By Alexa Cheaney
As part of the ongoing search for a new Provost, the Grand Rapids Community College Faculty Association hosted its second candidate, Dr. Micheal Pullin on Wednesday, March 20. In an hour-long forum, Pullin shared his definition of what a community college is, answered structured questions provided by the Faculty Association and responded to several audience questions.
Pullin began his presentation by providing some background of both his professional and his personal life.
“In my childhood, my grandfather, father, uncles, all worked in the steel mills and auto plants,” said Pullin. “My father worked for the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the press room printing newspapers every night. So as I was growing up in the 1980s, you know, that industry kind of fell apart in Cleveland as it did everywhere else in the northeast and midwest, and so my parents, you know, really impressed upon my sister and I that we needed to go to college.”
Pullin went on to become a first-generation college student, and received his first degree from Case Western Reserve while majoring in chemistry. He went on to get his master’s and doctorate in chemistry from Kent State University. Pullin also spent time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after being awarded a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research in environmental chemistry.
Later in his career, Pullin began teaching as an associate professor at four-year research institution, New Mexico Tech, before eventually earning tenure and becoming chairperson of the chemistry department. In 2018, after spending four years as the Associate Dean of Science at Broward College, Pullin became the Dean of Academic Initiatives at Queensborough Community College.
It was during his time at New Mexico Tech that Pullin got more acquainted with two-year colleges, as some community college students would participate in their summer undergraduate research programs.
“Initially a lot of the faculty were worried that two-year college students really wouldn’t be ready for the kind of research experiences we would normally give our juniors and seniors who were at the school,” Pullin said. “We found that it wasn’t true at all… But as long as we worked with them and gave them, you know, materials to read and things to work on, bring themselves up to speed, the students did fantastically. It was a real education for all of us on, you know, the amazing students who are at two-year institutions and the amazing potential that they have, but I think often goes untapped.”
Looking back at his experience at New Mexico Tech, Pullin regards this as his most rewarding experience, which is why he wanted to move to a two-year college, or a smaller four-year university, when looking for administrative roles.
After providing a brief history of community colleges, Pullin says that today community colleges aim to prepare students to transfer, or get into a career-focused program that sets them up to get a job after earning an associate’s degree.
According to Pullin, community colleges also have the mission of adult and community education, as well as the benefit of open admissions and lower costs. He also mentioned the relationship between K-12 schools and community colleges, allowing students to earn college credits before getting their diplomas. Pullin also mentioned the focus on workforce development and increasing graduation rates.
When asked to pick out two or three factors that are impacting the world and how they relate to how he would serve as provost, Pullin picked out one: inequity in American society.
“I think everybody would agree that we would like to see everybody doing equally well in American society, ” said Pullin. “That’s the promise of America, that you can make it if you work hard enough, and for many folks, that’s just simply not the case.”
Pullin believes that it’s going to be the poorer parts of society that get hit the hardest by big-ticket issues such as climate change and disease.
“You know, the future of community colleges should be, I think, to serve as drivers of more equity in our society,” Pullin said. “We can improve the agency and economic mobility of all of our students and contribute that way to really a better country, a better society, a better region.”
Faculty Association President Frank Conner then asked five questions about how Pullin would serve as the Provost before moving into questions from the audience.
During this Q&A session, Pullin was asked why he wants to be the Provost of GRCC.
“You know, I think that GRCC has a lot of things in place that indicate that it’s a well-managed, forward-looking institution,” Pullin said. “… I’m looking for an institution that’s got a lot going for it already, and we’ve got a new, energetic president, very well-qualified, and that’s also a great sign. It seems like you’re poised to grow a lot and become not just excellent, but outstanding.
And that’s something that really attracts me.”
When asked how the relationship should be between the provost and the student body, Pullin explained that while the position can be filled with administrative duties, the provost must spend time meeting with students and hearing their needs.
“You know, you can hide in your office all day as provost and you’re always very busy, but I think you have to make time to meet with students,” Pullin said. “That can be one-on-one with student leadership or with concerned students.”
The third and final candidate, Vice President of Academic Success at Northwest Vista College Daniel Powell, will be presenting later today, on March 21 at 3 p.m. in the auditorium room 168 of the ATC.
If you would like to send feedback throughout the process, you may send it to provost@grcc.edu.
Editor-in-Chief Blace Carpenter contributed to this story.
