After 30 years sevice in the United States Army:

Col. Michael Kelly returns to Norwich as new Commandant and VP for Student Affairs

NU '74 graduate takes command Aug. 1

By William Knox
Norwich Guidon Managing Editor

On Sunday, Mar. 31, Norwich University President Richard Schneider wrote and sent a letter to Michael B. Kelley, NU class of 1974, Ph.D., P.E. and Colonel, United States Army. The letter made official Kelley's appointment to the position of Commandant of Cadets and VP for Student Affairs at Norwich University, effective this summer.

While a student at Norwich in the university's Corps of Cadets, Kelley served as a Regimental Command Sgt. Major during his junior year, and the Regimental Commander while a senior.

Col. Kelley graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. Having attended Norwich on a four-year Army ROTC scholarship, he was commissioned upon graduation, but was granted a delay in entry in order to complete his master's degree at Purdue University.

In 1976, having received his master's in civil engineering, Col. Kelley entered service in the Army's Corps of Engineers and spent his first three years of active duty at Fort Hood, Tex., serving as a platoon leader, an executive officer, and an assistant S-3 in the in 17th Engineer Battalion, 2d Armored Division, according to the United States Military Academy (USMA) website. (www.dean.usma.edu/geo/Faculty&Staff/bio-kelley.htm)

In 1979, Col. Kelley received his Professional Engineer's license from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Upon completion of the Engineer Officer Advanced Course in 1980, the website says, Kelley was transferred to the Medical Service Corps as a Sanitary Engineer.

From Fort Hood, Kelley was transferred to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, where he was a project officer in the US Army's Environmental Hygiene Agency from 1980-83.

He then did his first tour as an instructor/assistant professor in the department of geography and computer science at the USMA from 1983-86, according to the website.

In 1987, Col. Kelley transferred again, this time to Wiesbaden, Germany, to serve in the 68th Medical Group, V Corps, as an S2/3, until his appointment as the commander of the 12th Evacuation Hospital, V Corps, in 1989, a position he filled until the following year.

In 1990, Kelley returned to Texas, this time serving at Fort Sam Houston as a Staff Officer at the USA Health Services Command until leaving the post in 1992.

From 1992 until 1995, the United States Army funded Kelley's doctoral work at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Environmental Engineering. Kelley was awarded his Ph.D.

In 1995 Kelley returned to the USMA, where he has served the remainder of his career.

While serving at the USMA, Kelley has taught several courses, including physical geography, intro to environmental engineering, hydrogeology, environmental systems analysis, advanced environmental process design, and (co-taught) meteorology and air pollution.

His research interests include water resources, water quality and water treatment.

Kelley said that he will be leaving the active service in early July, remaining on transitional leave until his accumulated leave expires on Oct. 1 and he officially retires from the United States Army.

Unlike his predecessor, Kelley's educational background does not include any social science training. Schneider dismisses this as a disadvantage.

"We've thoroughly researched his background, and his experience shows that he's a fabulous leader, too," Schneider said. "That's the most important thing for me: not so much what you study, but what you do with it. He's got 30 years experience in the Army, which is a lot of people skill training."

Schneider said that Kelley's background would most likely make him very appreciative of the heavy workload of the school's technical majors.

"I love the fact that he is a faculty member, also, along with being a military leader," Schneider said. "I think he will be able to forge relationships with our present faculty, because he is so well credentialed and regarded. He's well published."

Schneider said he has directed Kelley to focus on the founding principles of the university.

"I have instructed him to remember why Alden Partridge set up the Corps of Cadets was to provide a disciplined environment so that students would do well in school," Schneider said, adding that Kelley will be able to "build bridges" between faculty and students.

"He will understand the pressures of time, having been a faculty member," Schneider said. "He will be able to build bridges to our faculty, so we get everyone on line, supporting our Corps of Cadets, and have the Corps of Cadets support the academic mission of the institution."

Schneider said he jokes with Kelley that Kelley is Capt. Partridge reincarnate. Partridge was also a civil engineer.

"And he did a fabulous job starting our school," Schneider said. "He started it and was running it for years. So in my mind, Col. Kelley is the epitome of what Partridge had in mind."

