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Rodney S. Hanley is LSSU's 10th President
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LSSU President Rodney Hanley
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Immediately prior to his selection, he had been serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fisk University in Tennessee. Prior to his leadership at Fisk, President Hanley was Provost and Academic Vice President at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada. President Hanley earned his Ph.D. in biology from the University of Kansas, his Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge, and his M.S. and B.S. in environmental biology from Eastern Illinois University. He began his service at LSSU on June 1, succeeding President Peter T. Mitchell, who will serve the new administration as a consultant and President Emeritus.
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John Engler Serving as MSU's Interim President
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MSU Interim President John Engler
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The Hon. John Engler became Interim President of Michigan State University on February 5, following
his appointment
by the MSU Board of Trustees. He was the 46th governor of the State of Michigan, serving three terms from 1991 to 2003. Before that, Interim President Engler served 20 years in the Michigan Legislature, including seven years as state Senate Majority Leader. He is a graduate of MSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics and earned a law degree from the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
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Richard J. Koubek Appointed President of MTU
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MTU President Richard Koubek
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The Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees
announced
that Dr. Richard Koubek, previously the Executive Vice President and Provost at Louisiana State University, will be the 10th President of Michigan Tech. Prior to his appointment as Provost, he held other academic leadership roles and was faculty at LSU, Pennsylvania State University, Wright State University, and Purdue University. President-designate Koubek holds bachelor's degrees in biblical literature, with a minor in chemistry, from Oral Roberts University, and in psychology from Northeastern Illinois University. He received his master's degree and Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Purdue University. He began his tenure on July 1, succeeding President Glenn Mroz, who is returning to the faculty after 14 years.
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Domenico Grasso Named 6th Chancellor of UM-Dearborn
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UM Chancellor-designate Domenico Grasso
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Following a recommendation from President Mark Schlissel, the University of Michigan Board of Regents
appointed
Dr. Domenico Grasso as the next Chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Until last fall, he served as Provost at the University of Delaware, and he served previously as Vice President for Research and two deanships at the University of Vermont. He also served on the faculty at Smith College and the University of Connecticut. Chancellor-designate Grasso is also a U.S. Army veteran, and served as a NATO Fellow. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science in civil engineering from Purdue University, and his Ph.D. in environmental engineering at U-M. His appointment is effective August 1, succeeding Dr. Daniel Little, who is returning to the faculty at both U-M's Dearborn and Ann Arbor campuses after having served as chancellor for 18 years.
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Changes in MASU Board Leadership
Several changes have taken place among MASU's Board of Directors Executive Committee. FSU President David Eisler has concluded his two year term as chair of the Board. This leadership role is now being fulfilled by WSU's President M. Roy Wilson. U-M President Mark Schlissel is serving as vice chair. Due to retirements, MTU President Glenn Mroz and CMU President George Ross have rotated off of the Executive Committee. In their place, serving two-year terms (through June, 2020), are NMU President Fritz Erickson (secretary-treasurer) and OU President Ora Pescovitz (at large). President Eisler will round out the five-member Executive Committee as the immediate past chair. MASU congratulates UM-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little, MTU President Glenn Mroz, and CMU President Ross on their retirements and thank them for their collective 41 years in leading three of Michigan's public universities.
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Passing the gavel: Having concluded a two-year term as chair of the MASU Board of Directors, FSU President David Eisler hands the MASU gavel to WSU President M. Roy Wilson at the conclusion of the June 20th MASU Board meeting. President Wilson will serve as Board chair through June, 2020.
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Legislative Update
The past six months of legislative activity in Lansing have witnessed an array of bills that directly and indirectly impact Michigan's public universities. The vast majority of bills that have been introduced and debated involve sexual assault and teacher preparation. Following the conviction of MSU sports physician Larry Nassar, many bills were introduced aimed at changing various aspects of criminal and civil penalties in convictions of sexual assault or misconduct, as well as campus investigations and reporting requirements involving allegations of sexual assault. The initial drafts of several of the bills were very concerning due to constitutional conflicts, vague definitions, chilling effects on survivor reporting, and conflicts with federal rules on Title IX. The conclusion of a class settlement with Nassar's victims and MSU aided the conclusion of this process in a more refined form. Two bills have been signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, with the bulk of the package expected to see final legislative action following legislative summer break. MASU supports many of these revised bills.
A package of bills that would withhold state approval from teacher education programs that fail to enact a set of legislative changes also saw action in recent months. The legislative package included two bills that would mandate "teacher warranties"-free retraining for new teachers not rated as "highly effective" by the Michigan Department of Education-and force universities to pay $1,000 to existing teachers who supervise student teachers. Both would lead to financial difficulties for teacher education programs, and are opposed by Michigan colleges and universities that have teacher preparation programs. The package passed out of the House Education Reform Committee, but their fate moving forward is unknown. Several deans and directors of teacher preparation programs at Michigan's public universities teamed up with members of the MASU State Relations Officers committee in providing an in-depth analysis of the bills, providing legislative testimony, and meeting with legislators, which ultimately served as a united and informed front in conveying the higher education community's concerns with the bills.
