On Lakeland College’s 150th birthday, it received a wonderful present: its 15th president, Dr. Michael A. Grandillo. He has new ideas for changes to Lakeland College.
President Grandillo said that in the next five years he hopes to see enrollment rise to 1,200 students living on campus. Currently, our total amount of students living on campus is hovering around the 900 marker. Only time will tell if Grandillo’s goal is met.
But what does this mean for tuition? Inevitably, tuition increases every year, regardless of a boost in enrollment. However, Grandillo said that students will not really notice a difference due to the financial aid awarded at Lakeland from a number of outside sources, including federal loans.
“My job is to make sure that families can afford [to go to Lakeland College],” said Grandillo. “What makes this [affordability] possible is the $24 million we [Lakeland College] get through federal loans.” Grandillo also said that any negative change to the $24 million awarded for financial aid makes it all the more difficult to provide financial aid to students and their families.
Grandillo also wants to get students more connected with the outside world. Whether this means voting or holding interviews and interacting with the Sheboygan community, he believes students should be aware of the world around them, and one of his goals is to help Lakeland’s student body achieve that.
Overall, Grandillo seems excited to be here on campus. When he first arrived at Lakeland, he was attracted to the size of the school, its UCC affiliation, the good people on campus, and the strong faculty.
Grandillo is often seen around campus meeting the students and getting to know them.
“I am very impressed with the vibrant students here at Lakeland,” said Grandillo of his interactions thus far with the student body.
Grandillo said that he wants to have students in and out of the president’s house a couple times per year for different events. He and his wife, Nancy Grandillo, want to begin a new tradition called “Breakfast with the President.” When students’ birthdays come around, Grandillo would like to have them over at the president’s house to celebrate their birthdays with them.
Grandillo has even taken into account the issue of celebrating birthdays that do not take place during the normal school year. Having an August birthday himself, he will not forget about holding a summer birthday bash for those people whose birthdays were during the summer.
Grandillo went to Ohio Northern University and achieved a bachelor’s degree in political science. After that, he obtained his master’s degree from The University of Dayton Ohio. Grandillo was able to acquire his Ph.D. in higher education and history from The University of Toledo.
Grandillo has also been able to have articles and other portions of works published. Additionally, Grandillo has published a book called Onward to the Dawn: A History of Tiffin University. Tiffin University is in Tiffin, Ohio, and Grandillo had served there as the Vice President for Development and Public Affairs for 17 years. Perhaps one day he will write a book about the history of Lakeland College.
He and his wife, Nancy, came to Lakeland from Tiffin, Ohio. They have a son, Vincent, who is an Eagle Scout and a daughter, Gina, who is a freshman at Grandillo’s old alma mater, Ohio Northern University.
Another member of the Grandillo family is their pet rooster called either Joe or Rooskie, his Muskie name, and can be seen around campus fraternizing with the geese.