University of Michigan President Emeritus James J. Duderstadt, who devoted his academic career to an institution he shaped with his zeal for technology, innovation and equality, died Aug. 21 at age 81.
Duderstadt also held the title of University Professor of Science and Engineering, and was a former provost and dean of the College of Engineering.
Known as ”The Dude” to students and alumni, Duderstadt was the university’s 11th president from 1988-96 before stepping down to lead the Millennium Project, a research center focusing on the impact of societal, economic and technological changes on universities.
The Millennium Project is located on North Campus in the James and Anne Duderstadt Center, which was named in the Duderstadts’ honor in 2003. He also co-founded and, in its early years, co-directed U-M’s program in Science, Technology and Public Policy, and chaired the Michigan Energy Research Council coordinating energy research on the Ann Arbor campus.
“My interest has always been in building things — theories, projects. If you’re interested in building things, you eventually get interested in building organizations,” Duderstadt told an Ann Arbor News reporter in 1985.
His skill in leading one of the world’s great research universities was rooted in a simple Midwestern upbringing. Duderstadt was born Dec. 5, 1942, in Fort Madison, Iowa, and was raised in the small, German farming community of Carrollton, Missouri, where he was an all-A’s student, played varsity football, basketball and baseball, and was a member of the track team.
Duderstadt, 6 feet 4 inches tall and trimly built, played football in his freshman and sophomore years at Yale University, from which he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering in 1964. That same year, he married his high school sweetheart, Anne Marie Lock. Duderstadt always credited his wife as a strong partner during his tenure as president.
He earned two degrees from the California Institute of Technology: a Master of Science in engineering science in 1965 and Ph.D. in engineering science and physics in 1967. He also was an Atomic Energy Commission Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech before joining the U-M faculty in 1969.
“James Duderstadt was a visionary, but even more, a trained engineer with the inspiration and energy to shape those visions into realities for the transformation and elevation of this university,” President Santa J. Ono said.
“He leaves behind a profound and lasting legacy, and we will always be grateful for his vision, his commitment and his transformative impact on the University of Michigan.”
Duderstadt received the College of Engineering’s Nuclear Engineering Teacher of the Year Award in 1969 and the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1980. His teaching and research interests were vast, and included diverse applications of physics and mathematics, nuclear systems, science policy, information technology, higher education policy and engineering education.
As College of Engineering dean, he oversaw an investment of approximately $70 million in new construction for facilities that allowed the college to fully establish itself on North Campus. Appointed in 1981, he was the youngest dean in CoE history and served until 1986.
Duderstadt, who was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in 1986, was decisive and believed that educated people could build and control their own futures. He outlined a strategic planning process that challenged the university community to anticipate the needs for higher education in the 21st century and map a strategy for meeting those needs. He predicted the future would be dominated by three crucial elements: knowledge, globalization and pluralism.
As president, he sought to strengthen U-M’s academic programs, diversify its student body and faculty, build strong private and federal support, rebuild facilities on U-M campuses and strengthen its leadership role in higher education.
Duderstadt demonstrated an unwavering commitment to diversity and equality in higher education. In his first State of the University address, he declared, “If we do not create a nation that mobilizes the talents of all of our citizens, we are destined for a diminished role in the global community, increased social turbulence, and we will, most tragically, have failed to fulfill the promise of democracy on which this nation was founded.”
He launched the Michigan Mandate, a strategic plan to make U-M a leader in building a multicultural community. The university more than doubled its number of students of color, from 11% to 25%; increased retention of students of color; doubled the number of underrepresented assistant professors of color promoted to the rank of associate professor; and nearly doubled the number of faculty of color in academic leadership and administrative positions.
Duderstadt, the father of two daughters, also strengthened U-M’s commitment to gender equity with the Michigan Agenda for Women, a plan to promote the success of women students and employees of diverse backgrounds.
In 1996, U-M became the first public university to raise $1 billion in a fundraising campaign and the first to earn Wall Street’s Aa1 credit rating. Private giving nearly tripled during his administration, and the university’s endowment grew from $250 million to more than $1.6 billion, at the time the fourth-largest for a public university system.
A champion of technology and innovation, Duderstadt entertained visitors with real-time views of various campus construction projects from his second-floor office in the Fleming Administration Building at a time when webcams were a novelty. By the end of his presidency, U-M was close to completing a massive program to rebuild, renovate and update all its campus buildings, a $1.5 billion effort.
During his career, Duderstadt received many awards and honorary degrees for his research, teaching, and service activities. They include the E. O. Lawrence Award for excellence in nuclear research, the Arthur Holly Compton Prize for outstanding teaching, the National Medal of Technology for exemplary service to the nation, and the Vannevar Bush Award for lifelong contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service activities in science, technology, and public policy.
He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Science, Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi.
He chaired or served on several national study commissions examining federal science policy, higher education, information technology and energy sciences. These include the National Science Board; committees of the National Academies; the National Commission on the Future of Higher Education and the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee of the Department of Energy
He also served on the boards of the Big Ten Athletic Conference, U-M Hospitals, Unisys and CMS Energy; chaired the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the National Research Council; co-directed the Glion Colloquium; was a nonresident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution; and chaired the board of directors of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Nuclear Energy Innovation Hub.
A prolific writer, Duderstadt authored 23 books, including “Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University, A University President’s Perspective,” which won the University Press Book Award in 2002.
Raising concerns about the dangers that college sports programs pose to higher education, he wrote: “Big-time college sports have threatened the integrity and reputation of our universities, exposing us to the hypocrisy, corruption, and scandal that all too frequently accompany activities driven primarily by commercial value and public visibility.”
