First Trustee Chairs Named

Henry Daniell is among the university’s first Trustee Chairs

Five premier faculty members are making plans to enhance their renowned research with more than $1 million awarded last week to UCF’s first Trustee Chairs.

The appointments of Glenn Boreman, Henry Daniell, Peter Delfyett, Eduardo Salas and Kay Stanney "reward them for doing an outstanding job and provide incentive for them to continue to excel," says Dick Nunis, chair of the UCF Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees requested state money for up to eight Trustee Chair awards and asked for nominations in early January. The five professors selected by UCF administrators will each receive renewable annual awards of $50,000 for up to five years. The researchers can receive as much as half of their individual awards as supplemental salary.

The trustees called for nominations from within and outside of UCF’s faculty, after establishing the chairs to help attract and retain high-quality faculty. A committee of Pegasus Professors and the Faculty Senate president reviewed the nominations and made recommendations to Provost Gary Whitehouse. President John Hitt made the final appointments based on additional recommendations and the criteria for selection for Florida’s Eminent Scholar’s Program —— outstanding success in academic research, teaching and service, along with status as a "foremost scholar." [For information about each of the Trustee Chairs, including Henry Daniell (also see below), visit http://www.news.ucf.edu/FY2002-03/030620.html.]

Daniell joined the UCF faculty in 1998 as a molecular biology and microbiology professor with international acclaim as a pioneer in biotechnology and genetic engineering. He uses tobacco plants as a medium in which to grow medicines and tissue-replacement plastics. "This award complements a multimillion-dollar investment received recently by UCF’s first biotech company, which I founded," Daniell says. He holds several U.S. and international patents and has developed low-cost vaccines for use against anthrax and plague.

Daniell was the College of Health and Public Affairs 2002 Distinguished Researcher. His achievements have been highlighted on the "Tonight Show" and on CNN and BBC broadcasts, as well as in The New York Times and Scientific American. He has published more than 100 articles and is editor of the Plant Biotechnology Journal. As a consultant to the United Nations and major national and international corporations, he works to help increase the world’s supplies of and access to food and low-cost medicine.