Home / News / University /

CMU to name Center for Charter Schools after former Gov. John Engler

By on April 13, 2012 8:00 am / 5 comments

 

Former Michigan Gov. John Engler will be on campus on May 21 as part of a ceremony that will name Central Michigan University’s Center for Charter Schools after him.

During Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Vice President for Development and External Relations Kathy Wilbur announced the College Education and Human Services renamed the charter schools center the John Engler Center for Charter Schools. The date of the ceremony was also revealed for the first time at the meeting.

Engler served as governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003 and signed the charter school law in 1994. CMU was the first university in the nation to authorize a charter school in August 1994 and remains the university with the largest number of charter schools in Michigan.

CMU operates 60 charter schools.

“CMU remains the largest authorizer of charter schools in the state of Michigan,” Wilbur said. “We will certainly promote the involvement of other universities in charter schools, as well.”

University President George Ross said, apart from private donations, there were no costs involved to name the center after Engler.

“We’re pleased that Gov. Engler agreed to have it named after him. I think it’s appropriate. You could argue no John Engler, no charter schools initiative,” Ross said. “That’s a good thing. Having been governor here, there’s nothing in this state named after him.”

Engler could not be reached for comment Thursday.

“He didn’t bring it up,” Ross said. “It was suggested to us, and we had to go ask him.”

 
 
 

5 Comments

  1. Driver says:
    April 13, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Appropriate to name it after a GOP politician, as charter schools are all about pushing right-wing free-market ideology into the public education ssytem (enabled, it has to be said, by pandering Democrats).

    Reply
  2. Michmediaperson says:
    April 13, 2012 at 11:17 am

    Great idea!  Great Governor!  Great local person.  One of the greatest servants for the people of Michigan in our state’s history!  I first met John when he was running for State Rep., after he graduated from MSU.  Charter schools are great competition to the unionized, tenured government-run schools.

    CMU finally is doing something right!  Been a long time since a Conservative has been on campus!   First that I can remember since the Plachta years.

    Reply
  3. J-School Grad says:
    April 15, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    I hate to say this but having former Gov. Engler on campus May 21 will be the first conservative that the CMU administration has brought to campus in years. Why didn’t they do this during the school year, when Mr. Engler could speak to students or a class? Seems like a missed opportunity that deserves a #EpicFail.

    Reply
    • Michmediaperson says:
      April 15, 2012 at 10:18 pm

      They didn’t bring John to campus during the school year because they didn’t want the students to hear from a conservative.  It doesn’t fit their multiculturalism and liberal gameplan.   CMU says they believe in diversity but only when it’s liberal!

      I think John should have turned them down and waited until the MSU-CMU football weekend when the students could have listened to one of the nation’s greatest former Governors!

      Reply
  4. 1 of the 99 says:
    April 16, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Fat Johnny destroyed the state’s economy on the backs of workers and teachers.  He should be arrested and tried for the criminal acts he commited as govahater.  There is a good reason that nothing has been named after him… he dosen’t deserve any honors for destroying our once great state.  His “biggest” contribution was as a stress test for the bridge when he walked across it every Labor Day. 

    Reply
 
 

Leave a Comment

 





 
 

 
 
 


Advertise with Us! | Contact Us | About Us | Join CM-Life's Staff