Photoshop Phriday: Mary Sue Coleman

Earlier this month with the start of the new fiscal year at U of M Mary Sue Coleman’s tenure as the 13th president formally came to an end with her retirement.  Like any public figure she is not without her opponents, but I have always found there to be on and off campus overwhelming support for the way she ran the university.  After a 7 year stint at the University of Iowa she came to Ann Arbor in 2002 in the midst of the Grutter and Gratz v. Bollinger Supreme Court cases.  She spearheaded ‘The Michigan Difference’ (from which my blog tag line originates) capital campaign which over the course of several years raised over $3 billion (yes, billion with a B).

Shortly after I came to Ann Arbor in 2007 the economy tanked (those are unrelated events I promise) and appropriations from the state of Michigan suffered (in fact for a few years donations exceeded state funding).  And yet, the university continued to grow.  The endowment doubled and the Residential Life Initiative allowed for renovations to almost every residence hall on campus over the past several years.  She now leaves the school in the seemingly capable hands of Mark Schlissel (friend of the blog), but not before showcasing her favorite bread blog to the university community.