Interim university president, son share time at CMU
Kathy Wilbur had extra stress on her shoulders in July during her first Board of Trustees meeting as interim university president.
One particular student was adding to that.
Okemos senior Tom Wilbur, Kathy’s son, went to the hospital only to find his appendix had burst.
While all of Central Michigan University remained in the forefront of her mind, Tom’s condition also forced her to step out several times throughout the meeting.
“You think it’s the most important thing going on in the day and, then, your son has to go to the hospital. It sure puts everything back in perspective on what is the most important thing,” she said.
Kathy said it was not easy.
“We had to spend a lot of time in Mount Pleasant — he was in the hospital for eight days after the surgery,” she said. “There was a lot of bonding time there.”
Mother-son relationship
Tom has spent the majority of his college career with his mother while she maintained the position of vice president of Governmental Relations and Public Affairs.
But as of July 1, Kathy Wilbur became interim university president after the Board of Trustees selected her in April to fill former university president Michael Rao’s position.
Tom said he is proud his mother was selected.
“I was excited because I knew it was going to be a new opportunity and a new challenge for her, but I knew she would be up for it,” Tom said. “I was excited that the Board of Trustees would consider her first and foremost for this prestigious job.”
Tom said it is not easy for him to slack at all now.
“(Having her be president) does make me try harder because I know how hard she is working, so I don’t slack off as much as maybe I’d like to,” he said. “She’s busting her butt, so there’s really no excuse for me to not bust mine.”
No special treatment
Tom does not think anybody looks at him differently because of his mother’s position. Most students do not even realize she is his mother.
Aside from his roommates’ occasional jokes, he said nobody treats him differently.
“Part of the challenge in a job like this is even if you know someone, whether it is your son or daughter that’s a student, or a neighbor, niece or nephew, you have to think of the broader aspect and the broader impact of the decisions you’re going to make,” Kathy said.
Although Kathy said having her son in the school system does not sway her decisions — it is nice to have a different view on issues.
“Sometimes, it provides me with another perspective on policies that we’re considering or that we have implemented,” Kathy said. “In some ways, I think it is quite beneficial for me.”
Tom said although the job is a good one for his mother, he does have one problem with it.
“Well, it’s harder to get a hold of her these days,” he said.
