The Wayne State University Alumni Association invited candidates for the Wayne State University Board of Governors to provide a statement of their candidacy for inclusion in this special election issue of Advocacy Now. The candidates who returned the information are profiled below. The statements appear as submitted. 

 

The election for the Board of Governors, the eight-member governing body of the university, is Nov. 4. Each Governor holds an eight-year term. Voters from across the state of Michigan will choose two Governors this year.

 

Members of the Board of Governors serve without compensation. They have general supervision of Wayne State University as well as the control and direction of all expenditures from university funds. The Board also sets tuition and confers degrees, among other duties. More information is available on the Board of Governors Web site, www.bog.wayne.edu.

 

Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with the Board of Governors candidates and remember to vote Nov. 4.

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My name is Torion Bridges and I am running for Wayne State Board of Governors. I am running for three reasons (1) I am passionate about the city of Detroit and I believe that along with the city Wayne State University can help turn the city, state, and the nation around (2) I believe in proper funding of public universities, there is NO reason why the State of Michigan should not fund its universities at the proper rate of inflation, and (3) I believe that a safe campus is a prosperous campus, in this post Virginia Tech era keeping all students, faculty and staff of any university safe is a number one priority . I am hard working and dedicated to fighting uphill battles in the name of the Wayne State University community.

 

As a proven republican leader in the city of Detroit and throughout the state I have gained experiences that validate my ability to hold this seat.

 

I have been a member of the Wayne County Republican Party Executive Committee, member of the 14^th congressional District Executive Committee and a State Committee member representing the 14^th congressional district to the Michigan Republican State Committee of the Whole all since 2006.

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Website: www.rjbutkowski.com

 

Rick Butkowski hopes to be elected to the WSU Board of Governors. He lives in Taylor, Michigan and can be contacted at rbutkowski5@comcast.net or www.rjbutkowski.com.

 

Rick is a USAF veteran, honorably discharged.  He has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University.  Rick is retired after 32 years at Ford Motor Company as an Information Technology Manager.  He has been married for 40 years and has 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren.

 

He is former Republican who joined the US Taxpayers of Michigan and is presently the 1st Vice Chairman. He is also a member of the Constitution Party National Committee. A strict-construction Constitutionalist, he believes the major national parties have drawn us away from the Founders' and Framers' original intent, which is to constrain the national government.

 

As a member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, Rick will work to get the History and Law Departments to truly educate rather than indoctrinate the students.  He wants to strengthen WSU’s community, while increasing its state effectiveness in research and development. He would like to decrease costs to students by establishing professional trusts in the business sector for the purpose of providing funding for good students.

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Hello. My name is Margaret Guttshall. I was born in West Virginia, grew up in Pennsylvania, and am now 58. I have lived in Detroit with my husband for 30 years and am the mother of a young woman who attended Detroit Public Schools.

 

I attended the University of Chicago, Roosevelt University and Wayne State University, where I got a Masters in Library Science. I also worked at Wayne State as a clerk in the Law Library and later as a reference assistant. Then I worked at Cooley Law Library as a Reference Librarian. I get incredibly hurt when I see that money for Wayne State and other educational organizations is being reduced or completely cut off. It hurts the students, the professors, instructors, and everyone who works for and with the institution in any way, including people of all colors, immigrants and non-immigrants.

 

If you elect me to be one of the people on the Wayne State Board of Governors, I will use my position to speak out and to try to mobilize everyone to get the society to spend its money in a different way.

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Web site: www.dkforwsu.com

 

Wayne state faces major challenges due to the economy. When Michigan faces a budget crunch, state universities suffer. Today there is only one conservative voice on the Board. We need another voice for fiscal responsibility on the board, especially during tough economic challenges. 

 

I also feel that my experience as a community activist will strengthen the relationship between WSU and the community. For many in our community, a college education will be a life-changing event in their lives and I want to help make that happen for them.

 

In addition, we must find ways to continue the proud educational traditions of WSU while also making it affordable for Michigan families.

 

My priorities are:

 

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Web site: http://www.pmforwsu.com

 

Completing my 8^th year as a member of the WSU Board of Governors. Served two years as Chair of Board and 4 as Chair of the Board’s Budget and Finance Committee. Wayne,  a university of opportunity, must remain financially accessible. In difficult economic times my top priority is, since elected to the Board, to keep tuition affordable for new high school graduates, transferees from community colleges, and older and non-traditional students seeking additional skills and credentials to compete in Michigan’s economy. While the state cut funding for Wayne by $50 million, we have maintained high quality faculty and staff. Students must be assured that Wayne degrees are worth their investment and will be respected by future employers. Wayne has helped transform Midtown, with new student housing, state of the art research and education facilities, and public-private economic development projects. We have continued to upgrade the campus, to provide students with a clean and safe learning environment. Most of all, as the most urgent priority, we must urge state decision-makers to reverse trend of historic disinvestment in higher education to sustain a middle class in Michigan and to capture a better future for all Michigan’s working families.

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Candidate name: Nicole Michalak

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Web site: garyspollard.com 

 

A life long Detroiter, Pollard attended Detroit Public Schools. He holds a BA in Business Administration and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

 

Gary believes that putting college out of the financial reach of working families is unacceptable. He is committed to keeping tuition affordable for working families and their children.

 

Mr. Pollard knows that we need strong community partnerships between WSU and organizations like the Detroit Medical Center to build a better future. He will ensure that WSU will be proactive in creating and strengthen community partnerships.

 

He is committed to increase Wayne State’s ability to be a powerful economic engine for our region. Pollard will work to make WSU a job creator by increasing funding to get research out of the lab and into the real world faster.

 

Wayne State must grow its world class research and development programs to compete in today’s global economy and bring jobs to our region. Gary Pollard will ensure that Wayne State continues to be one of America’s outstanding research and development universities.