Student Government Association President and Montgomery senior Paul Pridgeon discusses University President Michael Rao’s announcement to accept the presidency at Virginia Commonwealth University. Questions were prompted by Central Michigan Life Editor in Chief Jake May.

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Roger Kesseler still remembers his first encounter with Michael Rao in 2000.

Strangers in an elevator in New Orleans, Rao, then chancellor of Montana State University-Northern, sparked conversation over Kesseler’s Central Michigan University name tag.

“He said, ‘I understand that you’re looking for a president,’” said Kesseler, a former CMU trustee, in Lousiana for a Association of Governing Boards conference.

The two ended up talking later for about an hour. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, Kesseler had Rao pegged as CMU’s next president.

It has been nine years since Rao took the reigns from former University President Leonard Plachta.

Kesseler and Rao have remained friends during that time. Last Thursday, Rao called him to say he was seriously considering a job as president of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Rao announced his resignation from CMU the next day. At the end of this academic year, he will replace 69-year-old Eugene Trani as the president of VCU.

“It was a chance that we were able to meet one another in the elevator,” said Kesseler. “The rest is history.”

Sid Smith, a 1965 CMU alumnus, was on the Board of Trustees with Kesseler when Rao was hired.

He said it is sad to lose someone of Rao’s capability and friendship to an out-of-state university.

“That’s what I focus on,” Smith said. “I think in the years he’s been here, he’s accomplished a lot for Central Michigan University, and I think he’s moved us up a notch.”

During a conference call with reporters on Saturday, Rao said he has “mixed emotions” about his decision to leave CMU.

“On the one hand, I’m very excited and very

honored and pleased to be asked by an institution like Virginia Commonwealth University to serve as their next president,” he said. “I have also got an enormous number of relationships and a very big chunk of my life, more than most presidents in fact, at Central Michigan University.”

But for a

convincing recruiter…

Rao said he notified the appropriate people a week ago, when he learned he was finalist for the position.

The agent for VCU’s search was “very convincing,” he said. Someone Rao had himself used to hire CMU administrators.

“Those recruiters talk to you frequently when you’re a sitting president and there aren’t very many sitting presidents who have been sitting for a long time,” Rao said. “So, you’re on their list.”

David Burdette can attest to the nature of persuasive recruitment.

The vice president for finance and administrative services said he dined with Rao and his family when he was recruited in 2007.

“I was struck by a couple of things – how family-oriented he is and what a straight shooter he is,” Burdette said. “We had, as I recall, a terrific conversation. His attitudes, his beliefs, his integrity is what sold me on CMU.”

But the same things Rao pitched when recruiting people for CMU ultimately lured him away.

It was the increased responsibility that interested him in the Richmond, Va.-based university.

“It’s beyond a $2 billion organization,” Rao said. “I think to some extent, the environment and its diversity (helped).”

A pay raise helps, too

The VCU Board of Visitors offered Rao a total compensation package of $615,000, including a salary of $488,500.

Virgina state funds will pay $176,113 of the salary, whereas the remaining $312,387 will be paid through private funds and the VCU health system.

When he first accepted CMU’s presidency, Rao was contracted to receive an initial salary of $200,000. By 2005, he was guaranteed $262,500 a year and had he not resigned his 2009 annual salary would have been $302,357.

In a previous interview, former Board of Trustees Chairman Jeff Caponigro said trustees would have the difficult task of finding a replacement for Rao.

“I can assure you we would have to pay that person more than what our compensation package is for President Rao,” Caponigro said.

CMU alumnus John Kulhavi helped build Rao’s current contract in 2008, which he said was diligently drafted to make the continued prospect of CMU attractive.

“I wish we could’ve offered him more money,” the former trustee said. “(But) it made him the fourth highest paid president in the state of Michigan.”

Kulhavi said the announcement about Rao’s new position was not surprising because it is natural to take advantage of opportunities that are good for one’s career.

“I also know him well enough to know he’s a very conscientious individual,” Kulhavi said. “I’ve been around for the tenure of many presidents, and Mike is in a class of his own.”

