The the top administrator at one of our state's top univerisies will be sticking around awhile. The Univerisity of Michigan has announced that Mary Sue Coleman will serve as president for an additional two years beyond her current appointment, extending her contract through July 2014.

 The U-M Board of Regents unanimously approved the extension at its Thursday meeting. The two-year extension is effective July 31, 2012, when her second five-year contract was set to expire. Coleman was appointed to her first five-year term in 2002.

"I am excited and honored to continue serving the University of Michigan. As I have said many times, I have the best job in the world," Coleman said. "I deeply appreciate the board's confidence in extending the opportunity to lead this remarkable university. Together, we have made tremendous progress as an institution these past several years.  And we have done so in particularly challenging economic times."
 
"I am proud of the hard work, innovation and dedication of so many members of our community who believe in the university and the essential contributions we make in today's world. I want to continue that momentum," she said.

Coleman was named U-M's 13th president after serving as president of the University of Iowa for seven years. Her current current salary and benefits package will  remain in place. Annual salary increases will continue to be set at the discretion of the board.
 
"Throughout her service to the university, President Coleman has performed to extraordinarily high standards and has gained extraordinarily wide recognition for her excellence," Julia Donovan Darlow, chair of the regents, said in a release.

"We have seen many fine institutions falter during this period---an unsettling and uncertain time. President Coleman has kept our focus firmly on our mission, and we have achieved outstanding accomplishments on global, national and local levels. For the entire University community, she has preserved and strengthened our balance, our direction and our self- confidence,"  Donovan Darlow said.

Also, Thursday, U-M outlined a number goals for the next several years, including:

• Strengthening the university's core academic mission and enhancing its worldwide stature as a center for excellence in teaching and scholarship.
• Developing financial strategies to preserve and enhance the university's academic excellence, accessibility and affordability.
• Enhancing the campus life with improved facilities across campus, including student housing.
• Maximizing the university's reputation for quality and innovation in the global market.
• Developing plans for a new capital campaign.
• Creating a plan to develop strong candidates for leadership positions throughout the university.
• Strengthening the position and preserving the excellence of the University's Health Care System.

Under Coleman's leadership, the university launched "The Michigan Difference," a campaign to raise $2.5 billion for the future of the institution. At its conclusion in 2008, the campaign finale stood at $3,200,733,103 -- the most ever by a public university.

"As president, my job is to look forward---10, 20, 50 years forward---and build a strong future for the University of Michigan," Coleman said.

Read more about Coleman at this link.