Mark Schlissel is past President of the University of Michigan. He was honored with the title of 14th President of the University on July 1, 2014, after the position became vacant with the departure of Mary Sue Coleman. Initially, Mark was under contract to the university for at least five years. He was later awarded another five-year contract, due in 2024. He planned to step down from the position in 2023, but on January 15, 2022, he was relieved or fired from his most recent position as President of the University of Michigan. This action was taken in the proximate cause of the “improper relationship with university staff.” He is the only president of the university that the faculty senate has successfully passed a motion of no confidence in.
Early life
Mark Schlissel was born on November 24, 1957 and will be 65 years old in 2022. Mark spent the first day of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York, in a traditional Jewish family. He received his degree from Madison Central High School and was later inducted into the Wall of Fame in 2017.
Mark is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology. He has also received a professorship in internal medicine from the University of Michigan Health Systems and a professorship in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
The professor and former president of the University of Michigan received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Princeton University in 1979. He later received his MD degree and Ph.D. in physiological chemistry from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1986. He also completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1986 to 1988. He also received a postdoctoral research fellowship under the supervision of David Baltimore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mark Schlissel Career
He became a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1991 and later joined the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC Berkeley in 1999. He joined the college as an associate professor and became a full-time professor in 2002. At UC Berkeley, Mark served as Dean of Life Sciences from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 he became a provost at Brown University. Under the presidency of Mark Schlissel, the University of Michigan’s tuition rates rose to the highest of any American public university.
Mark’s career began with controversy when he was running for president at the University of Michigan. In 2018, an associate professor of American culture named John Cheney-Lippold declined to write a letter of recommendation for a student seeking admission abroad in Israel, citing human rights and support for the BDS movement. In response, the assistant professor was placed on probation, with his pay cut and subsequent furlough removed as part of the punishment. At the time, the university and Mark Schlissel’s policies were criticized, citing his discipline, his breach of speech and the right to boycott or professional independence.
Mark Schlissel biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Mark Steven Schlissel |
| date of birth | Nov. 24, 1957 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 64 years |
| place of birth | Brooklyn, NY, USA |
| nationality | American |
| job | President of the University of Michigan |
| religion | Jewish |
| sun sign | protect |
Physical Statistics | |
| height | in feet inches – 5′ 9” – in centimeters – 175 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 88kg – in pounds – 194 pounds |
| shoe size | 10 (US) |
| Hair color | dark brown |
| eye color | dark brown |
| body type | average |
Mark Schlissel Family | |
| father | Edmund Schlink |
| mother | Marian Canon Schlesinger |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | William Schlink |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | Madison Central High School |
| University | Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University |
Relationship status | |
| marital status | Married |
| Who is Mark Schlissel’s wife? | Monica Schweb |
| children | Madeline Key |
Controversies
Mark was embroiled in a conflict with an activist over support for continued university investment in the oil and gas industry. In this regard, a student meeting was to be organized in Mark Schlissel’s office the evening after the event of the global climate strike, demanding a one-hour meeting with Mark Schlissel. Mark continued to oppose the meeting, and the University of Michigan Police Department was called in by an unknown administrative source. Following the threats, many students were arrested and subsequently charged with trespassing on university campuses.
The third incident occurred on December 8, 2021, where it was cited that Mark was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a university employee. After an investigation, authorities learned that Mark was involved in an email communication using a university email account with this subordinate. It was later deemed incompatible with the dignity and prestige of the university. In connection with this, on January 15, 2022, Mark was fired from the office of President of the University of Michigan by the University Board.
Personal life
Mark is married to his loving and beautiful wife named Monica Schwebs. She works as an environmental and energy advocate. The couple share four children who are now grown.
Mark Schlissel Net Worth
According to reports or prior to the end of Mark Schlissel’s presidential position at the University of Michigan, Mark earned a combined annual salary of $927,000. As of January 2022, his estimated net worth is estimated to be around $1.65 million.