3377 Eastdale Drive
Flint, MI 48506
February 9, 2013
Dear Selection Committee:
I am writing to indicate my strong interest in becoming your next Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. I have extensive curriculum experience, a solid background in the best, most current practices in
data-driven instruction and assessment, and I have played an instrumental role in leading and developing staff
and student proficiency through both the my institution’s Advisory Curriculum Council and the NCA Accreditation
process. I have relevant experience, a solid record of achievement, and the necessary personal and
professional qualities to do an excellent job. Most significantly, I will be the instructional leader and academic
visionary you need to move forward. For these reasons, I would like to bring my knowledge, commitment, and
proven track record to you.
My diverse experiences give me a comprehensive understanding of the community college mission. First, I
bring a diverse education background in addition to my considerable curriculum capabilities; I have taught for 4
years (2-year FTE) at Saginaw Valley State University in addition to my 12 years at Davison High School.
During my tenure at SVSU, I have taught lower-division undergraduate United States Government and
International Relations in the Political Science department. I have been a finalist two consecutive years for the
Mary H. Anderson Excellence in Teaching Award. I am passionate about the teaching mission and I will recruit
and develop master instructors that will reach your student population. As a former dual enrollment transfer
student, I also understand and appreciate the mission of a community college from that perspective, and I will
work to ensure extended opportunities for local students and promote dual enrollment, which benefits everyone
involved. As a “hybrid” secondary and post-secondary instructor, I also have a strong understanding of both
the skills and deficiencies your students are likely to possess as they enter and also understand the challenges
students will face, should they choose to go on to a four-year institution.
At Davison High School, I have impressive accomplishments in a variety of areas. I have gained in-depth
experience in curriculum by serving on the district’s Advisory Curriculum Committee for nine years. In this
capacity, I have been responsible for reviewing proposed curriculum changes, approving textbook and
instructional technology purchases, and fairly distributing a $400,000 budget. ACC has also begun a new
initiative of transitioning our district to an Understanding by Design/Differentiated Instruction model, which
offers huge promise for community college students as well. When Davison’s Alternative Education High School
switched from a semester schedule to a credit-recovery trimester schedule, I streamlined the procedure of
curriculum approval while still ensuring maximum accountability.
I have also personally been an active participant in engineering curriculum. Most AP Government courses are
one year long and only include American Government, but my students accomplish the curriculum for both
United States and Comparative Government in one year and earn 8 college credits instead of 4. Over the past 9
years, 90% of my students passed the U.S. Government examination and 85% passed Comparative Politics; the
national passing average for each is a mere 51 percent. In addition, in 2001, I designed a single semester
regular-level Economics course for Davison to meet state HSCEs. Several Economics students even passed the
AP examinations in Macro- and Microeconomics, which I consider a strong validation of my curriculum. In fact,
when Michigan state standards finally emerged for Economics in 2009, the course I designed already exceeded
them by a considerable amount. Finally, I constructed a Current Issues course tied to Michigan Social Studies
HSCEs as a catch-all remediation for Davison students that had failed the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) as juniors
and were afforded a retake. Overall, 98% of these students passed the MME on their second try.
From 2003 to 2007, I served as the chairperson for Davison High School’s NCA School Improvement Committee
on Critical Thinking. My committee strongly documented student achievement and exceeded the goals of the
Visiting Team, on-time and on-budget. I displayed skill in placing my team members in roles where they would
enjoy the most success and contribute to the team. I also served as Writing Committee chair until my
promotion in 2009 to High School NCA Chairman.
As NCA/AdvancEd Chair, I have pursued an aggressive agenda, with goals in Mathematics, Reading and Writing
Across the Curriculum, and Building Climate. I am spearheading our building’s response to serving an everexpanding population of Economically Disadvantaged and Special Needs students and working to expand
diagnostic use of EPAS results. I was also chosen to coordinate the creation of a Response to Intervention (RtI)
program at Davison High School. I have selected a team and pursued a strategy to fast-track RtI adoption,
always being careful to elicit staff input. I am a strong believer in the concept of shared leadership. I have
been instrumental in coordinating Davison’s accreditation at both the building and district level. Finally, I have
also served as an NCA Review team member, to gain an even better understanding of the process. I was a
member of a team that evaluated another school, examined evidence, and applied NCA standards before
granting accreditation. I feel these areas make me well-positioned to assume an even broader leadership
position and be a valuable accreditation liaison. NCA’s secondary “seven standards” were recently condensed to
correspond to HLC’s “five standards,” and I believe I would be helpful in pinpointing and assembling evidence
for the visiting team, ensuring further accreditation.
My leadership training has been strong. In the 2010-2011 academic year, I completed the Greater Flint
Educational Consortium’s Administrative Leadership Academy, which included training in management, human
resources and instructor evaluation, school finance, educational law, and best practices in
curriculum/instruction. In addition, as both a School Improvement and Accreditation Chairman and RtI
coordinator, I have had the challenge of working with my team members to achieve a common goal. The
success I have achieved is even more remarkable when you consider that, in this role, I had no direct authority
to discipline staff. I had to work with both central administration and the teaching staff, often two diametrically
opposed groups, to find compromises that worked for all stakeholders. I do not believe there is a more
effective training ground for an administrator than a situation where you are tasked with all the responsibilities,
without the formal authority to discipline. It challenges you to develop unique responses to challenges and
shapes your character, since any trust you engender must be earned. I believe the necessary prerequisites to
successful leadership stem from the reputation you earn, the building of quality relationships, and the fairness
you demonstrate every day on the job. In a role where I can exercise discretion, I will develop quality
instructors and motivate them to excel.
I am effective at combining my knowledge of curriculum, assessment, and technology to clearly communicate
expectations. I also committed to--and practice daily--Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design,
Professional Learning Communities, Formative and Summative Assessment, OnCourse Principles, and
Standards-Based Grading. At a community college, where retention is a major issue, incorporating these
principles into classroom instruction becomes paramount. I have received training in Remark OMR, a much
more cost effective alternative of assessing students, which fits my nature as a budget hawk and as an early
adopter for various forms of instructional technology. I am confident that I can provide quality professional
development for faculty in all these areas, eliminating the need and expense for outside consultants.
I look forward to helping you lead Ivy Tech Community College to even greater success by ensuring each
student a quality education.
Sincerely yours,
Michael R. Baysdell