IU Kokomo's Person Recommended as New Chancellor

Ruth J. Person, chancellor of Indiana University Kokomo, has been recommended as the seventh leader of the University of Michigan-Flint. Person, an alumna of the University of Michigan, will begin her appointment August 18, pending approval by the Board of Regents. Inaugural festivities will be announced at a later date.

"We are delighted that Ruth Person is returning to the University as chancellor of U-M Flint," said President Mary Sue Coleman. "Dr. Person is known and respected for her visionary, collaborative leadership style and strong commitment to the universities and communities where she has served. I look forward to working with her."

"I am thrilled to return to Michigan to serve this great university," said Person. "The University of Michigan-Flint has a strong tradition of excellence as well as a committed faculty and staff who are dedicated to students."

Since her appointment as chancellor of IU Kokomo in 1999, Person led the campus through a strong period of growth. During her tenure, IU Kokomo implemented a strategic plan, added new academic programs, completed a $3 million fundraising campaign, and constructed an award-winning science facility. Person also oversaw the reversal of a seven-year enrollment decline, guiding the campus to record enrollment of full-time and traditional-age students.

Throughout her impressive career, Person has had rich and diverse experiences in higher education. She served for four years as vice president for academic affairs and professor of business administration at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. She also held positions as vice president for academic affairs at Ohio's Ashland University, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, dean of the College of Library Science at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, and associate dean and faculty member of the School of Library and Information Science at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. As an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, Person also worked as chief academic officer with the Arizona Board of Regents.

Person earned her bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and received both her master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She also holds an M.S. degree in administration from George Washington University School of Business and Public Management. She is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, Beta Phi Mu, Pi Lambda Theta, Psi Chi, Kappa Delta Pi, Beta Gamma Sigma and is listed in a number of Who's Who publications. Person attended the Harvard University Institute of Educational Management in 1989.

Person has published widely in scholarly journals. Her membership in professional organizations is extensive and includes the American Association of University Administrators (past president), the International Association for Jazz Education, the American Library Association, and the Council for the Preservation of Anthropological Records. Person served on the American Council of Education's (ACE) Commission on Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity, the ACE Council of Fellows Executive Committee, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Professional Development Committee and Board of Directors.

"It is an exciting time to join the University of Michigan-Flint," noted Person. "The opening of the new residence hall, new academic programs and other important initiatives have created enthusiasm on campus. I look forward to being part of the positive momentum and spirit of the university."