John M. Munson - Maamawi-Ozhigi - Together We Grow

John M. Munson grew up in Pennsylvania, but worked as a lumberjack in Menominee County throughout his youth. After attending Ferris Institution (which would later become Ferris State University) and Michigan State Normal College (which would later become Eastern Michigan University), he earned his Ph.B. (Bachelor’s of Philosophy) from the University of Chicago. He served as a teacher and then superintendent of Michigan Schools, and was the director of the training school at Central Michigan State Normal School from 1917 to 1923. The State Board of Education appointed him as Northern’s president in 1923. While serving in this role, he helped to form the first bookstore on campus, and invited the infamous Ethel Carey to serve as dean of women. He focused on academic standards and served as president of the Michigan Education Association (1926-27). In 1933, he became president of Eastern Michigan University.