Baker College names new leadership

The Baker College System Board of Trustees has announced that Bart Daig, Ph.D., a 25-year veteran of Baker College, will become president and CEO of Baker College System Jan. 1, 2016. He will succeed F. James Cummins who will retire, having worked for Baker College for nearly 30 years.

Daig previously led Baker College Online/Center for Graduate Studies and has moved into the role of Baker College chief operating officer until he takes the reins in January. Jill Langen, Ph.D., another seasoned employee of Baker College, succeeded Daig at Baker College Online/Center for Graduate Studies and was named president and chief academic officer May 1, 2015.

Daig said, “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue to contribute to the long-term success of Baker College. Our driving force to fulfill our mission and purpose will remain the same. We’ll continue to evolve, adjust and innovate so that we can best prepare people for employment and career advancement.”

He will assume the presidency of Michigan’s largest private college that has been greatly shaped by Cummins who came to Baker College in 1986 as System vice president for finance. Cummins was a young accountant for the CPA firm of Millhouse & Holaly LLP when he was recruited by then-president Ed Kurtz.

“I never set out to spend my career in education, but it’s been a wonderfully rewarding experience,” the Flint native said. He now resides in Grand Blanc. “I’ve seen thousands of Baker College graduates who have benefited tremendously from the education they received here. It has enabled them to succeed personally and professionally and to support themselves and their families. In turn, the communities in which we serve have benefited greatly, too.”

Cummins set up the organizational model of the college that now serves approximately 23,000 students. His imprint is on much of the nine on-ground undergraduate campuses throughout Michigan; an online campus that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees; and stand-alone, world-class facilities for Baker College’s Culinary Institute of Michigan, Centers for Transportation Technology, Health Science Center and the Auto/Diesel Institute.

In 1993, Cummins assumed additional responsibilities as president of Baker College of Eastern Michigan while continuing his “day job” as vice president for finance. He established and grew three new campuses in Port Huron, Clinton Township and Auburn Hills. The campuses became separate subsidiary corporations in 1999 and retained their individual presidents. Cummins continued to serve as System vice president of finance until he succeeded Kurtz as System president/CEO in 2002.

“Baker College has grown tremendously during my 30 years here,” he said. “We’ve always had a strong management team and the accomplishments achieved during my tenure are a credit to our collaborative efforts.”

Today, Baker College offers more than 150 career-focused programs, ranging from certificate to doctoral degrees in business administration, computer information systems, education, engineering and technology, health sciences and human services.

“I have great confidence in the current management team at Baker College,” Cummins said. “I’m confident they will effectively lead us into the future and continue to fulfill Baker’s mission of providing quality higher education and training that enable graduates to be successful throughout challenging and rewarding careers.”

Focus on organizational continuity

The appointments of Daig and Langen demonstrate Baker College’s impressive organizational continuity, specifically succession planning. Effective January 2016, the presidents of Baker College’s 10 campuses and the System will have a cumulative 154 years of experience with the college; eight of them will have assumed their leadership roles in the previous two years.

“We believe that developing and promoting from within is beneficial, and that organizational continuity is integral to the college’s ongoing success,” Cummins said.

Bart Daig, Ph.D., of Goodrich, has been with Baker College for more than 24 years. He joined the admissions office at the Flint campus in 1990 advancing to assistant director. In 1995, he was promoted to Baker College Online/Center for Graduate Studies where he served in multiple positions of increasing responsibility: director of admissions, director and vice president of operations, vice president for academics and, since 2011, as CEO.

“Bart has been a key and trusted leader for many years at Baker College,” said Cummins. “He has been instrumental in strategic planning and academic quality improvement initiatives, and his staff and peers recognize and respect his talent, personal drive, focus and impeccable character.”

Originally from Fenton, Daig holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Touro University International, now Trident University, Cypress, California. He also earned an MBA at Baker College and a bachelor’s in business administration at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant.

Jill Langen, Ph.D., of Clarkston, has worked as vice president for academics for Baker College Online/Center for Graduate Studies since 2011. She joined Baker College in 1998, first serving as an adjunct faculty member at the Auburn Hills campus. In 2005, she was promoted to department chair for marketing and human resource management. In 2008, she moved to the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies as dean of the MBA program.

Daig said that during Langen’s 17 years with Baker College, she has provided invaluable leadership in System initiatives and strategic planning, and is widely respected for her creativity, leadership and work ethic.

Langen earned a doctorate in educational leadership at Oakland University, Rochester; an MBA, majoring in materials and logistics management, at Michigan State University, East Lansing; and a bachelor’s in business administration, majoring in marketing, at Michigan Technological University, Houghton.

“Baker College is a wonderful place to work,” Cummins concluded. “It’s filled with great people who share a strong work ethic. We are very good stewards of the resources we have so we can maximize the value to our students. When something is as rewarding as this, it’s difficult to leave; but I leave knowing the college is in good hands.”

About Baker College

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It serves more than 23,000 students on multiple campuses and online. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 150 programs across diverse academic fields, including business, health sciences, engineering, information technology, education and human services. An impressive 97 percent of available graduates are employed. Every Baker graduate receives Lifetime Employment Assistance—free and forever. Baker is a pioneer in distance education and offers students the option of completing a degree 100 percent online, without ever visiting a campus. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.

Photo identification: From left, F. James Cummins, Bart Daig, Ph.D., and Jill Langen, Ph.D.