This chapter reflects on how the Michigan Center for Student Success (MCSS) has leveraged its position within a membership organization for community college presidents and trustees to engage in statewide student success efforts in a state with a unique higher education governance structure. With no formal higher education governing body to set…

Sexual violence is a serious problem demanding attention in higher education. Neoliberalism, which is ubiquitous in higher education, may appear as an effective guiding philosophy for institutional leaders but falls short when it comes to preventing and responding to sexual violence. Using Michigan State University (MSU) as a case, we, graduates…

First-time community college presidents are typically chosen from the senior ranks of two-year colleges' administrations, so they know what the job entails to some extent--at least from a close secondhand perspective. Leaders of community colleges who have taken the reins in the mid-2010s say that a close secondhand view only goes so far in…

Researchers examined the potential of Presidents' Councils on Diversity (PCDs) to position advancing diversity and inclusion agendas at 11 higher education institutions. Researchers investigated strategies and the degree that PCDs set up agendas through the mobilization (i.e., creating vision and setting priorities), implementation (i.e., creating…

When the 10 members of the American Association of Community College's (AACC's) 21st-Century Implementation Team 7 (nine of whom are community college presidents) sat down in 2013 to talk about reforming institutional roles and functions at the nation's two-year career and technical colleges, everyone in the room knew the work before them would be…

Fight songs such as "The Victors" and "Notre Dame Victory March" have become part of the American music lexicon. Along with their sister songs, alma maters, they stir memories of carefree college days, elicit feelings of pride, and sometimes--especially fight songs--poke fun at athletic foes. They are the embodiment of…

This multiple case study examines the role of the community college president in fundraising as perceived by selected Michigan community college presidents. Over the past few decades, fundraising from private sources has become increasingly important in the fiscal landscape of community colleges. Pfeffer and Salancik's (1978) work in resource…

In times of economic uncertainty, community colleges have consistently turned to the experience of past generations as an avenue toward innovation and the modernization of their programs and services. Community colleges have been able to continuously reinvent themselves to serve the ever-changing needs of society. With President Obama's increased…

In January, when Dr. Teresa Sullivan became the first woman selected to become president of the University of Virginia, expectations were that the noted sociology professor and provost and executive vice president for student affairs of the University of Michigan would ease into her job in bucolic Charlottesville. When she took over in August,…

Like most university presidents, Irvin D. Reid is used to having his wife at his side during important events at Wayne State University. She has been here to help greet donors during celebrations of the capital campaign and has attended every football homecoming game during his decade-long presidency. But since last month, Mr. Reid has been…

This article features Wayne State University, a large urban research university in Detroit. The author believes that Wayne state has the potential as a regional center of expertise to do great things for Detroit and the surrounding counties--from strengthening K-12 education to promoting the economic development that Michigan so badly needed. As…

The Midwest Community College Leadership Council is a cooperative agency of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University. It has sponsored conferences for trustees and presidents of newly formed junior colleges. Ten representative addresses from the conferences, collected in this paper, cover different aspects…

Reports on a 1982 survey of Michigan community college presidents and trustees conducted to determine their perceptions of their roles in evaluation, budget preparation, and bargaining and of board/president relationships. Though the majority of the presidents and trustees seemed to have good working relationships, minority responses showed…

Reviews reasons for, history of, and exceptions to open meeting (sunshine) acts and considers arguments by the Michigan Supreme Court in its ruling supporting a university's right to privacy in its presidential search. Concludes that in contrast to the court's argument, universities do not require the freedom to employ closed searches and state…

Purpose of Michigan State University's Project 90 Priority Assessment was to extract, synthesize, and delineate a series of potential initiatives for public higher education in Michigan that reflect the key proposals of recent state and national studies. The study sought to compare the priorities of state legislators and officials with those of…