Application Letter from Marvin Krislov

I was pleased to have been contacted regarding the position of President of Oberlin College.  Oberlin's proud history of excellence and inclusion, along with its commitment to social justice, appeals to my own set of values. When I recently visited my son at a summer program there, I was struck by the welcoming, engaged community and the spirit of intellectual and artistic endeavor. I can think of no more exciting opportunity than leading Oberlin College through its next stage.

The son of a labor economics professor at the University of Kentucky and a social worker, I grew up believing in the power of education to make a difference. I inherited my parents' vision of the importance of providing those opportunities to all members of our society and in doing so, to shape an inclusive community, nation and world. My vision and my values have been shaped by my own experiences in Kentucky, at Yale, at Michigan, and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. My passion for higher education stems in part from the conviction that a broad undergraduate education best prepares students to grapple with their changing world and to develop an informed set of skills and values.

That is why Oberlin’s mission to promote the study of liberal arts and sciences as a path to individual growth and development inspires me. In today’s global world, international study and appreciation of other cultures are essential. Undergraduate research equips students with the tools to create new knowledge. Community engagement not only provides research opportunities but helps hone individual beliefs and strengthens both the university and the community. Moreover, Oberlin's distinctive philosophy of understanding changing social conditions and looking across traditional disciplinary lines, mirrors my approach to liberal education. Oberlin’s emphasis on the arts and the central role of the Conservatory speak to my belief in the importance of creative expression and appreciation. What draws me to Oberlin is that these priorities complement my own life and values.

I have studied in private, residential college settings at Yale and Oxford, and currently work in a larger residential public institution. The academic sensibilities and values are strikingly similar, even where some of the institutions may have different traditions or structures. My various experiences and observations lead me to believe that close faculty-student engagement is the key to a successful undergraduate education.

My background enables me to understand the goals and aspirations of the board, faculty, staff and students at Oberlin College. My breadth of experience equips me to lead Oberlin College. As the first person at Michigan to hold the title of Vice President and General Counsel, and a member of the President’s Cabinet and executive officer team, I participate in decision-making, strategic planning and development in a wide variety of areas. I have shaped policy in areas as diverse as admissions and financial aid, intellectual property and technology, research, risk management, board governance, faculty rights, student affairs, ethics, labor standards and human rights, and athletics.

Commitment to academic excellence has been central during my time at the University of
Michigan. As an adjunct Professor of Political Science, I teach two upper level undergraduate courses each year. I also teach a seminar offered by the Law School, and teach a course in the summer program of the Public Policy School. Additionally, I advise independent research studies and externships, and frequently counsel students on academic and career decisions. In my teaching and counseling, I endeavor to expose students to varying ideas and perspectives, and to challenge them to think about their values and their life options. I deeply value academic achievement and scholarship, enjoy participating in such endeavors, and take great pride in supporting those accomplishments of my colleagues and students.

I currently serve as the co-chair of the President’s Initiative on Ethics in Public Life, a major inter-disciplinary initiative to integrate academic study with ethics-related issues in our society. This initiative grew out of a faculty task force that I co-led to study the role of ethics in teaching and research across the various schools and colleges and to gauge how the University might promote ethical inquiry, particularly among undergraduates, as well as interact with the broader community in this effort. Now in the second year of the initiative, we have created a new undergraduate course on applied ethics issues, held public fora on current ethical issues, sponsored conferences and awarded funding for research, teaching and student initiatives, and have established what may be the nation's first campus blog on ethics issues.

I serve on various academically-oriented boards within the University including the National Center for Institutional Diversity and the Executive Committee of the Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations. For our recently created undergraduate Michigan-in-Washington program, I sit on the faculty Advisory Board and have helped recruit faculty and students, as well as raising money for the program. I have worked closely with faculty on shared governance issues, and have helped create and guide faculty-student-staff advisory groups on such issues as labor standards and human rights, and purchasing policies.

My experience building a strong administrative team would serve Oberlin College well. In my current position, I manage the legal affairs for three campuses—Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint— as well as a complex health system and athletics department. Our work spans every school and college, requiring us to understand the various needs of multiple units and people. I supervise over 40 staff and numerous outside counsel and consultants, with an overall budget of over $12 million.

Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, I served as Acting Solicitor (the third ranking department official) and Deputy Solicitor for National Operations at the United States Labor Department and managed a staff of over 700 in 15 national, regional and sub-regional offices with a budget of over $70 million. At the Labor Department, I successfully dealt with significant challenges including tight budgets and intense Congressional oversight. In that capacity and in my White House service, I worked extensively with budget preparation, analysis and justification. As an alderman in the City of New Haven, I helped analyze and determine city budgets and focused on promoting social services and community development.