Kelley's appointment comes at the end of a lengthy search process that began in November 2002 after the resignation of Col. Michael McKean.

"I must commend the search committee, made up of students, faculty and staff and led by Vice President David Whaley," Schneider said. "I thought they did a fabulous job. I've talked to a number of the search committee who thought it was a fabulous undertaking."

The search committee presented three names to President Schneider, which were their recommendations for the position of commandant and VP for student affairs. People they would "fully endorse and support."

All three candidates were then required to take a personality inventory, which was provided to the university by alumnus and trustee Charles Holden, who, according to the president, uses it in his own company, Cap World.

The test was one of two that were offered to the president for this purpose. The other was one used by trustee Fred Haines at his company, Haines Mechanical.

The president said that the test took about a week to complete and score. After reviewing the results, the president began seriously discussing the position with Kelley.

After being offered the position by Schneider, Kelley reserved making a final decision for "about a week," Schneider said.

According to the president, Kelley's questions during this period revolved around such issues as what were the president's expectations and what would be the terms of his employment.

The president's official letter to Kelley, naming him the position of commandant and VP for student affairs, was sent on Sunday, and the Norwich students were informed two days later by presidential press release.

"We had wonderful candidates, by the way," Schneider said. "I think there were over 50 candidates, and it took a couple of processes for the search committee to get it narrowed down to the seven or so that were asked to come to campus to interview."

According to Schneider, one or two withdrew in the process.

"But that was okay," Schneider said. "The interviews went well on campus. People had good questions and a lot of good comments."

During the final stages of the decision making process, the president made a special request of the search committee.

"When the search committee sent their report to me, which was about four or five pages, I asked for every e-mail they received from anybody," Schnieder said. "And I read all of them three times over the course of about two weeks. So, I really tried to not only take the collective wisdom of the committee in my decision between the three final candidates."

Schneider said that the decision of picking one of the three was extremely difficult for him.

"I really couldn't go wrong with any one of the three," Schneider said. "All three of them were absolutely fabulous, wonderful people that I would have loved working with."

The president declined naming the other two candidates, but did say he wished there were sufficient means for the school to hire all three of them.

"I'd love to hire all three of them," Schneider said. "But the students can't afford it, and it would be a little awkward organizationally."

The president described the process of making the final decision as that of "optimizing the three candidates.

"To be honest, I picked Col. Kelley because I thought he was the best fit for Norwich at this time," Schneider said. "We were open, both as a search committee and as a president, that it did not have to be an alumnus. It was not a requirement."

The president did not deny, though, that being an alumnus did give Kelley an advantage over other candidates.

"Certainly the fact that he is an alumnus gives him additional insights that some of the other candidates wouldn't have," Schneider said. "But that was nowhere near the sole reason for his selection. There were other alums in the top 10 candidates."

Schneider said he was not worried about Kelley's memories of how Norwich used to be interfering with the performance of his duties.

Kelley was a student at Norwich before civilians were allowed on campus and females were allowed in the corps.

"He seems very open and very supportive of all our students," Schneider said. "He's an academic at heart. He's certainly seen the Army change in 30 years, too."

Schneider indicated his belief that Kelley's experience in the United States Department of Defense would help him in dealing with the mixed culture of the Norwich student body, since 30 percent of the men and women who work in the department are civilians.

"It has not been a problem," Schneider said. "He is supportive of the trustees' vision of the institution and all of our students. I know that this was a question raised by a number of people writing in. They thought that he would do a good job at that."

Schneider said that for him, the biggest question in reviewing candidates was that of how strongly they embodied the school's guiding values.

"One of those is respect for everybody," Schneider said. "We don't have to agree with everybody, but we've got to respect them and their points of view."

Schneider said that Kelley has a "huge history of that kind of stuff.

"The other thing that I felt strongly about is that this is a person that I know is high integrity," Schneider said. "All three of the candidates are high integrity people. All three absolutely support our guiding values. I didn't have any reservations about any one of them."

Schneider said the importance of the issue in his mind was a reflection of his belief that the commandant/VP, like the president, "needs to be a huge role model for all the campus, not just our students.

"I need the commandant walking and talking our guiding values," Schneider said.

Kelley will assume duties as commandant and VP for student affairs on Aug., 2003.

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