President of the University of Michigan
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- See also: History of the University of Michigan
The President of the University of Michigan is the principal executive officer of the University of Michigan. The office was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1850, which also specified that the president was to be appointed by the Regents of the University of Michigan and preside at their meetings, but without a vote.[1] Between the establishment of the University of Michigan in 1837 and 1850, the Board of Regents ran the university directly; although they were, by law, supposed to appoint a Chancellor to administer the university, they never did, and instead a rotating roster of professors carried out the day-to-day administration duties.[2]
While the modern office was created in 1850, the University of Michigan itself now traces its date of founding to 1817, when its precursor, the University of Michigania, was founded. The only president of that institution, Rev. John Monteith, is listed below, but is not officially considered to have been a president of the University of Michigan.
The first President of the University of Michigan was Henry Philip Tappan. The position had originally been offered to Henry Barnard, but he declined, and Tappan and John Hiram Lathrop (then Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison) were nominated as new choices, after which Tappan was unanimously elected. Barnard later succeeded Lathrop at Wisconsin.
The 13th and current President of the University of Michigan is Mary Sue Coleman, appointed in 2002. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Coleman's 2006-2007 compensation was $742,148, the fifth-highest among public university presidents.[3]
Of the previous presidents:
- 1 had the office abolished
- 1 died in office
- 1 was removed by the regents (for which subsequent regents apologized)
- 4 retired at the end of their careers
- 2 resigned to return to teaching or research
- 4 resigned to move to posts at other institutions (Northwestern University, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Princeton University, and Columbia University)
[edit] List of Presidents of the University of Michigan
| Number | Name | Years in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev. John Monteith | 1817-1821 | First and only president of the University of Michigania | |
| none | 1821-1837 | Office abolished in favor of a Board of Trustees | |
| none | 1837-1852 | Board of Regents replaces Board of Trustees | |
| 1 | Henry Philip Tappan | 1852-1863 | First president of the University of Michigan, removed by regents |
| 2 | Erastus Otis Haven | 1863-1869 | Resigned to become president of Northwestern University |
| acting | Henry S. Frieze | 1869-1871 | Following President Haven's resignation. |
| 3 | James Burrill Angell | 1871-1909 | Retired after 38 years (longest-serving president) |
| acting | Henry S. Frieze | 1880-1882 | While President Angell is U.S. Minister to China |
| acting | Henry S. Frieze | 1887-1888 | While President Angell is on International Commission of Canadian Fisheries |
| acting | Harry Burns Hutchins | 1897-1898 | While President Angell is U.S. Minister to Turkey |
| interim | Harry Burns Hutchins | 1909-1910 | Following President Angell's retirement. |
| 4 | Harry Burns Hutchins | 1910-1920 | Was the first student to receive a degree from James B. Angell at Michigan; retired |
| 5 | Marion LeRoy Burton | 1920-1925 | Died in office |
| acting | Alfred Henry Lloyd | 1925 | From February through September after the death of President Burton |
| 6 | Clarence Cook Little | 1925-1929 | Resigned to conduct research at Bar Harbor, Maine |
| 7 | Alexander Grant Ruthven | 1929-1951 | Retired after 22 years in office |
| 8 | Harlan Henthorne Hatcher | 1951-1968 | Retired |
| 9 | Robben Wright Fleming | 1968-1979 | Resigned, was chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting |
| interim | Allan Frederick Smith | 1979 | Following President Fleming's resignation. |
| 10 | Harold Tafler Shapiro | 1980-1988 | Resigned to become president of Princeton University |
| interim | Robben Wright Fleming | 1988 | Following President Shapiro's resignation. |
| 11 | James Johnson Duderstadt | 1988-1996 | Resigned to return to teaching |
| interim | Homer S. Neal | 1996 | Following President Duderstadt's resignation. |
| 12 | Lee C. Bollinger | 1996-2002 | Resigned to become president of Columbia University |
| interim | B. Joseph White | 2002 | Following President Bollinger's resignation. |
| 13 | Mary Sue Coleman | 2002-present | First woman president at UM. Her name was inscribed on the new wall at the construction site of the new Museum of Art. |
Source: (Bentley Historical Library 2004)
[edit] Notes
- ^ State of Michigan 1850, Article 13, section 8
- ^ Hinsdale 1906, p. 37
- ^ Sahadi 2006
[edit] References
- Bentley Historical Library (2004), University of Michigan Presidents, <http://bentley.umich.edu/bhl/uarphome/umpresid.htm>. Retrieved on 24 August 2007
- Hinsdale, Burke A. (1906), Demmon, Isaac, ed., History of the University of Michigan, University of Michigan, <http://books.google.com/books?id=z6sWAAAAIAAJ>. Retrieved on 16 August 2007
- Sahadi, Jeanne (November 20, 2006), Highest paid college presidents, CNNMoney.com, <http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/20/pf/college/college_president_pay/index.htm?postversion=2006112009>. Retrieved on 24 August 2007
- State of Michigan (1850), Constitution of Michigan of 1850, <http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Michigan_Constitution_of_1850>. Retrieved on 24 August 2007
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