ANN ARBOR— Prof. Abigail J. Stewart has been chosen
as the University of Michigan’s Henry Russel Lecturer for
2000 and Prof. Sid Gilman will be the Russel Lecturer for
2001. The annual lectureship is the highest honor the
University gives to a senior faculty member.

Stewart is professor of psychology and of women’s
studies, research scientist at the Center for the Education
of Women, and director of the Institute for Research on
Women and Gender.

Gilman is the William J. Herdman Professor of
Neurology, professor of neurology, and chair of the
Department of Neurology.

U-M President Lee C. Bollinger, in making the announcement, said, “Prof. Stewart is an internationally recognized scholar whose work over the past 20 years has substantially reshaped the way psychologists think about
stability and change in women’s personalities over the life
course. Her articles are classics in the field.

“Her commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry has
influenced scholars from many other disciplines, with whom
she has team taught courses or collaborated on research
projects. At a time when much of psychology seems to fix
on narrower and more specialized problems, Prof. Stewart
looks at derivations from and expansions of large
theoretical issues and significant social problems.

“She has brought her skills and talents to the Women’s
Studies Program and, more recently, to the Institute for
Research on Women and Gender, which she so ably heads.”
Of Gilman, Bollinger said: “As chair of the Department of Neurology Dr. Gilman has raised the national standing of the department by recruiting outstanding new faculty and acquiring substantial new research and training
funds.

“At the same time, the impact of his own research on
the field has been considerable. He has made numerous
pivotal and highly visible contributions to the
neurosciences, such as a delineation of the ataxias, their
pathophysiology, natural history, diagnosis and treatment,
which is considered the ‘gold standard’ throughout the
world. He also is an international leader in the important
and rapidly advancing field of neuro-imaging.

“Within the Department of Neurology, Dr. Gilman has
developed and nurtured young scholars and has mentored many
faculty through the academic process. Many of his trainees
now occupy important positions throughout the world.”
Stewart will deliver the Russel Lecture next March.
The Russel Lectureship and the annual Russel Award for
junior faculty members were established in 1925 with a
bequest from Henry Russel of Detroit who received three
degrees from the U-M.