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Trustee and alumnus Archer named Harvard Fellow

Aug. 26, 2010

KALAMAZOO--Dennis W. Archer, Western Michigan University trustee and alumnus, is one of six high-profile international leaders who have been selected to serve as resident fellows this fall at Harvard University's Institute of Politics.

Archer, who is a 1965 WMU alumnus, is the former mayor of Detroit, former president of the National League of Cities and past president of the American Bar Association. In his role at Harvard, he will interact with students, participate in the intellectual life of the Harvard community and lead weekly study groups on a range of topics.

Fellows are charged with helping to encourage student interest in public life and increase interaction between the academic and political communities.

"Inspiring interactions with top public-sector leaders is a key reason student engagement in the field continues to grow," says Institute of Politics Director Bill Purcell. "This fellows class is an ideal group of leaders who can help turn interest in public service into a career and commitment to making a difference."

In addition to Archer, this fall's fellows are:

  • Susan Milligan, national political reporter for the Boston Globe.
  • Michele Pierre-Louis, prime minister of Haiti during 2008-09.
  • Ophir Pines-Paz, Israel's former minister of interior, former minister of science, culture and sport and a Knesset member.
  • Margaret Spellings, U.S. secretary of education during the George W. Bush administration.
  • John Timoney, former Miami, Fla., chief of police, Philadelphia, Pa., police commissioner, and New York City first deputy commissioner.

Archer served two four-year terms as mayor of the city of Detroit and was a Michigan Supreme Court Justice from 1986 to 1990. He is chairman emeritus of Dickinson Wright PLLC, a Detroit-based law firm with offices in Michigan and Washington, D.C.

Harvard University's Institute of Politics in located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, which was established in 1966 as a memorial to the late president. Its mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academicians, politicians, activists and policymakers on a nonpartisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics or public service.

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Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

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