, Sciences & Engineering to submit national or international test results other than the SAT or ACT along with their secondary school records of courses and grades. Adoption of the policy comes after an eight-year pilot phase. Since 2004, Admissions has incorporated many kinds of test score submissions into the application review process, but had always required students to submit an SAT or ACT score before applications were deemed complete. Under the new policy, applicants for admission will be eligible for review after sending one of several examination options and no longer must include SAT or ACT scores.

New Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Appointed

The Rev. C. Denise Yarbrough—a scholar, educator, and leader in the Episcopal Church and greater Rochester religious community—has been appointed as the new director of religious and spiritual life. Yarbrough will support the University’s many faith communities housed at the Interfaith Chapel. She will also create programming that addresses the spiritual and religious needs of students, faculty, and staff.

For the past eight years, Yarbrough has served as the canon for interfaith and ecumenical relations of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. In that role, she serves as chair or member of several committees focused on advancing multifaith relationships and dialogue. At the University, she will support the work of the campus ministries and chaplains and create opportunities for interfaith work and conversations. With more than a decade of teaching experience, she will also hold a position in the Department of Religion and Classics.

Rochester Joins Global Scholarship Program

The Davis United World College Scholarship Program has welcomed Rochester as a new partner. The largest international undergraduate scholarship program in the world, the program has increased global diversity on campuses in the United States by awarding more than $70 million to more than 4,000 disadvantaged students from United World College high schools since 2000. The high schools are in places such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, China, Norway, and Swaziland.

A Keeper of University History

Melissa Mead has been named the John M. and Barbara Keil University Archivist and Rochester Collections Librarian. Mead, who has worked in the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation for 16 years, succeeds Nancy Martin, who is retiring after serving as archivist since 2000.

Most recently, Mead—who earned her master’s of library science degree from Columbia University—served as digital and visual resources librarian. During that time, she was responsible for creating, preserving, and making accessible digitized materials from the archives and from other department holdings. A large part of her job has been collaborative. In addition to working with faculty, staff, and students, she provides assistance to scholars and researchers in search of primary sources. She has collaborated on exhibits on University and Rochester history, including several for the University’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2000. She received the University’s Meliora Award in 2010.

Wilmot Cancer Center Expands

In July, Wilmot Cancer Center expanded, opening a 100,000-square-foot, four-floor extension. Begun in late 2010, the additional floors allow for the relocation of two inpatient units from Strong Memorial Hospital to the center: the Samuel E. Durand Blood and Marrow Transplant unit and the adult hematology/oncology unit. With the additions, the Wilmot Cancer Center has become a comprehensive cancer hospital, offering a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient care. The two inpatient floors, designed in response to patient feedback, feature many patient- and family-centered amenities, including pull-out beds for family, laundry facilities, and an exercise room.

Riding a Path to Market?

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: A student-designed device that allows people with limited use of their hands to control a recumbent three-wheeled cycle (above) may soon be commercially available, thanks to an innovative funding mechanism. The project, developed by a team of biomedical engineering students, is the second to be identified by Innovocracy, a crowdfunding platform established to give boosts to small-scale, academically developed projects that can benefit society. Created last year, Innovocracy has also funded a project by Daniel Mruzek, associate professor of pediatrics, and Stephen McAleavey, associate professor of biomedical engineering, who developed a toilet-training device to help children with autism who are not always able to alert caregivers when they need to use the bathroom.