100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

January 10, 1996 - Image 8

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1996-01-10

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

8A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 10, 1996
Staff and alumni presidential forums gather more input

By Jodi Cohen
And Amy Klein
Daily Staff Reporters
While alumni comments about the next Uni-
versity president were as varied as their ages,
many expressed a common concern about how
the Board of Regents should conduct the search
process..
The regents heard comments from 17 alumni
ranging in graduation dates from 1947 to
1994-during the third public forum, held Dec.
13 at the Alumni Center to solicit ideas on the
successor to James J. Duderstadt.
The president announced in September that
he will step down June 30.
Many alumni, including former Regent Tho-
mas Roach, urged the board not to follow the
Open Meetings Act, a state law that the state
Supreme Court has said makes the entire search
process, including candidate names, available

as public information.
Former Alumni Association President Rich-
ard Rattner said it would be hard "to obtain the
best person for this job" in an open search, but
others such as former state Sen. Lana Pollack
urged the board to comply with the law.
"I am an advocate of the Open Meetings Act,"
said Pollack, a Birmingham lawyer. "In the
context here, it prevents you with a hurdle."
Roach mirrored Rattner's comments when he
said the board should do its best to avoid the
Open Meetings Act.
"I am deeply concerned you will lose more
than half of the best pool if you do it in the open,"
Roach said. "You should use every effort to
change the law."
Roach, president of the Alumni Association,
said at least 10 candidates he had interviewed
during searches for the past two presidents said
they would not want to be considered in an open

search.
Roach was one of the chief supporters of a
closed search during the process that led to
Duderstadt's selection.
"We will sacrifice efficiency to maintain se-
crecy," Roach told members of the advisory
faculty committee during the 1987 search. "We
may be wrong, but we fell that secrecy is the
number one issue."
.But Pollack said that if a candidate does not
want his or her name released, then that person
is not fit to lead a public university.
"The person better have a personality transplant
after becoming president to all ofa sudden become
comfortable with public scrutiny," she said.
While they expressed varying views on an
open search, alumni agreed that the next leader
must also have strong ties outside the university
. community - especially in Lansing.
"That person needs to be almost as comfort-

able within the public and political realms as
within the University community," Pollack said.
Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit), co-chair of
the search committee, said that feeling was
evident during the forum.
"The need of having a president who has
strong public skills, who can reach out to the
broader community, not only in terms of the
alum but in terms of the Legislature, came
through," she said.
Meanwhile, other alumni stressed academic
issues.
"We need someone who will bring us tighter
as a university community," said Bob Forman,
a 1959 graduate. "A person who not only leads,
but serves."
The forum held for the University staff on
Dec. 14 drew the largest crowd of all four
meetings. More than 60 staff members attended
the forum to stress the importance of minority

and women's issues.
Monica Johnson, a clinical nurse represent-
ing the Women of Color Task Force, said that
black women are underrepresented on the Uni-
versity committees that meet with the presi-
dent.
"We are looking for a president that ensu s
all women of color are beneficiaries of all cd
ponents of the Michigan Agenda for Women
and the Michigan Mandate," Johnson said.
Jeffrey M. Tibbs, a senior manager at the
Information and Technology Division represent-
ing the Association of Black Professionals, urged
the regents to look for the first black president.
"They must know the feeling of exclusivity to
truely champion a university who believes its
greatness lies in its inclusivity," Tibbs said. "An
African American who has experienced closed
doors would certainly have the strength to 1 .
these doors open."

