Officials hopeful about 2 new EMU regents

News Staff Reporter

Two local men will become the first Eastern Michigan University regents to be appointed by a Democratic governor in at least 14 years.

Roy E. Wilbanks of Ypsilanti and Thomas W. Sidlik of Ann Arbor were appointed Thursday to eight-year terms by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

The men, who will replace Regents Michael Morris and Rosalind E. Griffin when their terms end Dec. 31, are Granholm's first appointees to the board since taking office. All current board members were appointed by former Gov. John Engler, a Republican.

Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Thursday the governor sought candidates who want to hold the line on tuition.

"We don't want to be balancing budgets on the backs of students or their parents," Boyd said. "And we don't want to price working-class students out of the middle-class dream (of attending college)."

She would not say how many candidates the governor considered for the positions, which are unpaid.

Wilbanks, 62, spent 18 years working for Eastern Michigan. He retired in 2000 after serving as president and CEO of the EMU Foundation, the school's fund-raising arm. He started as board secretary and eventually became executive vice president of university relations, lobbying for the school in Lansing and Washington.

He also served as EMU's

interim president in the late 1980s, served on the Ypsilanti Township board, and was a teacher, coach and principal in the Ypsilanti Public Schools.

"I was delighted to be appointed, and have certainly spent a lot of time at Eastern Michigan University as well as Ypsilanti," Wilbanks said. "Hopefully, I can bring a new dimension to the Board of Regents."

Sidlik, 55, is a member of the management board of DaimlerChrysler, where he is responsible for global procurement and supply. He could not be reached for comment.

Wilbanks said it's a very difficult time to come on board, with the shrinking revenues from the state and the increased dependence on student tuition, as well as the controversy surrounding the building of the $5.1 million president's house and the subsequent departure of President Samuel Kirkpatrick.

"Hopefully the Board of Regents can help build some bridges back to Lansing, mend some fences, and get Eastern going on the right track," he said.

He said the fallout from the president's house was costly to EMU in ways beyond financial.

"Personally, I think it was wrong, but it's a done deal, and we have to find a way to move on past it," Wilbanks said. "But I think we also have to recognize that it damaged our credibility in many arenas and we need to try to take care of that. We do not stand in good stead as well as we used to at the university."

Wilbanks has been married for 12 years to Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president of government relations at the University of Michigan.

Sidlik graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree with honors in economics and finance, then received a Master's of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago. He started his career with the Ford Motor Co., and joined Chrysler in 1980.

According to the DaimlerChrysler Web site, Sidlik is vice chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and chairs the Council's Executive Committee. He is also executive sponsor of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and a member of the Board of Overseers at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

A DaimlerChrysler employee said today that Sidlik spends a lot of time traveling to Germany.

EMU Interim President Craig Willis said he thinks more points of view will be added to the board now that it has a mix of Republicans and Democrats.

"I know from my four months here, we have dedicated, committed individuals very interested in the health and welfare of Eastern Michigan, and I'm just assuming the two new gentlemen will, also," Willis said. "In my previous 22 years as president, I've worked with Republicans and Democrats on boards together and it always worked well. I think it will here, too. I'm an optimist."

EMU's faculty union in July called for the removal of Philip Incarnati, chairman of the Board of Trustees. Told of the new appointees Thursday night, Jim VandenBosch, vice president of the EMU AAUP, said that while new regents are a good thing, he is still convinced Incarnati should go.

State Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick, D-Ypsilanti Township, who at one point had called for removal of the entire board, hopes the new voices will make a difference. "Obviously, I would liked to have seen a larger change on the board, but that just wasn't in the cards," she said.

Jamnick said she's confident in Granholm's choices, and hopes the board will now become more sensitive to and build better relations with Ypsilanti, the township and all of Washtenaw County.

Boyd said the candidates were asked how they perceived their role on the board, about budget issues and their views on diversity, and whether they embrace the values of inclusion that Granholm seeks in debating issues.

Staff reporter Geoff Larcom contributed to this story.

Jo Mathis can be reached at jmathis@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6849.

© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission