WolvinLA2

April 18th, 2013 at 4:11 PM ^

Yeah - Charlie Munger is an LA guy (though recently Omaha too, to an extent) and yeah he's crazy wealthy. He basically built Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City, which looks like a really nice D3 college, just with better athletic facilities.

Munger, Tolles and Olson is still one of the largest law firms on the West Coast, and if I'm not mistaken, either Tolles or Olson is also an M grad, but I can't remember which one.

I remember reading about a bet Charlie Munger had with Warren Buffet on a Michigan-Nebraska football game, and I'm not sure if it was this last year or the year before. Apparently they have a fun rivalry with those two schools.

Mr. Yost

April 18th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^

While he wanted to be Govenor, I don't think he can focus on academia as much (or as well) as he does athletics.

I don't think it's a bad idea...I don't know anything about what you should look for in a University President, but I just think he's a GREAT AD and couldn't see how he could be better.

And by GREAT AD, I know he's arrogant at times, I know he makes mistakes...but our athletic program as a whole hasn't been this solid in forever. He's leading the charge on the University of Michigan being more than talk. We've always said "Leaders and Best"...we're walking the walk under Brandon. Team performance, Facilities, Fundraising, Coaches, everything.

SFBlue

April 18th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^

This is very much about Michigan sports.  MSC has had input into every significant coaching hire.  Word is, MSC blackballed Kirk Ferentz, who she had known from her Iowa days. 

SFBlue

April 18th, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^

Speculation on potential candidates:

Marvin Krislov (former UM General Counsel, now President of Oberlin College)

Theresa A. Sullivan (embattled U Va. President, with UM links)

Evan Caminker (former Dean of Michigan Law)

ZooWolverine

April 18th, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^

Let me add Martha Pollack, current Michigan provost, former EECS prof and then Dean of the School of Information as a likely candidate. When she was named provost, the AnnArbor.com article had a lot of speculation that she'd be a very likely replacement for Coleman (not at all a given, but a very strong candidate).

Feat of Clay

April 18th, 2013 at 5:28 PM ^

This would surprise me, if only because she strikes me as someone who really likes to analyze issues.  The problem with a presdential job is that it's a 10,000 foot view of everything (by necessity).  I don't know if you really get to roll up your sleeves and start tearing into something, because there's no time for you to focus in on things like that.  

But this is sheer conjecture on my part; I would have said the same thing about Phil Hanlon and he's on his way to be President at Dartmouth, so what do I know?

 

 

MGoRossGrad

April 18th, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^

Make no mistake, Mary Sue was a huge asset to the University.  Fantastic fundraiser and overall administrator.

Ask any current student:  half of them have personally met her and have great anecdotes about her. 

Bombadil

April 18th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^

I was fortunate to meet both MSC and Bollinger as student. When Bollinger left, I felt she had big shoes to fill but now I think MSC is going to leave even bigger shoes. She was able to work through the Ed Martin "stuff," raise $3 billion through the "Michigan Difference" campaign when the state was hit hard by recession, and although Rich Rod hiring/firing was under her watch so were the Beilein and Hoke hirings.

CRex

April 18th, 2013 at 4:00 PM ^

She did a lot for Michigan in terms of raising money which in turn allowed us to raid other schools for their best and brightest during the economic downturn.  When other schools were tighten their belts, we were backing up dump truck loads full of money in front of promising junior faculty to lure them to Michigan.  As our academic rating continues to rise in the coming years and younger faculty members pull down big awards, that's her efforts bearing fruit.  

Of course she was also cold and stand offish in a lot of ways.  One year she called DPS because an undergrad was standing outside the President's House waiting to give her a Valentine.  She had none of the campus prescense that Bollinger had.  

It kind of leaves me with mixed feelings on her.  The University benefitted from her stewardish, but she never really established herself as someone that 90% of the campus really knew or cared about.  Everyone who worked with her has said good things about her, but only a small circle of people did work with her.

mgoblue99

April 18th, 2013 at 4:14 PM ^

The University will miss Mary Sue and is better off having had her as its leader for the past decade.  When I was a student, she was extremely accessible and responsive to my own personal comments/complaints and to those of my classmates.  I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a student or alum who emailed her and didn't get a personal and prompt response.  Glad to see she'll stay around Ann Arbor after retirement. 

Der Alte

April 18th, 2013 at 4:56 PM ^

From engineering about as good a resolution to the BB scandal as anyone could hope for to raising a gazillion dollars for Michigan, Mary Sue has been a fine president. Yes, we had that little 3-year hiccup with the wrong FB coach, but we can't blame that all on her. Mr. Martin had a lot to do with it.

Best of luck to her as she enters her "golden years."

backtoblu

April 18th, 2013 at 6:23 PM ^

Can't imagine anyone saying that she didn't do good things for this school, and she did them pretty much across the board.  Athletic facilities, academics, and housing (even the one that basically turned into Soak City).  She will definitely be missed.

Don

April 18th, 2013 at 7:55 PM ^

his or her #1 job—unofficially—is raising gigantic boatloads of cash. MSC was very good at that, and she's leaving behind some expensive Pradas to fill.

gwkrlghl

April 18th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^

that this new building is named the "Coleman Graduate Center" or "Coleman Residence Hall" or something like that. The donation came during her tenure and it will be done shortly after she retires.