Former longtime Kalamazoo Valley Community College President Marilyn Schlack who died Tuesday at age 85 was known for not only innovative academic programs but major economic development initiatives on her campus as well as in downtown Kalamazoo. Hear WMUK's special remembrance below.
Schlack's downtown contributions include the Food Innovation Center in recent years, and the Arcadia Commons redevelopment project in the early 1990s that resulted in several institutions and businesses locating downtown, including KVCC's second campus; its main campus is in Texas Township.
Schlack was the school's second president and led it for more than 35 years of its then 52 years when she retired in 2018. Schlack was the first female president of a community college in Michigan when she started in 1982.
Click here for an extended interview with Schlack several months before her retirement.
Her successor is Dr. L. Marshall Washington. He joined the college on July 1, 2018.
