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Peter Mitchell Named President of LSSU
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Pictured: Dr. Peter Mitchell, President of Lake Superior State University
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Dr. Peter Mitchell was named President of Lake Superior State University and member of the MASU Board of Directors on July 1, 2017, following the unexpected passing of President Tom Pleger in May 2017. Dr. Mitchell served 24 years as a college president, the last ten at Albion College, his alma mater. In 2007 he founded Proactive Transition Management, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, enrollment management, fundraising, and executive searches. He earned a master's degree in English language and literature from the University of Michigan, an Ed.S. in instructional systems and technology from Indiana University, and an Ed.D. in higher education administration and leadership from Northeastern University in Massachusetts. Following the conclusion of his presidency, Dr. Mitchell is
expected
to serve up to an additional three years as a consultant for LSSU and his successor.
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Legislative Update
While the first year of the current two-year legislative session winds down, the MASU staff, in concert with the association's Board of Directors and State Relations Officers Committee, are fully engaged in addressing an array of bills being debated in the Michigan Legislature. While some 60 separate bills are being monitored, among the most pressing pertain to tax policy, student debt, concealed weapons, and free speech. With the new calendar year fast approaching, attention will also turn to Governor Snyder's release of his fiscal year 2019 Executive Budget recommendation.
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2018 MASU Legislative Priorities and Public Policy Agenda
At its November meeting, the MASU Board of Directors approved three
legislative priorities
that the association will pursue in 2018. They are to enhance state operating support for the public universities, increase state need-based student financial aid, and invest in state capital outlay for Michigan's public universities. The three priorities collectively serve as a foundation for improving college affordability and student success at the state institutions. For the current fiscal year, MASU was pleased to see the state invest in all three priority areas, and will continue to advocate for sustained investment. Also coming in January will be an update to the association's
Michigan Higher Education Public Policy Agenda
. This compendium of statements and policy positions on a number of common higher education policy issues will be refreshed with the latest supporting data, and will include statements on two additional issues: campus free speech and state reporting burdens. At the end 2018, Michigan's Governor, along with 70 percent of state senators and 20 percent of state representatives will be termed out, requiring extensive communications with gubernatorial and legislative candidates in the coming year regarding the fiscal and policy priorities of Michigan's public universities. The MASU legislative priorities and public policy agenda are intended to aid in this advocacy effort.
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Update on Transfer Initiatives
The statewide
Transfer Steering Committee
has identified two primary near-term projects to advance the student transfer agenda in Michigan. One is to develop Guided Pathways for students transferring from community colleges to universities within specific high-enrollment disciplines. The majors identified as the pilot for this initiative are Biological Sciences, Business, Criminal Justice, and Psychology. In aggregate, these four majors represent roughly 15% of students enrolled in Michigan's colleges and universities. The other primary transfer project underway involves the revamping of the Michigan Transfer Network (
MTN
) website. When the MTN was first launched in 2007, it was an award-winning website, allowing students and advisers to identify course-to-course transfer credit equivalencies. However, the MTN is now in need of substantial revision and upgrades. Staff from MASU and the Michigan Community College Association held focus groups at the ACPA-Michigan Conference in Traverse City and the Annual MACRAO meeting in Frankenmuth to gather feedback on the revised website. A one-time allocation from the state has been provided to facilitate the degree pathways and MTN replacement initiatives. The next steps for the TSC will include establishing project teams to work through the various tasks needed to move the TSC goals forward. MASU's Director of Student Success Initiatives, Dr. Will Emerson, is serving as the association's point person on transfer initiatives.
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Pictured: MASU's Director of Student Success Initiatives, Will Emerson, leads a conversation at an October meeting of the statewide Transfer Steering Committee held in Lansing.
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Survey of Michigan Public University Graduates
All 15 state universities have come together to survey their Spring 2017 graduates in order to gain an understanding of where they were settling after leaving college to start their careers or to continue their education, as well as the reasons why. The
Michigan Higher Education Survey
asks graduates in-depth questions about what were the major influences for them in their decisions to stay in Michigan or leave the state post-graduation. The survey is being funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and follows similar surveys that were conducted in 2007 and 2013. The results of the survey are expected to be released in January and will be shared with state officials and leaders of business and industry to assist them in making informed decisions on how to make Michigan more attractive to college graduates. As in the past, only aggregate data will be publicly released, while each university will have access to the data from its own graduates for use as it sees fit. The survey is being coordinated by the Michigan State University Office of Survey Research, housed within the university's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (
IPPSR
).
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MASU Releases 2017-2018 Tuition and Fees Report, Enrollment Report Next
The association has released its annual compilation of tuition and fee prices at the state universities of Michigan. All past annual reports can be viewed
here
; the FY 2017-2018 report can be viewed
here
. Assembled by MASU's Robyn Cline and the association's
Institutional Research and Planning Directors Committee
, the report provides a detailed year-over-year summary of several data points. These include tuition and fee rates by upper and lower class division, for residents and non-residents, undergraduate and graduate, and part-time and full-time enrollment status. The association's
annual enrollment report
for the Fall 2017 semester is expected to be released no later than December 10th. Upon release, the report will be posted on the MASU website and included in the "Reports" section of
This Week in Michigan Public Higher Education News
.
