Mary Sue Coleman

Mary Sue Coleman (born October 2, 1943 in Kentucky) is the current president of the University of Michigan, having served since 2002. Coleman previously was president of the University of Iowa. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Grinnell College, where she has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, and her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina. Coleman also serves on the Board of Directors of Johnson & Johnson and Meredith Corporation.

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Coleman followed her predecessor Lee Bollinger in supporting affirmative action programs at Michigan. In November 2006, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative passed by a 16-percent margin, resulting in a constitutional amendment banning racial preference in admissions and hiring.^[1] Coleman has since stated she intends to challenge the initiative and any potential implications it may have for the university and its diversity.^[2] .

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey on executive compensation in public universities, Coleman is the fifth-highest paid university president of public universities in the nation.^[3]

Notably, given the long-standing rivalry between the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame, Coleman was invited to be the commencement speaker at the first separate commencement ceremony for the Notre Dame Graduate School on May 19, 2007, and received an honorary degree from Notre Dame.^[4]

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