Glenn McIntosh, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer, died on Tuesday, Sept. 17. After 31 years of serving Oakland University students and providing leadership for 24 departments on campus, McIntosh left a lasting impact on Oakland University. While working for OU, McIntosh served in many different roles, most recently as Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer for 7 years.
“There are no words that can adequately describe the scale of this loss to our community. For more than 30 years, Glenn gave everything he could to encourage, motivate and support the success of everyone in our campus community,” President Ora Hirsh Pescovitz said in an email to the campus community. “When it comes to the life affirming experiences that the college experience provides, however, students always held a special place in our beloved colleague’s heart.”
In the same email, Pescovitz requested that all OU flags fly at half-mast throughout the next week. A campus memorial will be held to honor his life, with more details to come in the future.
MacIntosh started his career at OU as the founding director of the Center for Multicultural Initiatives in 1994, where he established the Trustee Academic Success Scholarship (OUTAS) program. OUTAS remains a thriving program today, with the program receiving national recognition through providing student support with a focus on student retention.
“A true servant leader, Glenn was also deeply committed to ensuring that professionals from all walks of life had the opportunity to thrive,” Pescovitz said. “He knew that the entire Oakland University community would benefit from diverse cultural competency and the wealth of talent that results from it.”
As an expert in higher education, McIntosh earned his bachelor’s degree at Central Michigan University and his master’s at Wayne State. An orientation group leader and residential advisor during his college days, he kicked off his career in 1986 at Bowling Green State University, where he worked as a residence hall director. From there, he jumped from Eastern Michigan University and back to Wayne State until reaching OU.
In 1998, he also founded the Academic Advising Resource Center, where he focused on connecting new students with advisors and support services and created a graduate student advising internship program.
“I define success as the process of setting diversity, equity and inclusion goals and metrics for the campus community and consistently taking action to close the gap between our current and desired campus climate,” McIntosh said.
By 2001, he was named Dean of Students and became a mentor for OU’s student athletes. As a holder of multiple bodybuilding titles, he immersed himself in the athletic department’s NCAA Division I Certification process, allowing students to compete with other universities and receive financial aid. McIntosh held this position until 2013, when he was named Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. In 2015, he was named Vice President for Student Affairs.
Leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives throughout his life, McIntosh was named Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer in 2018. Among his merits as Chief Diversity Officer, McIntosh’s involvement with Project Upward Bound, Veterans Support Services Office and the Gender and Sexuality Center stand out as testaments to his profound commitment to DEI.
Beyond the university, strong community ties rooted McIntosh’s involvement at Pontiac as a council member at the Pontiac Collective Impact Partnership. He held several other leadership affiliations, including membership in National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, membership in Association for Student Judicial Affairs, a board member and chairperson for Next Generation Fit Kids and a board member and treasurer for Success Mile Academy Charter School.
“We will always remember Glenn’s infectious smile, his uplifting and engaging personality and his warm and caring nature. In our community, Glenn McIntosh will always be loved and renowned as Mr. OU,” Pesovitz said.
