At its recent meeting the Ithaca College Board of Trustees approved the naming of faculty member Joel Savishinsky as Charles A. Dana Professor in the Social Sciences. Also approved was the promotion to full professor of associate professor of theater arts Greg Bostwick and associate professor of sociology Elaine Leeder, and the promotion to associate professor and granting of tenure to assistant professor of mathematics and computer science Teresa Moore.
Savishinsky has researched and written extensively on the subjects of aging and the elderly. His books include The Ends of Time: Life and Work in a Nursing Home, Dementia Sufferers and their Careers: A Study of Family Experiences and Supportive Services in the London Borough of Islington, Staying in Touch: A Report on Pet Therapy Programs in Four Geriatric Facilities, and The Trail of the Hare: Environment and Stress in a Sub-Arctic Community. He has received numerous grants, fellowships, and awards from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, and Ithaca College Gerontology Institute.
In addition to his scholarly work, Savishinsky has developed and introduced eight new courses to the anthropology curriculum. He earned his bachelor's degree from the City College of New York and Ph.D. from Cornell University, and taught at Adelphi University before joining the Ithaca faculty in 1973. In 1987-88 he was a visiting professor at Polytechnic of North London, England, and he has served for three terms as chair of the anthropology department. He was named a Dana teaching fellow in 1980-81.
Bostwick was named this past year as chair and director of theater in the Department of Theatre Arts. A member of the College faculty since 1976, he was interim chair and director from 1987 to 1989. He also served as a visiting associate professor at Cornell from 1985 to 1987. He holds B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from Southern Methodist University.
At the College, Bostwick's directing credits include such musicals as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Fiddler on the Roof; the dramas Nuts, Antigone, and The Children's Hour; and this past season's comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner. He has also directed productions at the Hangar Theatre, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Cider Mill Playhouse, and Niagara-on-the-Lake. His extensive acting credits include lead roles in productions of Camelot, Will Rogers Follies, My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate, 1776, and Damn Yankees. A regional adjudicator for the American College Theater Festival, he has presented workshops at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, the Virginia Thespian Conference, and the Theatre Association of New York State.
Leeder joined the faculty in the School of Humanities and Sciences in 1977, serving since that time as coordinator of the Social Work Program. She also chaired the Department of Sociology from 1992 to 1995. She earned her bachelor's degree from Northeastern University; master's degrees in social work and public health from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and University of California, respectively; and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She has been a consultant to a number of mental health organizations and facilities, and had a private practice in psychotherapy.
The author of the books Treating Abuse in Families: A Feminist and Community Approach and The Gentle General: Rose Pesotta, Anarchist and Labor Organizer, Leeder has published and presented extensively on issues surrounding family violence. She has been given Dana teaching and research awards from the College and serves on the board of directors of the campus Hillel chapter.
Moore holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, master's from the University of Kentucky, and Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Binghamton. She joined the College faculty as an instructor in 1990 and was promoted to assistant professor the following year. She has published in the Abstracts of the American Mathematical Society and Journal of Geometric Analysis, and her presentation topics have included "Math & Society: Making Mathematics Meaningful for Non-Majors," "Keeping Mathematics in the Honors Program," and "Toys in the Classroom."
A member of the College's Honors Steering Committee, Moore is the faculty adviser to the Pi Mu Epsilon honorary society.