Academic Inc.

A who’s who of Michigan’s most prominent collegians.
7487
Illustration by Kyle Raetz

ALBION COLLEGE

Regina Carter
Honorary doctorate of humane letters, 2006
Renowned jazz violinist

Doug Parker
B.A., 1984
Chairman, CEO of US Airways

Richard M. Smith
B.A., 1968
Chairman, editor in chief, Newsweek

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Tom Celani
studied in 1974; honorary doctorate, 2004
Owner, MotorCity Harley-Davidson (Farmington Hills); President, Luna Entertainment (Novi)

Jeff Daniels
Studied theater and majored in English, 1975
Writer/actor/musician; founder, Purple Rose Theatre, Chelsea, Mich.

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Ron Campbell
B.B.A., 1977
President, Tampa Bay Lightning

John G. Coburn
B.A, ca. 1960
Chairman and CEO, VT Systems Inc.

Bruce T. Halle
B.A., B.S., 1956
Chairman and founder, Discount Tire Co.

Eduardo Maruri
B.B.A., 1986
Founder of the UNO political movement

Greg Mathis
B.S., 1983
Star of syndicated TV show Judge Mathis

Michael G. Morris
B.A. in biology, 1969; M.S. in biology, 1973
President, chairman, and CEO, American Electric Power Co.

Jack Roush
M.S., 1970
Founder and CEO, Roush Fenway Racing (NASCAR)

Rodney E. Slater
B.S., 1977
U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton (1997)

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY

John Hare
B.S., 1968
President, ABC Radio

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

Patrick Sheane Duncan
B.S., 1974
Screenwriter, director, and producer (Mr. Holland’s Opus, Courage Under Fire, Nick of Time)

Tommy Remengesau Jr.
Student, late 1970s
President of Pacific island nation Palau (2001-2008)

Gary Tilkin
Student, mid-1970s
President and CEO, Global Forex Trading

HILLSDALE COLLEGE

Erik Prince
B.A., 1992
Founder and owner of private military company Xe (formerly Blackwater USA)

KETTERING UNIVERSITY

Donald J. Almquist
B.S., 1955; honorary doctorate of engineering, 1999
Retired chairman, president, and CEO of GM Delco Electronics Corp.

Michael J. Burns
B.S., 1975
Chairman, president, and CEO, Dana Corp.

L. Brooks Patterson
Honorary doctorate of humane letters, 2006
Oakland County executive (fifth term)

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE COLLEGE

Mike Sawruk
B.S., 1972
President, Sawruk Management Inc.

LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY LAWRENCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)

Steven A. Ballmer
Participated in Lawrence Tech’s Summer Science Institute, ca. 1973 and earned a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Harvard University CEO, Microsoft Corp.

John DeLorean*
B.S., 1948
Former GM executive who created the first “muscle car”
*Deceased (2005)

Ronald Knockeart
B.S., 1963
Inventor of the laser bar-code scanner; pioneered keyless-entry door locks on cars

A. Alfred Taubman
Studied architecture, ca. 1943; did not graduate
Industrialist, philanthropist, former chairman, Taubman Centers Inc., in Bloomfield Hills

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Thomas H. Bailey
B.A., 1961
Founder, Janus Capital Group

Eli Broad
B.A., B.S., 1954
Philanthropist, billionaire; formerly of SunAmerica, AIG; is supporting financial review of Detroit Public Schools

Dan Gilbert
B.B.A., 1982
Founder and Chairman, Quicken Loans (Livonia); majority owner, Cleveland Cavaliers; major investor of ePrize (Pleasant Ridge)

Drayton McLane Jr.
M.B.A., 1959
Chairman, CEO of Houston Astros

M. Peter McPherson
B.A., 1963
Board member, Dow Jones Co.; former president, Michigan State University (1993-2004)

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY

Kanwal Rekhi
M.S., 1969; honorary doctorate, 1997
Silicon Valley entrepreneur; founded Excelan (now Novell) in 1982, a manufacturer of smart Ethernet cards

Richard “Dick” J. Robbins
B.S., 1956
Produced the tunnel-boring machines that bore the English Channel

Donald G. Saari
B.S., 1962
Author and expert in voting methods, lottery odds, and gaming theories

NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Howard Schultz
B.A., 1975
Chairman and CEO, Starbucks

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

Regina Carter
B.A., 1985
Renowned jazz violinist Gordon R. England Honorary doctorate of science, 2003
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush

James Norrod
B.S., 1974
President and CEO, Segway Inc.

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY

Scott Barnett
B.S., 1994
Math instructor at Henry Ford Community College; memorized the first 10,000 digits of pi.

Elmore “Dutch” Leonard
B.A., 1950
Renowned novelist and screenwriter (Get Shorty, Be Cool, The Big Bounce)

Greg Mathis
J.D., 1987
Star of syndicated television show Judge Mathis

L. Brooks Patterson
B.S., 1961;
J.D., 1967
Oakland County executive (fifth term)

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Henry W. Bloch
B.S., 1944
Co-founder, former CEO, H&R Block

Larry Brilliant
M.S., 1977
Former director
of philanthropic foundation
Google.org; oversees Skoll Urgent Threats Fund

Jim Buckmaster
Studied medicine in the mid-1990s
CEO, CraigslistWilliam Davidson*
B.A., B.S. 1944
Former chairman of Guardian Industries; owner of Detroit Pistons; chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment
*Deceased (2009)John DeLorean*
MBA, 1957
Former GM executive who created the first “muscle car”
*Deceased (2005)Bill Joy
B.S., 1975
Co-founder and chief scientist, Sun Microsystems

John W. Madigan
B.A., 1958;
M.B.A., 1959
Retired chairman and CEO of the Tribune Co.

Charlie Munger
Student, 1940s
Vice chairman, Berkshire Hathaway Corp.

Kevin O’Connor
B.S., 1983 Co-founder, DoubleClick.com

Larry Page
B.S., 1995
Co-founder, Google Inc.; served as executive co-producer of Broken Arrows

Stephen M. Ross
B.S., 1962
Chairman and CEO, The Related Cos.; co-owner, Miami Dolphins;
donated more than $100 million to
U-M and recently dedicated the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

WALSH COLLEGE

Ron Campbell
M.S. in finance, 1990
President, Tampa Bay Lightning

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

Scott Barnett
M.A., 1998
Math instructor at Henry Ford Community College; memorized the first 10,000 digits of pi.

Larry Brilliant
M.D., ca. 1970
Director of philanthropic foundation
Google.org

William Davidson*
J.D., 1949
Former chairman of Guardian Industries; owner of Detroit Pistons; chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment
*Deceased (2009)

Dan Gilbert
J.D., ca. 1985
Founder, Quicken Loans; majority owner, Cleveland Cavaliers

David M. Overton
B.S., 1967
Founder, Cheesecake Factory Inc.

Stephen M. Ross
J.D., 1965
Chairman and CEO, The Related Cos.; co-owner, Miami Dolphins

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Alec Gores
B.A., B.S. ca. 1975
Founder, chairman, and CEO of The Gores Group, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm

John O. Hallquist
B.S., 1970
Founder and president of Livermore Software Technology Corp.

Richard Haworth
B.B.A., 1964
Chairman of Holland, Mich., office furniture and architectural firm Haworth Inc.

Dennis M. Nally
B.B.A., 1974
Chairman and senior partner, Pricewater-houseCoopers LLP
Homer Stryker*
Teaching certificate, 1916
Founder of medical supply company Stryker Corp.
*Deceased (1980)