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But as Rao prepares to become the next president of Virginia Commonwealth University, many are anxious over his commitment to the most ambitious project Central Michigan University has undertaken in a decade: the planned medical school.

“I was hoping that Mike would be around at least two more years to see the medical school into fruition,” said former CMU Trustee John Kulhavi. “It’s going to be a tough task to continue.”

At the Board of Trustees meeting last week, Rao said the search is on for an interim dean to head up the school.

In a conference call with reporters on Saturday, Rao said that before he leaves, he will close on affiliations agreements with hospitals in Mid-Michigan, particularly in Saginaw, that would host students in their fourth and fifth year of training.

Rao said Central Michigan University hopes to enroll students in medical courses on campus by 2011 and that the basic science course groundwork is already laid.

He is also committed to the $100,000 donation he made to the medical school in December, he said. Slightly more than $300,000 in donations has been committed to the project so far.

“We’ve made great progress on the design and the design is all really a matter of curriculum,” Rao said. “What happens in that first two years is what determines the design. That’s what is waiting to be put into motion.”

Negotiated partnerships for the medical school’s later years of clinical work with students is likely to be with St. Mary’s of Michigan and Convenant Medical Center, both hospitals in Saginaw.

Possibilities for a medical campus between the two entities continue to favor construction on vacant land just off the west bank of the Saginaw River.

The land was purchased by Michigan Healthpark Development in August and offered to the project for free in December.

Dr. Gerald Schell, a neurologist in Saginaw and leading visionary behind the healthpark development, said no official response regarding the medical campus has been received from CMU.

“I personally don’t care where the medical school goes, as long as it’s in Saginaw – we really need one,” Schell said. “The physician shortage is a much bigger concern than Dr. Rao leaving CMU.”

Schell said he fully intends to do whatever he can personally to see the project through, even after Rao leaves.

“We’re going forward with this school. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for us in Saginaw and Michael has been a real force so far,” he said. “I think that it was the Board of CMU trustees and it wasn’t Michael Rao that approved this medical school.”

A CMU-generated meeting among Saginaw area officials and its chamber of commerce is expected to be held this month, Schell said.

“He’s a full steam ahead kind of guy, and he’s got this medical school going way far down the road,” Schell said. “Obviously he wants to push his projects as far forward as he can.”

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Within that time, the search for a new university president will begin. Official notification from Rao to university officials will likely happen this week.

“At this point in time, we will take a look at the need for an interim president,” said Board of Trustees chair Gail Torreano during a conference call Saturday.

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said appointing an interim president may be necessary if a replacement is not identified by July 1, the day of Rao’s departure.

There are three common options for choosing an interim president, Roscoe said. The most attractive option is bringing a former president out of retirement to serve until a permanent replacement is found.

However, pulling someone from a vice president or dean position are also options on the table.

“It’s the Board of Trustees’ decision,” Roscoe said. “There is no logical or stated ascent to the (interim) presidency.

According to board bylaws, an 11-person committee will be created to establish qualifications, a screening committee and establish procedures for the search.

Torreano said a search firm will be contacted soon.

“I am very confident, as are the other board members, in the executive leadership team,” she said.

The presidency offer at Virginia Commonwealth University developed rapidly, Rao said during the conference call.

“I learned that I was ‘likely’ about a week ago,” he said. “I did notify the appropriate people as soon as I thought that something could happen.”

Rao said he exceeded the goals he set for himself in 2000.

“When I came, I wasn’t thinking about a medical school at all, and we’ve gotten so far into that,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate we would be where we are.”

The most important quality a successor could posses is the ability to see the bigger picture, he said.

“One thing I’d say is bring your heart, bring your soul,” he said. “It is absolutely essential for the university to continue to impact the quality of life for the people of Michigan.”

Rao added he is confident the search will reveal a solid list of candidates.

“(CMU) is in an exceptionally strong position to attract a very strong candidate,” he said. “And it will not and should not settle for anything but the very, very best.”

