Detroit lawyer, entrepreneur aims to apply business sense to Board of Regents
Caitlin Schneider
Daily Staff ReporterOctober 21st, 2008
As Election Day approaches, Denise Ilitch, a candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Regents, is spending much of her time meeting with voters. The Democrat said she enjoys getting her message out and fielding questions — even when it means getting back to the basics.
“It’s by far the most often asked question: 'What does a regent do,” she said. “The second question I’m asked is, ‘Why are you doing this?' ”
As a lawyer, magazine publisher and jewelry designer, the pursuit of the role of a regent might seem like a departure from Ilitch's entrepreneurially oriented career. But she says the position would allow her to work on issues that matter to her.
“Most importantly, I’m a mom,” said Ilitch. “I have three young adults. I am very concerned about the rising cost of tuition and how it’s impacting our kids. I’d like to keep Michigan kids in Michigan and make education as affordable as possible.”
If elected, Ilitch said her main concern would be offsetting the rise in tuition costs by finding new revenue streams for the University, along with making University operations more efficient, cutting costs and fundraising.
Ilitch said she also wants to seek out business opportunities in growing technology industries and with the University's athletic teams.
Ilitch is a former president of Ilitch Holdings, the company that manages Little Caesar Enterprises, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers, and Olympia Entertainment. She says that role gave her experience in working with large organizations and large budgets comparable to those of a large public university.
Ilitch ran for a spot on the board two years ago, but dropped out of the race before her nomination was confirmed by the Michigan Democratic Party.
Ilitch has spent the most of the nine candidates running for two spots on the board. According to campaign finance reports, She's spent just over $35,000 on her campaign — about $12,500 more than the second highest spender, Republican John LaFond.
The Michigan Democratic Party endorsed Ilitch last month, along with incumbent regent, Democrat Larry Deitch.
MDP spokeswoman Liz Kerr said the support for Ilitch is largely due to her focus on keeping tuition rates down.
“It’s really important to us that we have regents in place that understand that we have to keep college affordable,” Kerr said. “We need people like her on the board continuing to make education affordable to Michigan students. She understands that this is key to economic development here in Michigan and turning our economy around.”
Ilitch’s campaign has been boosted by endorsements by several prominent union groups, including United Auto Workers, the University’s Lecturers’ Employee Organization, Michigan Professional Firefighters Union, Michigan Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and Michigan AFL-CIO.
Kirsten Herold, vice president of LEO, said the union endorsed Ilitch because of her concern with keeping education affordable and accessible for students of all economic levels and because of her knowledge of the union issues like job security, health care costs and wages.
“As an employer, she and her family have a very good track record of relations with the various unions in their workplaces,” Herold wrote in an e-mail. “She knows what it is like to work with unions towards a common goal.”
Ilitch said she also wants to focus on the University’s accessibility, increasing financial aid and finding ways to ease the burden of student loans post-graduation.
While her area of focus is helping students with their finances during their time in school, Ilitch said she also wants to aid them in the transition from college to career. If elected, she said she'd be interested in helping graduates find jobs in the state by partnering them with mentors or established organizations.
“Our economy is changing,” Ilitch said. “We’re moving from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. We’re at a really critical point where we have to continue to invest in education and invest in our kids in order to have a strong economy and be able to compete. To me, this is time well spent.”
Don Lee, chief marketing manager at Clark Hill PLC, a law firm in Detroit where Ilitch works, had high praise for her.
“She’s superwoman,” he said. In his time working with Ilitch, Lee said her skills as “a problem solver with a creative twist” have most impressed him.
Lee said the firm recruited Ilitch a few years ago because of her unique business perspective, her involvement with service projects and her connection to many different industries and people.
“The University would be lucky to have her in that role,” Lee said. “I believe she can really be a difference-maker. I trust her and I know that she works hard and is really passionate. When she gets involved, watch out.”
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:06:41 -0400