willywill9

April 18th, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^

retiring, living in AA.

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Ours is a university unlike any other, and there is no place I would rather be.

I have told the Board of Regents that Michigan is where I wish to conclude my career. I will retire as president when my contract ends on July 31, 2014.

The University of Michigan deserves the best in a leader, and I want to give the Board ample time to select the next president. I am committed to working with the Board members to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Leading the University of Michigan is the most challenging and rewarding work of my career. It is a tremendous privilege and one that continually energizes me.

I am extremely proud of the work we have done, together, to make Michigan more vibrant, more accessible and more global. I fully anticipate the next 15 months will be like my previous 11 years - busy. I have often said I have the best job in higher education, and I look forward to continuing to work with faculty, students, staff and alumni in the upcoming year.

When a new president is in place, my husband Ken and I plan to live in Ann Arbor and remain active in the community. We have always lived in college towns and there's really no place like Ann Arbor. We did not think twice about where we wanted to call home after the presidency.

Today, it's much too soon for goodbyes. Instead, let's move forward and continue to advance the academic excellence of the University of Michigan.

Sincerely,

Mary Sue Coleman
President

SeattleWolverine

April 18th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^

The university's culture may not change but the 10 year ban and disassociation ends a month or two. The new president/administration will not be restricted by that NCAA ruling.

 

Also, the president may well be an outsider or even if it is an insider it will probably be someone who wasn't very involved on the athletic side of the school. So the perspective will likely be different. Time heals all wounds etc etc. MSC was around since 2002 including the end of the investigation, the sanctions period when other athletes suffered for other people's transgressions and the period during which the program was struggling which a lot of people blamed on those 4. Those experiences would likely shape her views in a way that is probably less favorable to a reconciliation than would be the perspective of someone new who hadn't been around during that period. The scandal will probably be less personal and more historical for the new President.

jmblue

April 18th, 2013 at 9:43 PM ^

I loved the Fab Five, but as long as the NCAA rules that those games are vacated, I can't imagine us returning the banners.  Schools do not, as a rule, honor teams whose accomplishments are taken away.   

In reply to by el522351

mGrowOld

April 18th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^

I, MgrowOld, BS Degree-holding, Poli-Sci Majoring, University of Michigan Alumni class of 1981 am tanned, rested and ready for the job.

I hereby throw my hat in the ring.

maizeonblueaction

April 18th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^

and I wonder who replaces her. Obligatory football analogy: I like that she was the first president in a while not to get hired away by someone else. It shows that we are able to hold onto our "coaching" talent, and actually a lot of her "coordinators" got hired to be heads at other good schools, which is a sign of success as well.

gwkrlghl

April 18th, 2013 at 7:41 PM ^

He his zero experience in that type of role. He's been a football coach and some kind of AD advisor right?

MSC was the head of some U of Kentucky cancer center, then the President of Iowa before being president here. No offense to Lloyd, but Michigan can too much, much better

justingoblue

April 18th, 2013 at 8:04 PM ^

I can't name a ton of university presidents, but I can't think of one at a major university without a background running big academic departments or smaller colleges/universities. Lawrence Summers is the closest I can think of to a non-career academic and his resume is a bit...different than Carr's, to say the least.

dnak438

April 18th, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^

She was a very effective president. (Time magazine certainly thinks so). The Michigan Difference, which was mostly under her tenure as president, raised $3.2 billion (more than its $2.5 billion goal). But she can't serve forever, either:

Appointed in 2002, Coleman is the fourth-longest-serving president in U-M's history. James B. Angell served 38 years, followed by Alexander G. Ruthven at 22 and Harlan H. Hatcher at 16.

 

ak47

April 18th, 2013 at 6:41 PM ^

Great fundraiser, a little iffy on being open to student issues, lots of student orgs don't like her but I would say a net positive for the university during her tenure.  She takes a lot of flack about putting fundraising and buidling imporvements over student well being.  But that just some students opinions, nbobody thinks she was overall terrible for the school.

justingoblue

April 18th, 2013 at 4:17 PM ^

A big part of the 'no politics' rule is to prevent replies like this that serve to bring the discussion down another level. Disagree quietly, explain why you don't think he should post what he did, but there's no need to reply with namecalling (and a pretty thinly veiled political statement).