Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe has appointed Dr. Bill Retzlaff as NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Retzlaff succeeds Dr. John Meisel who has served as the University’s FAR since 1979. The FAR serves as a faculty voice, ensuring balance between academics and athletics for the benefit of the student-athlete. The FAR plays a key role in administering NCAA policies at a local as well as a national level.
SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt said Meisel’s service to the University should be commended.
“It has been my privilege to work with Dr. Meisel since coming to SIUE in 1989,” Hewitt said. “John’s tireless service to the University as the FAR will be missed. He has been a selfless presence in helping to build a solid athletic foundation at SIUE while promoting academic excellence.
“I look forward to continuing this work with Dr. Retzlaff as the program moves forward at the NCAA Division I level.”
Retzlaff joined the faculty at SIUE in August 1999 with a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Environmental Sciences Program. He is currently a tenured professor of biological sciences and serves as one of the three associate deans in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
During the last two years, Retzlaff has served as a faculty representative on the SIUE Intercollegiate Athletic Council (ICAC). Retzlaff chaired the SIUE ICAC during the 2012-2013 academic year. Retzlaff also formerly served as a graduate student representative on the Athletic Council at Clemson. During SIUE’s transition to Division I certification, Retzlaff served on the SIUE NCAA Division I Certification Committee – Academic Integrity Sub-Committee.
Administratively, Retzlaff is responsible for student and faculty research, student travel, and physical assets of the CAS. Academically, he has taught SIUE undergraduate and graduate courses in biological sciences and environmental sciences at SIUE along with freshman seminar courses on sustainability. Since joining the SIUE faculty, graduate students mentored by Retzlaff have completed 33 master’s theses or research papers.
Retzlaff earned a bachelor’s in forest management in 1981 and a master’s in forestry in 1984 from Auburn University. He earned a doctorate in forestry with a minor in plant physiology from Clemson University in 1987.
He has published 38 peer-reviewed articles in a broad array of research arenas including forestry, air pollution, horticulture, and environmental science and engineering. Along with his students, Retzlaff has presented scholarly work more than 180 times at regional, national, and international conferences.
Research on greening of the urban environment conducted by Retzlaff, his collaborators, colleagues, and students is internationally recognized. He currently serves as the co-director of the Green Roof Environmental Evaluation Network (GREEN) housed at SIUE. He also is Chair of GREEN’s Research Committee and is a member of the Board of the international trade organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Retzlaff, Dr. Susan Morgan, and three of their former MS students have recently published a book chapter based upon their green roof research in a McGraw-Hill book titled “Green Roof Construction and Maintenance.”
Wind tunnel testing conducted at SIUE under the direction of Retzlaff, Morgan, and Dr. Serdar Celik has become part of the building code standard for wind uplift of green roofs in the International Building Code. Recent innovative work by Retzlaff and his undergraduate students is incorporating native plantings into green roof installations.
Photo: SIUE’s Dr. Bill Retzlaff.