My enthusiasm for external advocacy and outreach will help advance Oberlin during its next phase of growth. I enjoy building partnerships internally and externally, and have succeeded in establishing relationships with varied groups and constituencies, including state and national officials, and business and philanthropic leaders. Under my leadership, the University of Michigan won an historic Supreme Court victory establishing the constitutionality of diversity considerations in college and university admissions. Our legal and public relations strategy helped produce an unprecedented coalition. We gathered amicus support in our admissions lawsuits from the higher education community, over 20 states, nearly 30 prominent ex-military leaders, and perhaps most significantly, nearly 70 major corporations. In recognition of my efforts, the NAACP Legal Defense and Endowment Fund honored me for my “leadership and counsel.” To support our social scientific research and outreach efforts on the importance of diversity, I have been able to garner over $900,000 in grants from the Ford Foundation. Additionally, I helped create an award-winning multimedia traveling exhibit on the lawsuits and the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. On the issue of the importance of access, diversity, and academic excellence in higher education, I speak regularly to University, state and national groups, including numerous higher education and professional associations, alumni and donors, faculty and students.

My commitment to diversity extends to research and policy discussions on an international level. Along with faculty colleagues, I organized a two-part international academic conference cosponsored by the University of Cape Town (UCT) focusing on educational policy and diversity in the United States and South Africa. We received funding of over $150,000 from the Mellon and Spencer Foundations to support the conferences. With two co-authors (one from UCT and one from U-M), I am co-editing a book tentatively titled, The Next Twenty-Five Years? Higher Education and Affirmative Action in the United States and South Africa, under contract with the University of Michigan Press. With my South African connections, I also am helping develop ways to increase collaboration between the University of Michigan and South African universities.

I understand that Oberlin College must continue to increase its fundraising and build its endowment. I relish that opportunity. I enjoy working to secure University resources and have attracted millions of dollars of support from individual, corporate and foundation sources. As part of my fundraising activities for the University, I have successfully solicited major donations and have taken on additional donor responsibilities in our current successful capital campaign. For instance, I secured two $500,000 gifts and had an endowed law school student scholarship named after me by another donor. In addition, I help lead fundraising for other nonprofits such as the local United Way and the Jewish Federation, as I have throughout my life. My wife and I co-chaired two extremely successful Jewish Federation campaigns, with an increase of more than 10% to over $1.3 million in the first year, despite taking place weeks after 9/11. Under my leadership, the University's United Way campaign increased over 12% this past year, after experiencing five years of steady decline and despite a dismal state economy. With the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, an award-winning group for secondary-school children, I have brought in significant new corporate sponsorships and new donors for our current capital campaign.

I have been pleased to support our Michigan Athletics Department and our philosophy of keeping the student in student-athlete. To that end, I have played a leadership role in the Athletics Department, including serving on the three-person steering committee during an interim leadership period. I led our investigation and response to the NCAA inquiry concerning our basketball program, resulting in our successful appeal of the post-season ban. I served as Chair of our Governance and Rules Compliance subcommittee for our NCAA Recertification self-study and help oversee our compliance efforts. Although Oberlin's and Michigan's programs differ in size and scope, the importance of promoting athletic endeavor, both for participants and fans, has similar positive effects.

Oberlin is at an exciting stage in its history, and I believe I have the leadership skills and the personal commitments to help implement its vision. I have had the good fortune to work with some of the more distinguished academic and public leaders in America. I have been called upon to help guide the University of Michigan through high-stakes conflicts. In these difficult situations I work to forge consensus and understanding. I enjoy the process of listening to various constituencies and creating agreements among different interests both within and outside the University. At the University, I coordinated development of new university-wide conflict of interest and conflict of commitment policies. I helped lead the University's response to the Supreme Court decision whereby we revised our undergraduate admissions process and reinforced our commitment to a diverse student body through increased recruitment and outreach. I have helped broker significant agreements with outside commercial entities as well as between internal constituencies. At the Labor Department, I helped build an effective industry-government-labor partnership to improve working conditions in the apparel industry and developed policies and regulations sensitive to both industry and labor concerns. I also led the Federal government multi-agency task force that produced a seminal set of recommendations on preventing genetic discrimination in the workplace.

I would plan to be an active member of the Oberlin and greater Cleveland community. At Michigan, my family and I have engaged deeply in our community and our state. We participate regularly in civic, athletic and cultural activities, including significant volunteer service on boards. My passion for the arts has motivated me to serve in leadership roles with the University Musical Society (our arts presentation and education organization), and the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. My work with United Way and other local organizations has helped strengthen relations between the University and the city. I work closely with our Alumni Association and other affiliated organizations at tackling issues of mutual concern. Through my work with the Ethics Initiative, I have led successful outreach efforts to community business, civic and religious leaders.

I would bring my enthusiasm and energy to help create an even stronger Oberlin College. My background and my varied experiences prepare me to deal with the challenges and opportunities facing this exciting college. I understand the importance of building consensus around the strategic direction of the college. My leadership principles and commitment to integrity, inclusiveness, and excellence would fit well with Oberlin’s mission. I would be honored to join with you as you advance Oberlin's noble mission.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,
Marvin Krislov