Feature: The McPherson Presidency: 1993-2004
During his tenure as president, Peter McPherson pushed productivity to a new level and advanced MSU’s vision for the future.
When he steps down Jan. 1, 2005 as MSU president, Peter McPherson can look back over his 11-year tenure as MSU president and take pride in one of the most productive eras in the university’s history.
Indeed, some describe the era as “Hannahesque,” after John A. Hannah, who masterminded MSU’s modern growth from 1941-69.
Peter McPherson unleashed the biggest wave of new construction on campus since the Hannah years. He spearheaded many visionary changes that will benefit MSU years down the road. He launched a $1.2 billion capital campaign. And he tackled key national education issues, such as rising tuition costs and binge drinking on campus, earning national attention. He brought people of national stature to campus as commencement speakers, and also as McPherson lecturers.
“I am proud of the many accomplishments of faculty, students and staff over the past 10-plus years,” he said after announcing his plans at the spring undergraduate commencement ceremony at Breslin Center. “From the Guiding Principles to the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building to the 20-20 Vision. From becoming the nations’ leader in study abroad to dramatic growth in external research funding. From the Honors College renaissance to the Beaumont Tower renovation.
“I was honored to be president for a national debate championship and a national basketball championship. We now have a law school on our campus. It's been exciting and invigorating.”
McPherson boasts strong MSU roots. He earned a bachelor of arts in political science from MSU in 1963. His family's ties with the university run even deeper; both his parents are MSU graduates, as are all seven of his brothers and sisters. And his grandfather, Melville, for whom he is named, was a member of the board that elected John Hannah MSU president in 1941.
Why, with that background, would he leave MSU? McPherson says that while serving in Iraq as the financial coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance last year, he had time to reflect on both his future and that of the university.
“Every decade or so, it’s important to have new ideas,” he explains. “Big organizations need to have change.
“It’s been 11 wonderful years. I’ve deeply enjoyed this role.”
The appreciation for McPherson’s contribution to MSU has flowed from newspapers, alumni, and friends. In a statement, Board of Trustees Chairperson David Porteous said, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, collectively and individually, I express our deepest gratitude to Peter McPherson for his outstanding leadership.”
McPherson’s departure will mark the end of the longest-serving president-provost team in the Big Ten. “I have had the privilege to work closely with Peter, who is a valued colleague and good friend,” says Provost Lou Anna K. Simon. “He works tirelessly to raise MSU’s profile and reputation as a globally connected institution, advancing our study abroad programs and other international initiatives, even while continuing our commitment to the communities and people we serve nearer to home.”
McPherson is looking at several options, including development in impoverished nations, broader public service and finance. During his stint in Iraq from May to September 2003, he was instrumental in establishing the central bank in Iraq and worked with international banks as they began to invest in and establish themselves in that country.
“I want opportunities to do something beyond this presidency, and I want to be readily available for them,” he explains.
McPherson will leave MSU with some major projects still under way, including the $1 billion capital campaign, which has surpassed the $800 million mark earlier than expected, a record-setting achievement that, in his words, has "accelerated institutional momentum and broad confidence in our faculty, staff, and students as MSU prepares to celebrate its sesquicentennial."
In the coming months, as MSU celebrates its sesquicentennial, his time and energies will focus on two historic efforts—bringing the nation's Rare Isotope Accelerator to MSU and continuing the expansion opportunities of the College of Human Medicine.
Making history and creating a "great university that is responsive, effective, and efficient" have been the hallmarks of the McPherson presidency. As a Lansing State Journal editorial concluded in October, "Under McPherson, MSU has become more students, more research dollars, more private donations, more international study programs, more well-known." The Detroit News added, "He has made the university a better place for students, and a better bargain for Michigan taxpayers."
SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF MCPHERSON'S PRESIDENCY:
- The "Guiding Principles," providing MSU with a renewed "practical vision."
- The Tuition Guarantee that allowed MSU for seven consecutive years in the 1990s to hold tuition to the rate of inflation, something no other major university in the nation was able to do.
- Affiliating with the then-Detroit College of Law , now the MSU School of Law.
- Growth in Honors College enrollment from 1,000 students to over 2,500.
- Declaring Study Abroad a university priority, resulting in a tripling of enrolment in the program as MSU became the nation's leader in undergraduates studying internationally.