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Rao leaves CMU at the end of the academic year. Central Michigan Life spoke to members of the CMU faculty and staff to hear their thoughts on Rao’s move.

Nancy White, Faculty Association president, finance and law associate professor:

“I was not surprised at all. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner,” she said of Rao’s resignation.

White does not believe there will be much short-term impact upon his leaving, but the long-term impact will come from the new president.

“We have four months’ notice, which is quicker than most other businesses,” she said.

White said Rao’s notable accomplishments were expanding the Vision program and recruiting a new provost last year.

Gary Shapiro, former interim provost and current dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavior Services:

“I was sad to see him leave, but I’m glad for him that he has this new opportunity,” he said.

Shapiro worked closely with Rao when he served as interim provost in 2007 and said it was a good experience.

“He was very open to hearing my points of view, and very forthright about explaining his position.”

Shapiro said it is normal that Rao kept his talks with VCU quiet.

“That’s very typical. No one wants to publicize that they’re up for a position,” he said.

Shapiro said he would like the next president to be open for communication and consider the various interest groups on campus, including faculty, students, alumni and citizens of Michigan.

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe:

“I’m sorry to see him go. I think he’s done a very good job as president here at Central,” Roscoe said.

“I very much enjoyed my interactions with President Rao and his family,” he said. “He’s always been highly supportive of me and other people at CMU. He’s always treated us with great respect. I’ve appreciated his candor. It was very easy to work with him and for him.”

Roscoe said some of Rao’s achievements were strengthening the emphasis on the quality of the experience in the classroom and on the importance of research and undergraduate participation in research activities.

Roscoe believes people will miss the president on both a personal and professional level.

“He’s a very personable individual who’s gotten to know many, many faculty staff and students,” he said. “He was here longer than we expected him to be here. I think we were very fortunate. I think that reflects very well on him and very well on the attractiveness of CMU.

“I think its a very good time for him professionally and his family,” he said.

CMU’s new president needs to recognize the importance of the undergraduate education at CMU, Roscoe said.

“The experiences we provide to undergraduate students are just as critical to the long term vitality of the institution,” he said.

Bill Dailey, assistant professor of speech communication and dramatic arts and Isabella County Commissioner:

“I think everybody knew it was going to happen pretty soon, as we approach him being here for 10 years,” he said.

Dailey said Rao’s impact at CMU has been positive, and that Rao has been a hard worker who put plans into action.

“I think generally change is difficult for an institution,” he said. “It could be up to two years of semi-leaderless function. We have a lot momentum as a university, and I kind of hate to see that falter.”

Dailey said the move might be sudden in appearance, but it has been going on for months.

“I assume this is hardly the first offer from universities he has had.”

Dailey would like the next CMU president to have a strong voice in the state level, which Rao has worked to do.

“I certainly want a president who stays in touch with the day-to-day activities at the institution,” he said. “It’s very good for a president to know faculty and be aware of faculty issues.”

John Kulhavi, former Board of Trustees chairman, CMU alumnus:

“I feel very mixed emotions on his sake … I’m happy for President Rao if this is an opportunity, if this is an advancement in his career,” Kulhavi said. “On the opposite side, I think it’s a loss for Central. As a CMU alum and very big CMU supporter, I feel bad for the university.”

Kulhavi said he expects opportunities to continue to grow for Rao and continue to present him with new challenges.

Ray Francis, Academic Senate chairman, associate professor of teacher education and professional development:

“My first reaction was surprise, but I think it’s a really good opportunity for him,” Francis said. “He will be missed.”

Francis said Rao provided good leadership during his tenure, but is leaving before he achieved his most notable project.

“I think he’s leaving before his greatest accomplishment – the medical school,” he said.

Francis said working with Rao has been very positive.

“I have great deal of respect for him, he’s a good guy, a family man and good administrator,” he said.

university@cm-life.com

How do you define a presidential legacy? Is it the number of new buildings erected during a tenure?