Duderstadt
to stay, but
get pay fr
sabbatical
From Staff Reports
University President James J.
Duderstadt announced at December's
meeting of the Univerity Board of Re-
gents that he has decided to return to the
faculty immediately upon leaving the
presidency in June, rather than take the
one-year sabbatical in his contract.
A presidential retirement security
program, approved by the Board of
Regents in 1993, granted Duderstadt "a
one-year sabbatical leave at the presi-
dential compensation rate at the end of
his career as president, and prior to
resuming his role as a faculty member."
Though Duderstadt will return to
teaching this year, he will still collect
his sabbatical pay. The board autho-
rized the compensation to be provided
in four equal payments during the next
four years, beginning July 1.
Hartford's contract renewed
The regents voted to renew Vice
President for Student Affairs Maureen
A. Hartford's contract for five years.
"Dr. Hartford has had an extraordi-
nary impact on this institution,"
Duderstadt said. "She brought with her
an extraordinary love for, respect for
and compassion for our students."
Athletic Department upgrades
football stadium, South Campus
The entrance to the football stadium
and South Campus will continue to re-
ceive a new look, as a new brick walkway
is planned for before next season.
Michigan Stadium will undergo afive-
year, $5 million renovation that includes
the installation of a wrought-iron fence
around the exterior of the stadium.
Campus buildings renamed
The regents voted to rename the East
and West Engineering buildings East
Hall and West Hall, respectively.
The board also renamed the North
Campus Commons after former Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer
r Wilbur Pierpont, who served in this
position for 26 years. He was named as
a vice president in 1951.

Pres. search ma
use consulting

By Jodi Cohen
Daily Staff Reporter
The University Board of Regents may
hire a consulting firm to help in the
search for a successor to President James
J. Duderstadt.
Marilyn Knepp, director of the
Univeristy's office of academic plan-
ning and analysis, told the board at its
December meeting that about 90 per-
cent of the universities she researched
had used a consulting firm to help with
the search.
The board also directed Provost J.
Bernard Machen to develop a structure
and timetable forthe presidential search
by mid-January.
The regents suggested Machen con-
sult with Vice President for University
Relations Walter Harrison and Secre-
tary Roberta Palmer and plan to review
the proposal at their monthly meeting,
which is scheduled for Jan. 18-19.
Representatives from three consulting
firms - Korn/Ferry, A.T. Kearney, and
Heidrick and Struggles - made presen-
tations to the regents at the meeting. They
indicated that the search shouldtake about
six months.
The firms stressed that they must
know the reasons Duderstadt resigned.

Duderstadt announced in late Septe-
ber that he would step down from the
position June 30.
"One of the challenges we will have
is accessing exactly what happened,"
said Bill Funk, a representative from
Korn/Ferry.
In September, Duderstadt said that he
had finished the projects he began at the
University and planned to return to the
faculty.
But in November, The Michigan Dal
reported that a September letter from
Duderstadt to the regents cited tensions
between the president and the board.
The firms also said there are very few
people who are suited for the job, even
though about 150-200 names will prob-
ably be mentioned as possible candi-
dates
"There are not more than 10 people
out there who can really do this jo "
said Shelly Storbeck of A.T. Kearno
The firms discussed the advantage o~f
employing small advisory committees,
comprised of students, faculty and alumni.
Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle
Creek), a co-chair of the search, said
that the board should be ready to choose
one of the three firms by its January
meeting.

We're bank TONYA BROAD/Daily
Scott Turbow, a first-year LSA student, moves back Into his room in South Quad with help from his father, Melvin, last night.

ATHLETICS
Continued from Page 1A
question of trademark and image at the
University and how the University is
represented," Deitch said.
Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor)
said the regents' concerns about the
University's contract with Nike should
be dealt with in a less radical way.
"You can really handle that sort of
thing with one line," he said. "You can
say all expenditures more than a certain
amount are subject to general review.
You can handle that without rewriting
the bylaws."
Aside from the contract with Nike,
Deitch said he was displeased with
other, less-visible decisions made by
the Athletic Department,eincluding once
scheduling a home football game that
affected the University's move-in date.
Deitch said the decision reflected poorly
on the University's values.
Regent Andrea Fischer-Newman (R-
Ann Arbor) also said she supports the
bylaw revisions, asserting that the Board
in Control currently holds too much influ-
ence over Athletic Department policies.

