Suzanne Kunkel and Allen McConnell each named University Distinguished Professor

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By Susan Meikle, university news and communications
Suzanne Kunkel, professor of sociology and gerontology and director of the Scripps Gerontology Center, and Allen McConnell, professor of psychology, have been awarded the title of University Distinguished Professor by Miami University's board of trustees, effective July 1.
Established by the trustees in 1981 to attract and retain eminent professors, the title includes an annual stipend for conducting research and other professional activities.
University Distinguished Professors have national and international stature with demonstrated recognition and projected high level of scholarly productivity in the future.
The call for nominations for the University Distinguished Professor Award is issued every other year, alternating with the Distinguished Service Award. 
Kunkel and McConnell will be honored at the University Awards Reception from 5-7 p.m. Monday, April 10, in 154-158 Marcum Conference Center.
Suzanne Kunkel
Kunkel is a gerontologist and demographer who works on problems associated with the long-term care of elders.
Her projections of population aging and the impact on long-term care needs include a focus on global aging and the consequences of a rapidly aging society on less-developed regions of the world.
Recognized as a distinguished scholar of national and international stature, Kunkel’s research publications demonstrate her “scholarly range and technical virtuosity,” a nominator said.
She has published two textbooks — one in its fifth edition and one which is the first in the field on global aging. She has edited three volumes and published 10 book chapters and more than 30 journal articles. She has presented her research at nearly 200 scholarly conferences.
Kunkel has secured nearly 40 external research grants totaling more than $7 million from agencies such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Beyond its influence on fellow researchers, Kunkel's research has improved the care provided to our aging society, said several nominators. “It ...

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