Is it increased enrollment? Increased affordability?

Or is it simply that a clear vision for the future is carried on by those who are left behind.

University President Michael Rao will depart Central Michigan University for Virginia Commonwealth University in early July, but several CMU officials say that his legacy will be measured by the improvements to campus under his leadership.

Several new academic buildings and residence halls have been erected since Rao arrived in 2000. Freshmen applications have steadily increased. So has tuition.

“I have exceeded the goals that I had planned on when I arrived at CMU,” Rao said during a conference call with reporters on Saturday.

Gary Shapiro, former interim provost and current dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, said Rao has successfully followed through on several projects for the Board of Trustees.

“The board was very satisfied with his performance, so obviously he’s met their expectations,” Shapiro said.

Rao has overseen the construction and opening of the Health Professions Building in 2004, opening of the Charles V. Park Library in 2002, and has readied CMU to renovate the Bovee University Center in 2010.

The construction of The Education and Human Services Building is scheduled to be completed in March.

“He himself made a significant contribution to the education building,” said Karen Adams, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. “I very much enjoyed working with him, he was what attracted me to coming here.”

He also established the foundation for an accredited medical school, a project he has pledged to bring to closure before he leaves.

Also during his tenure, the admissions office has seen a substantial rise in applications.

“To be the third largest applicant pool in Michigan is amazing,” said Betty Wagner, director of admissions. “How your campus looks is very important to students and parents.”

However, alongside that rise in applications has come the tripling of tuition rates. In 2001, the cost of an in-state credit hour for undergraduates was $108.15. That July, Rao and the board upped tuition 12.5 percent.

As of the latest hike in July 2008, incoming in-state undergraduate students are paying $324 per credit hour.

The CMU Promise, a fixed-rate tuition guarantee program that debuted in 2005 was dropped in 2008 as well.

Inversely, along with the rising tuition has been the decline in appropriations each year in state funding, traditionally a signifying source of college budgets.

Shapiro said only time will tell what Rao’s defining accomplishment ends up as.

“What will end up as being the most memorable is obviously for history and not for speculation at this time,” he said.

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Michael Rao’s resignation has stirred mixed reaction among students.

Some care. Many don’t.

In the case of Student Government Association President and Montgomery senior Paul Pridgeon, it was a surprise.

Pridgeon, who has met with Rao several times, has always believed Rao has had a student-first mentality.

“At the forefront of his mind is always ‘how will this affect students, and what are we doing as an institution to help students and continue to benefit students?’” Pridgeon said.

Assistant Dean of Student Life Tony Voisin said Rao has achieved a lot in his near nine-year term.

“Presidents are hired to make changes and impact, and President Rao did just that,” he said. “The next president, just as Rao did, will leave some sort of legacy. There is much to be thankful for and much to be hopeful for.”

Voisin said that without Rao’s support, the Student Leadership Organization and Volunteer Center wouldn’t be as successful as it is.

Residence Hall Assembly President and Davison senior Nick Varner said Rao’s departure is a necessary step in his career.

“The president is a unique job because it has internal and external viewpoints and you have to connect with the students, too,” he said. “This should be very important to students – it’s a big loss.”

Battle Creek junior and Larzelere Hall Council President Alyssa Zebell said she was sorry to see Rao go.

“I was always very impressed by him. He always seemed to be very personable. I think he also put students first,” Zebell said.

Roscommon graduate student Erin Bolen said she was looking forward to a new administration.

“I want to see more involvement with (the new president) on campus, making sure that all the different areas of campus are actually taken care of, the departments get the funding they need and we don’t just focus on specific things,” she said.

Bolen said she would like to see the new president devote more money to classroom education, rather than dressing up the campus to look nice for visitors.

She was displeased with how the news of Rao’s resignation was delivered.

“I actually thought it was really abrupt and wasn’t what the faculty or the students deserved,” she said. “I think there should’ve been more of a lead up to it, not just half-way through the second semester, he’s like, ‘oh, yeah – by the way, I’m leaving.’”