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University Admissions Offices Team Up on Detroit Decision Day
All fifteen public universities in Michigan came together on Saturday, October 28 at Detroit Renaissance High School in Detroit for the eighth annual
Detroit Decision Day
initiative. More than 1,000 students participated in the event. In doing so, these Detroit public high school seniors submitted over 3,000 combined applications with more than 2,000 offers of admission being tendered, and over $1.5 million of scholarships being
awarded collectively by the state universities. This month, the universities replicated the admissions and financial aid advising event in Grand Rapids, in collaboration with the Grand Rapids Public Schools system, marking the first such statewide group effort in West Michigan. Approximately 180 students participated in that event, who collectively submitted 445 applications, received 193 offers of admission, and $75,000 in scholarship offers.
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Pictured: Admissions staff from MSU joined those from all other Michigan public universities on October 28 to facilitate the admissions and financial aid process for more than 1,000 high school seniors from Detroit as part of the Detroit Decision Day initiative.
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Universities Partner on Enrollment Marketing
The 15 state universities of Michigan have come together to energize their collective marketing efforts to both in-state and out-of-state prospective students. The
MASU Admissions Directors Committee
(commonly referred to as DASUM-Directors of Admission of the State Universities of Michigan) have long collaborated on initiatives aimed at boosting college readiness and postsecondary participation. Among these efforts include the placement this year of full-page advertisements in several major sports teams' season publications, including those for the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and Pistons; and the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks.
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Pictured: A full-page advertisement appearing in the Chicago Blackhawks' season-long game program, representing a collaborative enrollment marketing effort by the state universities of Michigan geared toward the Chicago market.
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Art in the Legislature
This year marked the 13th annual Art in the Legislature program with the Senate rejoining the House in displaying student art throughout their buildings. The reception for the Art in the Legislature program took place October 18
th
at the Anderson House Office Building, located adjacent to the state Capitol Building. Students were joined by staff from the universities, state Senate and House of Representatives, family, and friends. Rep. Kim LaSata served as the legislative emcee for the event. Thirty-four different art displays were included in this year's program, with an overall total of 47 individual pieces of art, which will be on display through September 2018. The program serves as a great opportunity to showcase the creative talents and artistic expression of university students. The Art in the Legislature program is a collaboration between MASU, the state universities, and the Michigan Legislature. Brochures featuring the artwork and artist information can be viewed
here
.
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| Pictured: State university student artists at the commemoration of the 2017-2018 Arts in the Legislature program, joined by State Rep. Kim LaSata (R-St. Joseph), chair of the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, and Dan Hurley, MASU CEO. |
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Academic Affairs Leadership Appointments
Dr. Maria Cimitile was
appointed
as Provost and Executive
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Pictured: Maria Cimitile
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Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Grand Valley State University this summer. A professor of philosophy and former Associate Dean and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the institution, she joined GVSU in 1999 and replaces Dr. Gayle Davis, who retired after 15 years as Provost at GVSU. Dr. Cimitile has earned multiple awards for her teaching. She earned her bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross, her master's degree from Villanova University, and her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Memphis.
The University of Michigan Board of Regents has
appointed
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| Pictured: Martin Philbert |
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Dr. Martin A. Philbert as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. He replaces Dr. Martha Pollack, who left UM to assume the presidency of Cornell University, and Dr. Paul Courant, a former Provost serving in the interim. Dr. Philbert is also a professor of toxicology and former dean at the university and a member of numerous academies and sciences, including the National Academy of Sciences and the UK Royal Society of Chemistry. He earned his bachelor's degree from the College of Arts and Technology at Cambridge and his doctorate from the London University Royal Postgraduate Medical School.
Dr. Susan Stapleton has been
appointed
as Interim Provost
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Pictured: Susan Stapleton
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and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western Michigan University, following Dr. Tim Greene's retirement. Dr. Stapleton served as Dean of the Graduate College for five years, as well as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and holds a joint appointment as professor of both chemistry and biological sciences. She was also selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow in 2010-11. Dr. Stapleton earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry at Juniata College and her Ph.D in c
hemistry
from Miami University.
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MASU Committee Leadership Transitions
Carrick Craig
, General Counsel at Western Michigan University, has assumed the role as chair of the MASU
Legal Affairs Officers Committee
. He succeeds
Manuel Rupe
, General Counsel at Central Michigan University, who served as chair of the committee for the past six years.
Lori Vedder
, Financial Aid Director at the University of Michigan-Flint is now chairing the
Financial Aid Officers Committee
. MASU committee chairs work with their peers at the state universities in crafting meeting agendas, facilitating committee meetings, and ensuring follow up on pertinent items.
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Upcoming Meetings Calendar
Upcoming Meetings at MASU Offices in Lansing:
Chief Communications Officers-December 1
State Relations Officers-December 6, January 17 & 31, February 14 & 28, March 14 & 28
Chief Diversity Officers-December 6
Legal Affairs Officers-December 21
Academic Affairs Officers-January 12
Business Affairs Officers-January 17
MASU Board of Directors-February 20, 2018 at Dykema Offices, Lansing
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Happy Holidays from MASU
Dan, Bob, Will, and Robyn extend our wishes for a safe and happy Holiday Season and a prosperous 2018. It is our joy to work with each of you and to support the state universities of Michigan and the students you all serve.
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