UMD News Releases

The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) has announced the retirement of nine faculty members.

Helen Carlson is a Professor in the UMD Department of Education. One of her specialties in the department is comparative studies of early childhood issues in regions of Russia, Sweden, England, and the United States.

Alyce Coker is an Associate Professor in the UMD Department of Art and Design. Professor Coker has worked at UMD since 1969. She has taught 2D Digital Studio for the past decade at beginning and advanced levels.

Tom Duff is Professor and Head of the UMD Finance and Management Information Services (FMIS) Department. He has been at UMD for 28 years teaching over 20 different courses. He served as Associate Dean of the School for 4 years and as Director of the MBA program for 8 years.

Robert H. Evans is Associate Professor and Head of the UMD Philosophy Department. He has taught philosophy at UMD for 39 years. Professor Evans has served many positions at UMD including Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for the College of Letters and Science, and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Donald K. Harriss is a Professor in the UMD Department of Chemistry. He has been at UMD for 39 years. He served in a number of administrative positions at UMD including Head of the Chemistry Department and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Administration.

Virginia T. Katz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, and has taught at UMD for 36 years. Professor Katz served as head of the Communication Department for nine years, and was active in founding the University Education Association, (the UMD Faculty Union).

Alden Kendall is a Professor in the UMD Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. He has been at UMD since 1990. Professor Kendall has been active in web technology and has served as Department Head and Technical Director of the UMD Center for Economic Development.

George R. "Ripp" Rapp is a Professor in the UMD Department of Geological Sciences and Head of the Archaeometry Lab at UMD. He has taught at UMD for 27 years as well as traveling extensively throughout the world to archeological sites. Professor Rapp was appointed founding Dean of the College of Science and Engineering in 1983, and was appointed Regent Professor in 1995.

Nazmi Shehadeh is a Professor in the UMD Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been a faculty member at UMD since 1986. Dr. Shehadeh has served as head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and has supervised several UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) projects.

Larry Thompson is a Professor and Head of the UMD Department of Chemistry, and has taught at UMD since 1960. Professor Thompson specializes in research on the preparation and characterization of rare-earth complexes as well as specialized spectral analysis systems.