- The largest facilities growth since the Hannah Era, with major facilities constructions and expansions including the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Bldg, Agriculture Hall Annex, Beaumont Tower renovation, Koo International Academic Center, Eustace-Cole Hall, Henry Center for Executive Development, McPhail Equine Performance Center, Smith Student-Athlete Academic Support Center, and the MSU Law School Bldg.
- Establishing the 2020 Vision Plan, an in-depth campus directive for space quality, land use, facilities development, and environmental sensitivity in long-range planning.
McPherson, a former Peace Corps volunteer himself, has consistently called upon MSU students "to dream and act globally-to think beyond yourselves in lives of public service." During his MSU presidency he has set an example. "He's a fixer, in the purest sense of the word," wrote Detroit News business columnist Daniel Howes last June. "He likes to tackle big problems—famine in Africa 20 years ago for the Agency for International Development, binge drinking on campus, meaningful education for blighted urban areas or the restoration of Iraq's economy." McPherson was appointed by President George W. Bush as chair of the Board of International Food and Agriculture Development and serves as co-chair of the Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa. He chaired reform commissions on Michigan's charter schools and Lansing's public schools.
Last May, he took a five-month leave to head the economic reconstruction of Iraq, at the behest of President Bush.
As the Lansing State Journal editorialized, “Whatever the differences some may have with President Peter McPherson, there’s no denying his departure from MSU will be a significant loss. MSU will miss McPherson. As will we.”
THE CHAIRPERSON’S PERSPECTIVE
With great appreciation for all that he has accomplished I, and the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, offer our thanks to Peter McPherson. We are honored that he chose to spend nearly 11 years as president of this great institution. His strong, energetic leadership of the University has indelibly marked it and has moved it forward in many ways. At the beginning of the 21st century, we are in an excellent position to take MSU to an even higher level.
He has served longer than any president in the Big Ten, longer than any MSU president since John Hannah, and his leadership has found expression in many ways. He has served Michigan State University so well, and for so long, that we tend to forget what was not here when Peter McPherson returned home to East Lansing.
There was no Biomedical Physical Sciences Building . The Study Abroad Program, while significant, was not the leader in the U.S. that it is today . The Livestock Pavilion was an artist's rendering . There was no MSU College of Law. The Honors College had substantially fewer students. MSU's tuition was among the more expensive in the Big Ten—and on a fast pace to even greater cost.
The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory hadn't received an important upgrade, one that now allows MSU to compete aggressively for the Rare Isotope Accelerator. There was no Diagnostic Center for Populations and Animal Health. The debate team hadn't won a national championship. These are just some of the accomplishments during the time he has led the team and worked to further improve the University.
His knowledge and skills in finance have allowed MSU to weather far better the financial turmoil of the past two years. By the way, we have had excellent returns on our investments during his tenure. Also, his leadership in the Capital Campaign positions the University well as it closes in on the goal of $1. 2 billion in 2007.
His vision has allowed him to take Michigan State in new and bold directions. By working hard to secure a partnership with hospital and community leaders in Grand Rapids, we are poised to bring even greater quality of education and experience to the College of Human Medicine.
Peter McPherson also served the region, the state, and the country very well. From his participation and leadership on commissions studying education at all levels, to his work to combat hunger and poverty—especially in Africa—to his service on an advisory board to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, he has given the full measure. Above and beyond, his selfless contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq's economy was a tremendously generous effort, and in the MSU tradition.
We have been fortunate to have Peter McPherson as the leader of this remarkable University. We are also fortunate that he will be with us this fall when we begin our celebrations for MSU's 150th anniversary with the dedication of the statue of John Hannah, a president whose leadership inspired Peter McPherson.
We recognize that there are new challenges that await you, Peter. As I heard you talk about your experience in Iraq, it was apparent that particularly complex international problems, and your capacity to solve them, present interesting opportunities to serve yet again.
Again, on behalf of the MSU Board of Trustees, I express our deep gratitude to Peter McPherson for his outstanding leadership of Michigan State University.
David L. Porteous, chairperson, MSU Board of Trustees
“COVERING” MCPHERSON IN THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE
President McPherson has been the source of six cover stories in the MSU Alumni Magazine during his 11-year presidency, the sign of a very active and productive president. They include the story of his hiring, of his vision for the university, the affiliation of the Detroit College of Law (now MSU College of Law), the Tuition Guarantee, the visit of President Bill Clinton, and a five-year retrospective of this presidency.
