The Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University have announced that Dr. Edward B. Montgomery will serve as the ninth president of WMU. He will assume the role on August 1. Dr. Montgomery is currently the Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Montgomery served as the Executive Director of the White House Council for Auto Communities & Workers in the Obama Administration, earning him the nickname "the Auto Czar." He has also served as Deputy Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, and held faculty positions at Michigan State University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown University. Dr. Montgomery earned a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and both master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University. Dr. John Dunn will continue to serve as president until he retires on July 31. 

The Oakland University Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to appoint Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., as the university's seventh president, beginning July 1. Dr. Pescovitz is currently the Senior Vice President and U.S. Medical Leader for Lilly Bio-Medicines at Eli Lilly. She previously served as the University of Michigan's Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Health System CEO from 2009-2014. A pediatric endocrinologist and researcher, Dr. Pescovitz also is an adjunct professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and in a 21-year previous career at Indiana University, she served as Endowed Professor, Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs at the Indiana University School of Medicine, President and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children, and Interim Vice President for Research Administration. She received her bachelor's degree and medical degree from Northwestern University. Dr. George Hynd will continue to serve as President until Dr. Pescovitz begins her term. 

Both the House and Senate have passed their respective FY2018 budgets for higher education. The Governor's original budget recommendation called for a 2.5% increase, or $35 million, in university operating funds tied to a tuition restraint cap of 3.8% or $475, whichever is greater. This would have collectively restored higher education funding in the aggregate to nominal FY2011 levels. The Senate plan trimmed that proposal down to a 2.0% increase ($28 million) and the House shrank it further to a 1.9% increase ($26.6 million). Both chambers kept draconian penalties for violating legislative price control incentives that the Governor had sought to eliminate. The Governor's budget also provided for $8 million in new funding for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship, available to public and private institution students; this would be the first increase for the program in a very long time. The Senate concurred with this increase, but the House halved it to $4 million. The Senate also included a $300,000 increase to defray the cost of the Indian Tuition Waiver program for Native American students. Underlying the entire budget process has been the House leadership's desire to find funds for an income tax reduction (see the story below) and similar interests on the part of Senate leadership. A more detailed comparison of the three versions of the budget compiled by MASU is available here.

 

The state will convene the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference on May 17, at which the House, Senate, and administration will agree on a baseline revenue forecast. Legislative leadership and the Governor's Office will then begin negotiating on the final budget agreement that fits into those revenue forecasts. MASU will continue to advocate a higher education funding plan that hews closer to the Governor's Recommendation, providing important operating support to quell the need for tuition increases.  

While MASU is tracking around 30 pieces of legislation that have been introduced in the opening months of the current legislative session, one bill in particular has beckoned a vocal response from the state's higher education community: House Bill 4001. In its original form, HB 4001 would have reduced the state's income tax rate from 4.25 percent to 3.9 percent in 2018, then would have completely eliminated the tax over the course of several years thereafter. A one billion dollar reduction in state revenues as soon as 2021 would have ensued, yet lawmakers did not identify where state funding cuts would come from or whether alternative revenue streams would have been considered. A vote on HB 4001, despite several amendments, was defeated on Feb. 23 by a margin of 52-55, but talks continue in Lansing about income tax cuts. Given the fact that no other area of the state's general fund has been cut more than higher education in the past 15 years, significant further reductions would be likely if the state income tax were to be reduced and/or eliminated altogether, without a revenue replacement mechanism. MASU has joined forces with a number of other groups in a coalition effort to encourage greater investment in public goods that lead to increased educational and job opportunities and an enhanced quality of life in Michigan, and to show how past tax cuts have only served to lower the standard of living for Michiganders.

