The president of Central Michigan University today announced he will resign at the end of July. George E. Ross says his contract doesn’t expire until 2019, but he and his wife had discussed stepping down sometime sooner. He made up his mind, he says, after the birth of his grandson in December.
“[In the hospital] he squeezed his little ... fingers around mine, and I’m going, ‘This is pretty special.’ I kind of liked it,” Ross said.
Ross became CMU’s president in 2010. Previously, he served as the president of Alcorn State University and vice president of CMU, as well as several other posts in higher education.
According to his biography on CMU’s website, Ross grew up in Flint. He’s a big believer in the power of education to change lives. He says it changed his, and that’s what he thinks of when he considers the thousands of Chippewa students that have graduated in the time he's been president.
“It’s about improving their lives, improving the lives of their communities,” Ross said. “It’s about developing leadership. That’s what I’m most proud of about Central Michigan University.”
He says he hopes his successor can work with other administrators of public colleges and universities in Michigan to push for more state funding.
“Move the needle on convincing the state to reinvest in higher education,” Ross said. "That’s where the future of the state lies: an educated workforce.”
Ross will officially step down on July 31, according to a CMU press release.
