In light of MSU President M. Peter McPherson's coming departure, we at The State News think it apropos to disclose some of the quirks and idiosyncrasies common to MSU's 19th president.
The "M" stands for Melville. He chews on a soggy, unlit cigar during a long conversation. He served in the Peace Corps, and his home has a tree growing in the center of the living room. He is the Big Ten's longest serving current president, and his 11-year tenure at MSU is second only to John Hannah's 28 years. We think his wife, Joanne, drives a Lexus, but we're not entirely sure.
He also, lest we forget, raised the academic bar of MSU to unparalleled levels, drastically improved the scope of MSU's Study Abroad program, did an admirable job at keeping tuition hikes within reason - no, really - used his political connections to weather funding disputes, and kept Sparty's head above water when it looked like Michigan's public institutions of higher learning were being fitted for cement shoes. He's expedited aid to African nations, and can say "I haven't spoken to the president today" and mean George W. Bush. Then, on the day he announced his imminent departure, he managed to one-up the convocation speaker - Condoleezza Rice.
Not a bad run. In the tenure that brought unrivaled prosperity to the nation then pile-drived it with budget deficits, MSU trudged on. When zealous rioters decided they loved the basketball team so much they needed to flip cars and burn trash, McPherson took the hit and stayed on his feet like Rocky Balboa. If you want a personification of MSU that isn't free-standing and ceramic, it's Melville Peter McPherson. Congratulations.
"O Captain, My Captain," though, this is not. McPherson's announcement came just hours after the MSU Board of Trustees voted to transplant the MSU College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids. The Rare Isotope Accelerator - a $1 billion project financed by the U.S. Department of Energy that has become McPherson's project - is yet to become a reality. The liberal arts college realignment is still an enigma and, oh yeah, that $20 million budget shortfall is still on the horizon. The man is leaving the buffet with food still on his plate.
So carry on, President McPherson. Leave this university with your open-ended projects evolving into the next chapter of MSU enlightenment. Work as tirelessly as you have since Oct. 1, 1993, until Dec. 31, and do your best to make sure there's a McPherson statue standing somewhere on campus in 20 years. The future of MSU is still dependent on your work, though the path is winding to an end.
The next president of this university is left to walk face-first into a financial maelstrom, and making this transition of power as smooth as possible is imperative. The sun might be setting on the McPherson era in East Lansing, but there's a lot of work that needs your attention. See to it that your accomplishments aren't sullied by a rocky transition or a lax fall semester.
Enjoy your post-MSU career. We hear the weather in Washington is lovely this time of year.