Duderstadt offered controversial suggestions for reform, including eliminating athletic scholarships, reducing coaches’ salaries and limiting the length of sports schedules.
Duderstadt is survived by his wife, Anne; daughters Susan Kay (John Iskander) of Atlanta, and Katherine Anne (Nathan Schwadron) of Newton, Massachusetts; and grandchildren Eleanor Aida Iskander, Jonas Luca Iskander, Marina Anne Schwadron and Jane Maria Schwadron.
(Correction: This article has been amended to correct James Duderstadt’s affiliation with U-M’s program in Science, Technology and Public Policy.)
Pinaki Mazumder
Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of our Emeritus President James Duderstad, who is widely respected for his immense contributitions to the University of Michigan and the Engineering community at large. I had the distinct pleasure and privilege to interact with him a few times seeking his advice on some administrative matters. My homage to him and condolences to his family members.
Keith Cooley
I still remember meeting him in the late 60’s … walking across North Campus on a hot summer day … and this newly minted engineering professor reached out to a young black underclassman to introduce himself and ask how I was.
All through our friendship he let me call him “Jimmie” … and I am completely heartbroken at his lost.
Prayers and heartfelt thoughts to Anne.
Anastassios Perakis
Very saddened to hear this, although I was not surprised, having heard of Jim’s recent health problems. My sincere condolences to Ann and his daughters, I hope they are all well.
Jim was our Dean of Engineering at only 39 when I joined the UM at just turned 29 myself, and he was an excellent Dean, especially for the new Faculty he was able to hire from the US”s top Engineering Schools. He was a excellent team with his Associate Dean the late Chuck Vest, who later became President of MIT and the US Academy of Engineering. Jim and Chuck were instrumental in what I call the “Golden Age” of my over 40 years in the UM community as a faculty and now emeritus faculty. I wish our new Dean of Engineering that she is as successful as Jim was!
Edie Goldenberg
Jim was President when I was selected to be the first female Dean of LSA. We worked closely together for years. Jim was far ahead of the times in his dedication to improving undergraduate education, recruiting women and underrepresented minorities to the faculty and to leadership positions at UM, and to enlarging our international footprint. With his help we established the International Institute, the Institute on Women and Gender Studies, and many other programs such as UROP and the First-Year Seminar Program.
Jim and I didn’t always see eye to eye, such as when he questioned why we were teaching some areas of literature or when he doubted we should strengthen access to international observatories for Astronomy. We sometimes argued, but neither of us ever took it personally, and we taught together for a number of years after we both stepped down. Jim always had my back. He was, and Anne is, deeply dedicated to UM and to LSA’s mission.
I too want to express my condolences to his family for their loss. I’ll miss him a great deal.
Frederick Mayer
In Memory of James Duderstadt
James Duderstadt was one of the outstanding individuals to have served the University of Michigan as a faculty member, Dean, Provost, and President. As the University Planner it was my privilege to work with him at each of these different levels, and with each of these interactions my respect for his intelligence, diligence, enthusiasm, and integrity grew stronger and stronger. As President his impact on the physical character of the campus was greater than any president since Marion Burton in the early 1920s. Projects carried out during Duderstadt’s presidency had a profound and lasting impact on the fundamental character of each of the major campus areas. For example, on Central Campus three major projects (the completion of the Ingalls Mall, the Diag renovation, and the East University Mall) tied the overall campus together into an attractive, harmonious, unified, and environmentally responsible entity. On North Campus, the projects from the Duderstadt years (the EECS building, the Engineering Center, the Lurie Bell Tower, and the Duderstadt Center) established the fundamental character of the academic core. Of course, Jim’s accomplishments go far beyond the area of physical development, but that is the realm in which he and I interacted, and that is where I experienced and benefited from his wise and strong leadership. After my retirement we continued to interact, and he played a major role in assuring the publication of my books on the history of the planning and development of the Michigan Campus. He cared very much about the people with whom he interacted. He
Jim was an outstanding professional, an inspirational leader, a prolific writer, a broad-minded man, and a good friend. He always responded to other people’s needs and requests and took the problems of other people as his own and helped to resolve them.
His passing is a great loss, and we will always remember him.
We send our sincere condolences to Anne and the family.
Frederick and Nina Mayer
Erdogan Gulari
This is very sad news. Jim was the architect of today’s College of Engineering. Rescuing the College from the depths of neglect by the University administration and the previous dean. He convinced the State of Michigan about the importance of having an outstanding engineering college to the state’s economy and got an $10M/yr dedicated Engineering Excellence fund which was necessary to hire all the new faculty ( about 150)during the first decade. As a provost he was also instrumental in rejuvenating the physical science departments of the university. As a second year assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at the beginning and later as the associate dean of the College for seven years, I benefitted greatly from Jim’s mentorship and the example he and Chuck Vest set as academic leaders. I will always remember him. My condolences to Anne and the rest of his family. RIP Jim
Susan Fancy
I was so sad to hear of his passing. I was leading U-M’s first Solar Car Team in 1989-1990 as a mechanical engineering student, and Jim was very kind about showing up when I asked him to, to introduce the car and the team to the public. We won an American solar car race, and he called me on the finish line (somehow he got through to GM, who sponsored the race, they had a cellphone that could have fit into a shoebox, early days back then) to say congratulations. I will never forget that moment, it was so kind and I really appreciated it. After corporate life, I returned to U-M as staff in 2014 and we got together a number of times to brainstorm key concepts about the Energy Transition. He had enough dynamic energy and thinking capacity for numerous people, what an amazing man. A gifted leader, he got U-M through some hard stuff. The world is dimmer with him gone. Anne and his daughters have been in my thoughts and prayers, this must be really tough.