NMU’s board of trustees now has three new members to welcome into the fold.
L. Garnet Lewis, H. Sook Wilkinson and Larry Inman were all appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in February to serve on the board.
Lewis is a Northern graduate, having earned a Master’s degree in Education from NMU in 1986. She has since gone on to earn a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Texas.
She has also served as a member of NMU’s Foundation Board and as president of the Alumni Association.
Lewis, whose term will expire on Dec. 31, 2016, said she was happy to be working for Northern once again, and that her main focus will be on the students.
“Keeping Northern affordable, attracting students, retaining students, having them finishing up their degrees at Northern, getting a job after graduation, will always be my foci,” she said.
Lewis is also the first openly gay person appointed to a university governance board in the state of Michigan. However, she said what’s most important about her appointment is her extensive background in higher education.
“Obama did a great job in his campaign, saying ‘I’m a man running for president who happens to be black.’ And I’m a woman who was appointed who happens to be gay. I have a great background in higher education . I am many other things besides gay,” she said.
Wilkinson is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in Michigan. She has authored one book and edited another about the adoption of Korean children. She is also the chair of the governor’s Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs and was appointed as a member of the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC) by the president of the Republic of Korea. NUAC is a group formed in the early 1980s that is dedicated to the peaceful unification of North and South Korea.
Wilkinson said she will work to keep a high quality of education while maintaining the accessibility Northern is known for, adding that the best way to achieve that is by making budget cuts.
“There needs to be really good balance,” she said. “Everybody has to cut, everybody has to tighten up their belts and get through this real tough time, and Northern would be no exception to that.
“I would be working with other board members to find out where we can make cuts, where we can perhaps . see if there is any duplication, and how we can reduce the heating and electrical bills, as all the households are doing,” she added.
Wilkinson, who was born in Korea, said that after 34 years of working in Michigan, serving on NMU’s board was a way for her to return the favor.
“Michigan has been wonderful in terms of my own growth and career and so on. It’s time for me to give back to the state of Michigan,” she said.
Wilkinson’s term will expire on Dec. 31, 2016.
Inman was appointed to fill an open seat. His term will expire on Dec. 31, 2010. He served a previous term on the board that ran from Dec. 12, 2002 to Feb. 5, 2009.
Inman received the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award and is a past member of NMU’s Foundation Board.
