metro

Bluish

Schlissel talks about his role as U-M's new president.

Alice Burdick Schweiger I Special to the Jewish News

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

That's why we picked him unanimously:'
Schlissel, who is warm and approachable,
has a long list of impressive accomplish-
ments. He earned a bachelor's degree in bio-
chemical sciences from Princeton University
and a M.D. Ph.D. in physiological chemistry
from Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, where he also did a residency in
internal medicine and went on to become a
faculty member. He moved to University of
California-Berkeley, where he advanced from
associate professor to full professor and was
dean of biological sciences in the College of
Letters & Science. In 2011, he became pro-
vost at Brown University
About to be U-M's 14th president, suc-
ceeding Mary Sue Coleman, Schlissel is the
second Jewish president of the university
(The first was Harold T. Shapiro, from 1980-
1987.)
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Schlissel,
who had a bar mitzvah and grew up in a
traditional Jewish home, says he's not techni-
cally observant but still identifies with Jewish
culture. He has been married 29 years to
Monica Schwebs, an environmental lawyer.
They have four grown children, all in their
20s.
With a medical background, he brings a
new dimension to the presidency.
"We are fortunate that Dr. Schlissel is a
remarkable physician-scientist who will
bring to the presidency an important depth
of understanding about academic medicine
and biomedical science says Ora Hirsch
Pescovitz, M.D., and executive vice president
for medical affairs and Health System CEO.
"Schlissel means 'key' in Yiddish, and
we know President-elect Schlissel holds the
key to Michigan's future successes. Given
his track record, we can expect he will
continue Mary Sue Coleman's trajectory of
extraordinary leadership. This bodes well for
the future of the university and our Health
System:"
Schlissel recently talked to the Jewish News
about his upcoming presidency, goals for the
university and his Jewish roots.

Q: What is your vision for the university?

"I want to focus immediately on three
types of interests: First is access and
affordability. I think as a public university,
Michigan has an obligation to be accessible
to the most talented and hard-working
students regardless of their financial circum-

8

February 13 • 2014

"I have a warm
place in my heart for
Hillel and the Jewish
community, and I
look forward to being
considered a part of
that community as
well as the broader
community in Ann
Arbor."

— Mark Schlissel

stances. Students should be able to come
here without worrying about their families
being adversely affected.
"The second is academic excellence. What
makes Michigan special is its enormously
wide array of truly spectacular academic
programs.
"The third is I want to support and
enhance research that has the highest value
to society. When you talk about research
that has impact, you think of engineering,
medicine and public health, but to me, schol-
arship in anthropology, English, music and
politics also has a great influence on how we
understand ourselves, relate to one another
and understand the historical context in
modern problems and issues:"

Q. Minority enrollment at Michigan
has declined significantly since the ban
on affirmative action in public univer-

sity admissions, and recently African
American students have reported feeling
isolated and marginalized on campus.
How do you plan to address the issue of
diversity?

"As the fraction of African American and
other minority groups on campus diminish-
es, the tendency toward isolation increases,
so part of making the campus climate inclu-
sive is working to increase the numbers.
Although one might work to try and change
the law, I feel completely obligated to follow
the law. But I think there are ways to enhance
minority enrollment in Michigan completely
consistent with the law. I want to conduct
outreach efforts to make sure every single
talented student from an underrepresented
group applies.
"I want to make sure that the university
has as many talented students to choose
from — especially qualified students who

think they will never get in, or won't fit in, or
their parents can't afford it. I want to make
sure we do very serious outreach in advertis-
ing and public relations. Then I think they
ought to be judged fairly, for their academic
performance and extracurricular activities
and accomplishments in the formulaic way
that we look at all students. I'll have to brain-
storm and engage in discussions in the com-
munity and with students — especially those
from underrepresented groups:"

Q. What do you imagine will be your big-
gest challenge transitioning from a small
private Ivy League school to a large public
university?

"Brown is five times smaller, but, like
Michigan, it strives for academic excellence,
focuses on undergraduate education and

Bluish And Jewish on page 10

