Four academic departments
name new leaders

Four academic departments on campus recently announced new leaders. They are:

• Dr. Stephen S. Kelley, who has been named head of the Department of Wood and Paper Science in the College of Natural Resources.

Prior to joining the department, Kelley was the principal scientist for the Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.

Kelley is a Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science, the American Chemical Society, the Forest Products Society, the North American Membrane Society, and the Society of Wood, Science and Technology.

Kelley received his bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

• Dr. Edward L. Kick, who has been named head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which is housed jointly in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kick comes to NC State from Middle Tennessee State University, where he served as professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1999-2005.

Kick won a number of teaching awards at the University of Utah, including the university’s “Superior Teaching Award” for five consecutive years. He also received a Fulbright Lecture and Research Award.

Kick earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, and master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Indiana University.

• Dr. Christine McGahan, who has been appointed head of the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

McGahan, a professor of pharmacology, had been serving as interim department head since April 1, 2004. McGahan joined the CVM in 1983. Her research involves understanding the causes of cataract formation in animals and humans. She has had research support from the National Institutes of Health and National Eye Institute for 23 years.

McGahan received a doctorate in pharmacology from Mount Sinai School of Medicine at the City University of New York, and did post-doctoral work at the Harkness Eye Institute at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

• Dr. Donn R. Ward, who has been named head of the Department of Food Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ward had been serving as interim department head since 2004. Ward joined the college in 1988. A specialist in food safety issues associated with aquatic food products, Ward has been recognized at local, state and national levels for his work, and this year was named a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Ward earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech, and a doctoral degree in food science and technology from Texas A&M.

Posted Oct. 28, 2005

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