School of Health Sciences - Richard W. McDowell
1997 Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. McDowell began his professional career after earning a doctorate from Purdue University. He accepted a teaching position at Community College of Allegheny County in suburban Pittsburgh, and was appointed to positions of increasing responsibility, including executive dean and vice president. In 1981, he became president of Schoolcraft College, a community college in Livonia, Michigan, that enrolls nearly 30,000 students in all programs and is recognized by area employees and four-year colleges and universities for its quality programs. Students enjoy the positive learning environment and graduates go on to successful careers.

Dr. McDowell's emphasis at Schoolcraft has been on continuous improvement of the college through a strategic planning process. Improvements have been made in the areas of academic program quality, student success, outreach to the community, special programs for women, partnerships with the public schools, staff and student diversity, partnerships with businesses, cultural programs for the community, and fundraising.

Dr. McDowell believes that community colleges should be the prime providers of job training programs. Through interactions with state legislators, he created the first Business Development Center to be housed at a community college. The center at Schoolcraft provides customized training for over 400 companies and has helped area business receive over $800 million in procurement contracts. The Microsoft corporation has designated the college as a "Center of Excellence" to provide advanced technical training on their software.

He also created a development authority to lease college land, and used the resulting revenue to match state funds for construction of a $7.8 million student services/classroom center. To recognize Dr. McDowell's hard work, leadership, and commitment to Schoolcraft, the board of trustees unanimously dedicated the building in his honor. Over 500 community members attended the dedication of the McDowell Center.

Dr. McDowell has been appointed by the governor of Michigan to serve on the Michigan Education Trust Board to oversee one of the first prepaid college tuition programs in the country.

Selected as one of the top 50 community college presidents in the country (by a peer nomination process of the University of Texas leadership program from among 1,250 community colleges), Dr. McDowell was presented the leadership award by Tom Peters in San Francisco. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee for Community College Leadership at the University of Michigan, the Datatel Scholars Foundation Board of Directors, and the American Association of Community Colleges. He has taught graduate classes at the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and the University of Texas, where he was a visiting scholar.

Dr. McDowell and his wife, Ann, have three daughters - Susan, Kathy, and Karen.