Lansing professor bids for VP post

Michael Nealon, Professor at Lansing Community College as well as its Dean of Arts and Science Division, is one of four candidates who are in the running for the Vice President of Instruction and Learning Services position at Delta College.

Nealon, 52, brings an abundance of teaching experience with him; he taught at various institutions in the Chicago area for over 24 years, including Northwestern University, where he was a graduate student.

“I taught courses in disciplinary humanities,” Nealon said. “I have a Ford Foundation Fellowship to help establish the integrated arts program that is still thriving at Northwestern.”

Nealon also taught Music History and Music Theory, as well as other music courses while at DePaul University from 1990-97.

Nealon explained the intangibles for academic leadership he acquired while at Lansing Community College have translated to Delta College.

“I have considerable experience in strategic planning,” Nealon said. “We just finished a strategic plan called Learn Forward at Lansing Community College having spent two years in conversations with community members, students, faculty, partners and administration officials and really looking at the challenges that we faced and turning those into the trajectories that we have for ourselves.”

“Lansing Community College is an achievement and dream college, therefore, we were accredited through H.L.C. It's been marvelous to watch. Delta College really excelled in those areas. In many ways I see the work (that you do) to be just top shelf.”

While on the subject of the budget for Arts and Sciences, Nealon said it is $28.8 million for Lansing Community College; it was $32 million when he started in that position five years ago.

“The challenges have been trying always to do more with less, and yet we have been able to do just that,” he said. “In fact, to not only survive but really thrive during a time of economic downturn.”

Nealon said he makes decisions using a pyramidal structure on the core belief of asking four basic questions:

“What do students need in order to be successful?” 12