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Administrative and academic appointments approvedMay 5, 2008 KALAMAZOO--Acting at their May 2 meeting, members of the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees approved a number of academic and administrative moves, including the appointment of Tasha McDowell as the fifth head coach of the WMU women's basketball team, effective April 19, and the promotion of Carrick Craig to WMU deputy general counsel, effective April 1. Tasha McDowell brings to WMU 11 years of coaching experience, the last four as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, where she was the premier development coach, defensive coordinator and co-coordinator of recruiting. She helped develop one Kodak/WBCA All-American and four players who went on to play professionally overseas. Prior to her appointment at Wisconsin, McDowell spent five years as an assistant coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There she served as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for defensive coaching. She also served as the team's community outreach coordinator and was in charge of guard development, working directly with two players who went on to play in the WNBA and a third who played overseas. McDowell also spent time at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and the University of Dayton. She began her coaching career as an assistant at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, in 1997. A native of Moline, Ill., McDowell earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from St. Ambrose in 1997. She played three years of collegiate basketball, the first two of which were spent at Illinois Central College. After graduating from ICC, McDowell attended Southwest Missouri before transferring to that school. In her lone season with St. Ambrose, the team posted a 27-7 record and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. McDowell averaged 13.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 steals as a senior point guard--all team highs. Carrick Craig has been providing legal counsel to WMU administrators, faculty and staff for eight years. He joined the University's Office of the General Counsel in 2000 as assistant general counsel, and was promoted to the post of associate general counsel in December 2002. Before coming to WMU, Craig was a shareholder and partner with Green, Green, Adams, Palmer & Craig, an Ann Arbor, Mich., law firm specializing in academic, civil rights and employment matters. He also served as an associate attorney with three other east Michigan law firms and as a staff attorney with Citizens Insurance Co. of America. Craig earned a bachelor's degree in English from Adrian College, a juris doctorate from Wayne State University Law School, and a master of arts in English from Adrian College. He taught English composition at Henry Ford Community College, served as a barrister at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and worked as an instructor and teaching assistant at the University of Toledo. Craig has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan since 1986. In related action, trustees also approved the return to the faculty of two administrators. Dr. Lauren Freedman, chair of the Department of Special Education and Literacy Studies, will become a professor in the department effective July 1. Dr. Daniel Litynski, will join the faculty as professor of electrical and computer engineering, effective Aug. 11, after recently serving as a division director for the National Science Foundation. Litynski previously served as dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, provost and vice president for academic affairs and in 2003, interim president of WMU. Media contact: Tonya Hernandez, (269) 387-8400, tonya.hernandez@wmich.edu WMU News |
