Director’s Message
I have had the pleasure of meeting with a wide variety of school superintendents, principals, teachers and counselors from around the state. They often speak of the challenges they face keeping students focused on postsecondary education in these difficult economic times. Yet I have been uniformly impressed by their unwavering commitment to the growth and development of their students and to the idea that educational attainment empowers future success. I have also been pleased to learn how eager schools are to partner with Michigan in order to strengthen the pipeline between school and college attendance.
CEO is actively working to build upon these early contacts and to partner with schools to encourage students to strive for academic excellence. We have sponsored visits to campus, facilitated connections between schools and UM units, hosted students for a college preparation program, and visited high schools to promote academic achievement.
CEO has also assembled a highly capable staff to reach out to schools and community organizations and to develop programs that inspire students to achieve at their highest levels. Billy Joe Evans, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, is our first Faculty Associate and is engaged in promoting academic excellence with Inkster Public Schools. Our other new staff members include Assistant Director Amy Prevo, Program Manager Marie Ting, and Outreach Coordinator Helki Jackson, each of whom is actively involved in developing CEO programs and activities.
As the year progresses we expect to develop a range of programs and activities that will extend our reach and further the mutual goals of academic excellence and college attendance which we share with school personnel.
Dr. William Collins
William (Nick) Collins is currently Executive Director of the Center for Educational Outreach at the University of Michigan. From 1992–2008, he served as Director of the Comprehensive Studies Program and as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan as well. He has previously served as the Director of the Learning Skills Center at Cornell University and as Staff Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Collins earned his bachelor’s degree and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.