"The athletic director should have
more control and more power," Newman
said. "It is unnecessary to have the Board
in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics in
the role it currently occupies."
Newman said she is disturbed by
financial decisions the Board in Con-
trol made without the approval of the
athletic director. She also said the cur-
rent system prevents the athletic direc-
tor from acting with enough autonomy.
"It would be like the president not
being able to make a financial decision
about the University on a day-to-day
basis," Newman said.
She also said the University's con-
tract with Nike did not play a major role
in her support of a rewrite of the bylaws.
Aside from his view that the changes
are excessive, Baker said the modifica-
tions might damage the prestige of the
Athletic Department.
"We have to give something that's fair
to the department and fair to the athletes
that hold that organization together,"
Baker said. "If it doesn't function well,
you don't have good recruiting, you don't
have successful athletic teams, and you
don't have good public support.
"In the end, it could be injurious to

the concept of Michigan athletics, and
that's a very special concept."
Vice President for University Rela-
tions Walter Harrison said the sports pro-
grams at most other universities have a
powerful athletic director and strong fac-
ulty input. The proposed revisions would
bring the University closer to this format.
Harrison said he is currently in the
process of assembling input from the
members of the Board in Control. He
said some members are concerned about
keeping the finances of the Athletic De-
partment independent from other areas.
"There is some concern that the
firewall between the athletic depart-
ment and the rest of the University be
maintained," Harrison said.
Harrison is chairing the committee re-
writing the bylaws. Other members in-
clude Chief Financial Officer Farris W.
Womack, Athletic DirectorJoe Roberson,
General Counsel Elsa Kircher Cole, and
University Secretary Roberta Palmer.
In June, the Athletic Department
bought out the remaining $386,026 of
former football coach Gary Moeller's
contract. Regents and University offi-
cials said they were never informed of
the decision to buy out the contract.

GEO: Feb. strike possible

By Michelle Lee Thompson
Daily Staff Reporter
The Graduate Employees Organiza-
tion is considering the possibility of a
strike, despite signing agreements with
the University on four contract issues
this month.
The union, which represents 76 per-
cent of graduate student teaching assis-
tants and graduate research assistants,
will consider a strike if a new contract
isn't signed before Feb. 1, when the
current contract expires.
GEO President Scott Dexter said he
is unsatisfied with the progress of the
talks. "We really don't have a very
strong sense that we're moving toward
something that both sides could be
happy with," he said yesterday.
Both sides are scheduled to meet again
this afternoon to discuss the union's
contract.
GEO administrator Tamara Joseph

said the union submitted 37 proposals
to be included in the next contract last
November.
Dan Gamble, the University's chief
negotiator, said, "We are looking at
each proposal."
Dexter said yesterday that only four of
those proposals had been agreed upon
the University - those related to ph
copying rights, benefits to domestic part-
ners, and the addition of language to
include the Family Medical Leave Act
and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"It's a pretty insignificant sort of
progress," Dexter said. "We're sort of
agreeing on the status quo."
Gamble said the University hopes to
reach a contract agreement by the dead-
line. "We'll do everything we need to
reach a contract," he said.
GEO has not gone on strike since
1975, when it was seeking formal rec-
ognition as a union fromthe University.

The Graduate School of International Studies
at the University of Denver
GSIS offers a diverse program of study preparing students for careers in government
service, international organizations, non-profit organizations, business, and academia.

-MA & PhD in International Studies
-Masters in Public Policy
.MA/JD with the College of Law

*MA/MSW with the School of Social Work
-MIM with the Daniels College of Business
-MAIIC with the School of Communication

For appexalon and buRetn write to: Graduate School of International Studies, Box
101, University of Denver, 2201 S. Gaylord St., Denver, CO 80208 or cal (303) 871-
2544.
The Future is Here
V Free your mind and create your career
as a digital information product developer,
Internet services designer, archives
V administrator, librarian, cybrarian, Internet
product manager, human-computer
interaction specialist ... or as something else ;
so innovative it doesn't have a name yet.
at Cthe
Cyberschool:

The University of Michigan
Adult Lifestyle Program/7
is now registering for Winter Term:
January 16 - April 19, 1996

*1

Aquatics
Swim Conditioning
Swim Instruction
WSI
LGI
LGT
Scuba

Dance
Ballroom Dance
Dance
Hip-Hop Aerobics

Exercise
Step
Aerobics
Weight Training
Butts & Guts
Just Abs
Tae Kwon Do
Volleyball

Also Available: Personal Training
Unlimited Class Cards Drop In Coupons
*self-defense seminar*
Jan. 18th & 25th 7:45-9:45pm 3275 CCRB

4

PROMOTIONAL NIGHT - Thurs. Jan 11
No registration needed - just come in and try us out for only $1.00

BI

ii

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan