Leadership Transitions

Schill Leads Law School

Nationally known scholar of property law Michael H. Schill joined the University as dean of the Law School. Schill was most recently dean of the UCLA School of Law, where he successfully recruited leading legal scholars from top schools across the nation and doubled alumni participation in fundraising. He has launched three new legal research centers and two academic specialization programs. Schill, the author of three books and more than 40 articles, has continued to pursue his scholarship in real estate and housing policy, deregulation, finance, and discrimination. He is a coauthor of the property law casebook used by more than half of all law students nationwide.

Mitchell Named Dean of Divinity School

Professor Margaret M. Mitchell was appointed the next dean of the Divinity School. Mitchell, AM’82, PhD’89, joined the faculty in 1998. Her scholarship has covered a wide range of topics in the New Testament and early Christian literature, including the cultural context and religious legacy of those early texts. She is the author of four books, including Paul and the Rhetoric of Reconciliation and the forthcoming Paul, the Corinthians, and the Birth of Christian Hermeneutics, based on her 2008 Speaker’s Lectures in Biblical Studies at Oxford University. She is also co-editor of The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 1: Origins to Constantine.

Guterman Chosen As New SSA Dean

Neil Guterman, the Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor in the School of Social Service Administration and an expert on child abuse and neglect, was appointed the next dean of the school. Guterman joined the University faculty in 2006 after serving on the faculty of the Columbia University School of Social Work, where he developed an interdisciplinary scholar network on children and violence. He is the author of Stopping Child Maltreatment before It Starts: Emerging Horizons in Early Home Visitation Services (2001), the benchmark book in its field, and he serves as principal investigator for four federally and privately funded research studies.

Gilliam Named to BSD’s New Dean for Research Post

Conrad Gilliam was named dean for research and graduate education at the Division of the Biological Sciences, a new position. Gilliam, the Marjorie I. and Bernard A. Mitchell Professor and chair of Human Genetics, assumed responsibility for the strategic planning and quality control of research and graduate education throughout the BSD. As dean for research, he ensures that faculty have effective advocacy for their academic missions.

Longtime UChicago Leader Appointed UCMC Board Chair

Rodney L. Goldstein, an accomplished Chicago business executive and longtime leader in the University community, was named chair of the University of Chicago Medical Center board of trustees. Goldstein, previously vice chair, joined the Medical Center board in 1992. He has been a trustee of the University since 2006. Chairman and managing director of Frontenac Company, a Chicago-based private capital investment firm, he has served on the boards of directors of several private and public companies and as a director of the National Venture Capital Association.

Investment Veteran Heads University Investment Team

As vice president and chief investment officer, Mark A. Schmid is responsible for managing the University’s endowment. Schmid came to UChicago from Chicago-based Boeing Co., where as vice president and chief investment officer he built a team that oversaw $65 billion in total retirement assets. Prior to Boeing, he spent 17 years at Chrysler Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG, overseeing savings and investment programs totaling $30 billion. In his new role, Schmid works closely with the University’s Investment Committee and manages a team of 14 investment professionals.

Farrell Appointed VP for Alumni Relations and Development

Thomas J. Farrell, an accomplished and experienced leader in development at the University of Pennsylvania and other prominent institutions, was appointed vice president for alumni relations and development. Farrell brings more than two decades of experience in higher education development and alumni relations. As Penn’s associate vice president for undergraduate and individual giving, he played a role in many facets of university fundraising, including serving as lead planner for the $3.5 billion Making History campaign.

New Chief IT Officer Is Proven Innovator

Klara Jelinkova, a proven technology innovator at some of the nation’s major research universities, was named associate vice president and chief information technology officer. Formerly assistant vice president for shared services and infrastructure at Duke University, Jelinkova earned a reputation as an effective leader. There she created and implemented new campus-wide networks and technological services focused on the needs of faculty, students, and staff. In her new role, Jelinkova supports the University’s mission through strategic development and implementation of academic, administrative, and network technologies.