“I think we deserved a little more than that,” she said.

studentlife@cm-life.com

Central Michigan University President Michael Rao had accepted the top position at a school in Virginia, and would be packing up in a matter of months.

“There’s no doubt it was a shock, probably to the entire community,” Holton said. “Dr. Rao is very interactive with many aspects of the community, so there is a void we’ll have to deal with.”

City and county-wide leaders alike say the departure of Rao will be a loss felt by many.

“He’s really elevated CMU’s visibility on state and national levels as a first-rate university,” said Lisa Hadden, president of the Mount Pleasant area Chamber of Commerce. “I think CMU and Mount Pleasant are now considered as a leader in the state in terms of education.”

George Dunn, president and CEO of Middle Michigan Development Corporation, noted Rao’s persistence in accomplishing goals.

“Mike has brought a new vigor to both CMU and the surrounding communities, one that is based on striving for excellence, never admitting that something can’t be done,” he said in an e-mail to Central Michigan Life.

“The entire middle-Michigan region is so heavily influenced by the presence of CMU – and the fact that we are first and foremost a university-driven economy – what the university does or doesn’t do is critical to our collective future,” he wrote.

Sharon Tillman, chairwoman of the Council of Governments, a coalition of Mount Pleasant- area leaders, said Rao has created a closer bond between the city and CMU.

“There has been noticeable strides, I think, on the part of community involvement and the vocalization of students,” she said.

Tillman recounted the city’s ongoing mission to make Mount Pleasant more than just a place students find themselves in while attending CMU. Governmental leaders want it to be a home, she said.

In past years, Tillman recalled working as both a mayor and county commissioner and feeling a degree of disembodiment from the university.

Now, faculty and staff are serving on boards and students are attending liaison meetings.

“I see students more engaged in the community. I see CMU staff and faculty, I see a real thrust towards that,” she said. “We can achieve far more working together than as two separate entities.”

Rao’s resignation comes amid a cloud of economic uncertainty in Michigan, Ling said, so CMU’s forward momentum is of utmost importance.

“Timing is not something we can have much control over,” Ling said. “This obviously is a very fine opportunity for him.”

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Central Michigan University’s first lady served with the United Way and as a Board of Directors member at Art Reach Center of Mid Michigan, 319 S. University Ave.

She also helped start the Michigan Story Festival, which takes place annually at CMU.

“She believes in the arts,” said Mary Lu Yardley, executive director of alumni relations.

Sue Ann Martin, former communication and fine arts dean, said Monica approached her in 2002 with an idea for a festival in mid-Michigan.

“Her dedication to and her creative mentorship of the Michigan Story Festival was both genuine and passionate,” she said.

Monica also is a professional graphic designer, and has had a gallery of her work at Art Reach in addition to donating her work to its annual auction each year. She has served as University Outreach Liaison since August 2000.

Shortly after she came to campus, she began traveling to key populated areas in the state to present programs of interest at CMU.

“Our alumni reflect what our students have always been like,” Yardley said. “It’s easy to reach out to these people. Monica has done that very well.”

Steve Smith, director of media relations, could not say whether or not her position will remain after the family moves to Virginia.

“It will be an issue the Board of Trustees will have to discuss,” he said.

Roger Kesseler, a former trustee, said previously, the choice to offer Monica a salaried position was made during the presidential search process.

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2001: Rao and Board of Trustees raise tuition 27.9 percent, from $118.90 to $152.10.

2002: Rao is appointed to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Council of State Representatives.

2003: Rao is appointed to the Michigan Education Trust, or MET, Board of Directors.

2004: The Health Professions Building opens, giving the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions centralization.

2005: Rao tells students at an open forum that a parking garage is not in CMU’s future. “All of us will not be able to park where we want.”

2006: Rao gives $20,000 to Speaker Series to bring Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark to campus.

2007: Rao selects Julia Wallace as new provost.

2008: Rao and the Board of Trustees authorize creation of a medical school.

2009: Rao calls search for interim dean of medical school.