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FY 2019 State Higher Education Budget Update
The Michigan Legislature recently approved Governor Rick Snyder's recommended FY 2019 budget increase for universities by 2%, using the existing funding formula for state universities. This is despite attempts by the Senate and universities to raise the budget by 3% instead of 2%. The budget includes an increase of $6 million for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship (for students at public and independent institutions), and the Tuition Incentive Program (for students Medicaid-eligible after 6
th
grade) also received a $6 million increase, as well as saw the removal of per-campus and per-student limits placed on this program. The Governor recommended no new capital projects for planning.
Included in the bill is a dramatic increase in state attempts to control governing board decision-making on tuition. The budget would restrict a university that does not choose to stay below an arbitrary tuition limit from receiving new performance funding or capital outlay for three years, instead of a single year. Another very concerning provision in the higher education budget is an automatic 10% deduction of appropriations from any university that doesn't adhere to a set of legislatively-devised Title IX changes. While the intent of these changes is meant to be good faith, universities are considering how best to respond to these provisions in light of extensive ambiguity and inconsistency included in much of the language.
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MASU 2018 Distinguished Professors of the Year
A professor of chemistry with her science and engineering program that supports low-income undergraduate students in STEM fields; a professor of engineering with a New York Times best-selling science book; and a professor of English and education who fostered K-12 literacy thanks to her launch of the Student Literacy Corps, have been selected as Distinguished Professor of the Year Award recipients from Michigan's 15 public universities. The Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year award recognizes the outstanding contributions and dedication exhibited by the faculty from Michigan's 15 public universities to the education of undergraduate students. Each university was invited to nominate a faculty member who has had a significant impact on undergraduate student learning through various activities, particularly classroom instruction, applied research, experiential learning, innovation, and mentoring. The 2018 recipients are
Deborah Herrington, Grand Valley State University;
Barbara Oakley, Oakland University; and
Anne Ruggles Gere, University of Michigan.
More information on the professors' remarkable dedication to excellence in undergraduate teaching can be found
here. The award recipients and several award nominees were joined by academic leaders from the universities at a celebration luncheon on April 20 in Lansing. Each of Michigan's 15 public universities were invited by MASU to nominate a faculty member who has made a significant impact on student learning. The awards program is an initiative of the association's Academic Affairs Officers Committee.
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MASU CEO Daniel Hurley (L) and MTU Provost and event host Jackie Huntoon (2nd from R) with the 2018 DPOY winners and nominees.
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MASU to Launch Statewide Marketing Campaign
In an extraordinary demonstration of collaboration, the MASU Board of Directors has given its full support for a two-year statewide marketing campaign to promote Michigan's public universities and the value of a four-year college degree. Specific objectives of the campaign are to increase enrollment at the state universities, starting with the 2019 fall semester, and to generate greater visibility among the general public and state policymakers of the need for greater state investment in higher education in order to maintain college affordability. The campaign will be launched in early October, in tandem with Michigan College Month. It will be primarily targeted toward high school students and parents of students, and will be primarily executed online, with videos, infographics, and a new website. A
statewide poll
and focus groups consisting of high school students and parents of high school students, conducted in Detroit and Grand Rapids, are informing the underlying research that will serve as the basis for the campaign's key messages. Lansing-based Martin Waymire and Birmingham-based Brogan and Partners are providing consultation on the campaign, with a workgroup of the MASU Communications Officers committee also providing assistance.
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Ambitious Statewide Student Transfer Agenda Underway
On Friday, May 18th more than 200 faculty and staff members came together from throughout Michigan to take part in the first ever MiTransfer pathways summit. Representatives participated from all 15 public universities, 10 independent colleges and all 28 community colleges from throughout Michigan. All materials from the Summit are available on the
MiTransfer website
. The goal of the summit was to identify required, recommended, optional and appropriate courses that meet associate and bachelor's degree program requirements, especially in major-specific courses and program electives. Ultimately, building transfer pathways from community colleges to universities will make the transfer process easier to understand, more efficient, and simpler for students to navigate. This activity focused on students who intend to earn a bachelor's degree. There are occupational programs at the associate degree level in some disciplines (i.e. business or police academy), however the focus of this meeting was on the transfer associate degree and bachelor's degree requirements.
The Transfer Pathways Summit is a product of the
Transfer Steering Committee
(TSC). In the fall of 2016, Michigan community colleges and universities established the TSC with representatives from more than 30 colleges and universities to guide this work. The Transfer Steering Committee also includes members from the
Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
(MACRAO). Last June, the TSC determined Biology, Business, Criminal Justice, and Psychology as the first four majors for developing pathways. Collectively, these represent about 15% of all higher education students in the state of Michigan.