Will Emerson has been appointed as Director of Student Success Initiatives at MASU. In this new position, Dr. Emerson will help bolster the statewide student success capacity-building agenda among Michigan's 15 public universities. The position will enhance the association's ability to work with the state universities in collaboration with Michigan's K-12 schools, community colleges, independent colleges, and many other stakeholders to improve outcomes related to student success. These include increasing student retention and degree completion rates, especially among populations with large achievement gaps, and strengthening the state universities' capacity to generate postsecondary degrees needed to meet the talent needs and educational attainment goals that are vital to Michigan's future. The position is being funded in part by a grant from the Kresge Foundation. Emerson brings with him 14 years of experience in higher education, spanning academic and student affairs, and community outreach at institutions in Ohio and Michigan. In recent years, he has been serving as the Veteran Affairs Coordinator at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he founded the Veterans Office. He has served as a faculty member at three institutions, teaching courses in philosophy, history, science and technology, and ethnic studies, and has also taught freshmen development and retention courses. Emerson has earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in American Culture Studies, and a Certificate in Women's Studies from Bowling Green State University; a B.A. in Anthropology/History from the University of Michigan-Dearborn; and an A.A. in English/Anthropology from Schoolcraft College. He is also a U.S. Army veteran, and is a recipient of an Army Achievement Medal and National Defense Service Medal. He began his role on March 13.  

The state universities of Michigan, in conjunction with the Detroit Regional Chamber, Governor Rick Snyder, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan have come together to announce an expansion of the Detroit Promise scholarship program. The expanded program provides "last dollar" scholarships, which cover tuition and other mandatory fees not covered by federal or state grants for eligible Detroit area students. Twelve of the state's public universities are currently participating in the program. Students from all of Detroit's public, charter and private schools who meet eligibility requirements can participate in the Detroit Promise program. The original program was created in 2013, led by Gov. Snyder and the Michigan Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF), which raises funds for the scholarship, with the Detroit Regional Chamber partnering with schools and students to administer the program. Nearly 2,000 Detroit high school graduates have been able to attend community colleges tuition-free since then. The 2016-17 academic year marks the first year in which students can receive tuition-free scholarships to attend one of Michigan's public universities participating in the program. This year's expansion of the program to include four-year universities is part of a pilot program for two cohorts of students. Approximately 260 Detroit Promise students are enrolled at Michigan public universities. The participating state universities are currently reallocating institutional financial aid resources to help fund the program. The goal is to eventually have the four-year scholarships paid for with funds raised by the MEEF, which has launched a campaign to raise $25 million over the next seven years.  

Representatives from Michigan's public universities charged with overseeing institutional diversity and equity agendas convened for the first time at the MASU offices earlier this year. Among the topics discussed at the meeting were a review of "diversity structures" and the roles of diversity offices on each campus; current "hot issues" related to diversity on campuses-as well as institutional responses; utilization of institutional diversity dashboards; and other peer-to-peer inquiries among diversity officers. Based on post-meeting feedback from meeting participants, and with the encouragement of MASU staff, the association's board of directors supported the establishment of an MASU Chief Diversity Officers committee. The group will aim to meet twice annually, and among its objectives will be to discuss federal and state legislative, policy and regulatory activities affecting institutional diversity and inclusion efforts; share research, resources and evidence-based best practices that inform the work of diversity officers; and to use convenings of the committee as forums for peer-to-peer consultation on matters of institutional diversity and inclusion. Jesse Bernal, Vice President for Inclusion and Equity at GVSU, is serving as chair of the committee. 

A new video conferencing system has been installed in the MASU Board Room, making it convenient for institutional representatives to participate remotely in committee meetings and other convenings at the association's offices. Utilizing the Zoom web conferencing service, users can participate remotely using video and audio, or just audio if they so choose. Users can participate in video conferencing via a personal computer or mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads or Android devices. The new system allows campus representatives to save considerable time by participating remotely, while providing a much higher quality level of engagement during group proceedings. University officials that are hosting meetings in Lansing and which may involve individuals participating from elsewhere are welcome to use the MASU office and the video conferencing system. Just contact Robyn Cline ( rcline@masu.org) to make arrangements. MASU staff expresses its appreciation to Eric Smith, Director of Broadcast and AV Services at NMU for his consultation on the new system.  

Financial Aid Directors - May 9 at MASU Offices

State Relations Officers - May 10 at MASU Offices

Chief Communications Officers - May 11 at MASU Offices

Legal Affairs Officers - May 12 at MASU Offices

State Relations Officers - May 24 at MASU Offices

State Relations Officers - June 7 at MASU Offices

Academic Affairs Officers Retreat - June 8 & 9 at Michigan Technological University

Extended Education & Professional Development Directors - June 1 at MASU Offices

MASU Board of Directors - June 20 at MASU Offices

Alumni Directors - July 13 at MASU Offices

Chief Student Affairs Officers Retreat - July 27 & 28 at Central Michigan University