The Transfer Pathways efforts are funded by an appropriation signed into the FY 2018 state budget. This work is part of a cross-sector, multi-institutional initiative being conducted by the Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU) and the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA). Staff from the Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities (MICU) association are also facilitating the MiTransfer Pathways agenda on behalf of its member institutions.
Other related transfer initiatives include:
- Replacing the Michigan Transfer Network
- Right Math at the Right Time
- Increasing awards of academic credit for military experience
- Spotlighting best practices to improve transfer student success
- Producing and utilizing data on transfer student outcomes
MiTransfer Pathways - Next Steps
Intermediary work (Summer and Fall 2018)
Between convenings in the spring and fall, faculty will update direct equivalencies for transfer courses and develop program plans with the support of transfer liaisons as the work to develop the statewide agreements advances.
MiTransfer Pathways Faculty Summit II (Fall 2018)
During these meetings, faculty groups will finalize the recommended program requirements of the statewide agreement for their program of study and discuss other non-course program requirements. The Fall convening will encourage participants to work with partners to establish direct course equivalencies and report updated equivalencies. Communications regarding this meeting will be forthcoming.
Articulation agreement development (Fall 2018-Winter 2019)
Institutions will make adjustments necessary to execute their participation in the statewide agreements and prepare for Fall 2019 implementation of the pathways.
Articulation agreement signing ceremony (Anticipated Spring 2019)
A signing ceremony will cap off the development of our Phase I MiTransfer Pathways.
Michigan Transfer Network Request for Proposals
With support from the state of Michigan, the Transfer Steering Committee is replacing the Michigan Transfer Network. A Request for Proposals was released on May 9th. Interviews with vendors are underway. The goal is for the new site to be up and running by next spring.
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Summer Committee Meetings and Retreats
So far this year, three MASU committees have held summer retreat meetings-the Admissions Officers, Academic Affairs Officers (AAOs), and the Student Affairs Officers (SAOs). Admissions Officers met at Ferris State University on May 31 and June 1. The AAO retreat took place at Central Michigan University on June 7-8, and as part of the retreat, university Accreditation Liaison Officers were gathered together for the first time. Just a few days later, the SAOs gathered at the University of Michigan from June 11-13. This month, the Registrars will meet at Northern Michigan University on July 26 & 27, and on August 1 & 2, the Title IX Coordinators will meet at Lake Superior State University. MASU staff are engaged with each retreat, with levels of participation ranging from providing a state policy update to co-coordinating the retreat with the host university.
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Academic Affairs Leadership Appointments
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LSSU Provost Lynn Gillette
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Following a national search, Dr. Lynn Gillette has been
appointed
as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lake Superior State University, effective July 1. He replaces Dr. David Finley, who is departing to become the President of North Central Michigan College. Dr. Gillette is currently the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, and served previously as President of Sierra Nevada College. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Richmond and a doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University.
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WMU Provost Jennifer Bott
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D
r. Jennifer P. Bott has been
named
as the next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western Michigan University following a national search. She began on July 1, and comes to WMU from Ball State University where she is Dean of the College of Business. Dr. Bott earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and communications from DePauw University and master's and doctoral degrees in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Akron. She replaces Dr. Timothy J. Greene, who returned to the engineering faculty last summer after serving for nine years as provost. Graduate College Dean Dr. Susan Stapleton had been serving as interim provost since his departure.
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MASU Committee Leadership Transitions
The MASU State Relations Officers Committee, after being chaired for a decade by Greg Rosine, Vice President for Government Affairs and University Relations at Western Michigan University, is realigning its leadership to correlate with the chair of the MASU Board of Directors, as was past practice in years past. With WSU President M. Roy Wilson now serving as chair of the MASU Board, WSU Director of State Relations Greg Bird is now serving as the chair of the SRO committee. Thanks to Greg Rosine for his many years of leadership of the committee.
The Extended Education and Professional Development Committee elected the following slate of officers for its 2018-19 year: Jerry Rhead (MSU), Chair; Melissa Peraino (GVSU), Chair-Elect; Justin Faris (FSU), Treasurer; and Michael Kelly (WSU), Secretary. Thank you all for your service!
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Upcoming Meetings Calendar
Alumni Directors Meeting, July 12, 2018 at MASU, Lansing
Registrars Meeting, July 26 & 27, 2018, Northern Michigan University
Title IX Coordinators Meeting, August 1 & 2, 2018 at Lake Superior State University
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Happy Summer from MASU
The team at MASU wish you an enjoyable and rejuvenating summer! It is a joy and a privilege to work with all those who serve Michigan's exceptional 15 public universities.
-- Dan Hurley, Bob Murphy, Will Emerson, and Robyn Cline.
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