Building a Stronger Bradley
How Interim President Jon Michael Plans to Lead the University While Searching for the Next President
By Emily Potts
In this exclusive interview, Bradley University’s interim president and former chair of the Board of Trustees, Jon Michael, outlines his vision for the university’s future. With more than 40 years of leadership experience at property and casualty insurance company RLI Corp. and a deep commitment to the Peoria community, he is uniquely positioned to guide Bradley through this critical transition. Michael is committed to ensuring the university continues to grow and excel, laying a solid foundation for the next president.
As interim president, what are your top priorities?
My top priority is creating a culture where students, faculty, staff and alumni thrive. To create this environment Bradley must increase enrollment, ensure students have an amazing experience once they’re on campus and develop stronger relationships with local high schools.
My main focus this year is increasing enrollment because it touches every element of this university. We’re developing strategies to make this happen over the next several years by exploring new avenues to encourage students to come to Bradley—whether it’s first-year, transfer, grad or international students—we want to get them to Bradley and keep them at Bradley. We have a tremendous opportunity to attract more students and reduce some of the barriers that prevent them from applying.
Once we get students here, we need to make sure they have a great experience and we have the people and systems in place to make that happen. I might be biased, but our faculty and staff are some of the best out there, and they go above and beyond helping students succeed in and out of the classroom. I’ve seen it firsthand in the research labs at Olin Hall and through Capstone projects where students work alongside faculty and industry partners to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. Our staff members in the Smith Career Center help students land life-changing internships—many of which lead to full-time employment after graduation.
I want to get local students excited about Bradley. We offer these great summer programs to central Illinois high schoolers like the Biochemistry Summer Research Program and summer STEM camp, as well as athletic programs like soccer, basketball and tennis. I want to engage younger students on our campus to open the door to possibilities they may not have been aware of before.
You bring more than 40 years of leadership experience to Bradley. How will you apply those skills moving Bradley forward?
I am a collaborative leader—I welcome ideas and feedback. I want to hear from staff, faculty and students at Bradley to get their insights on academics and campus so I know what Bradley can do to make Bradley even better. We all need to be working toward a common goal—providing our students a world class education and preparing them for a successful career.
Bradley is an important part of the community with a remarkable history. I’ve been on the board of trustees for over seven years, most recently as chairman since February 2024, so I felt a responsibility to step up and lead this great institution until we find a permanent president. I am serving in an interim role, but I do want to make a positive impact during my time here.
What type of leader are you seeking for the next president? What does that process look like?
We’re looking for somebody who will create a strong vision for the future of Bradley University. We are looking for a true leader. Someone who our faculty, staff and students will stand behind. Someone who recognizes the incredible value of this university and the university community.
After interviewing several agencies, we’ve hired executive search and leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds to represent us in the presidential search. Once top candidates have been identified, we have a committee of 12 people representing staff, faculty, students and trustees who will meet with candidates and make the final decision. I will be a non-voting member of the committee. We are expecting this search to go through April 2025, with a new president possibly starting next summer, but our main goal is to find the right person for the university. (See Presidential Search on page 26.)
What are some of the exciting projects happening on campus?
There are so many great initiatives currently happening at Bradley that will benefit students for years to come. We received a generous $1 million commitment from Polly Barton and her late husband Glen to create The Glen and Polly Barton Clinic for Fitness and Function located in Campustown. The pro bono clinic was previously operating on the third floor of Olin Hall, providing physical therapy, occupational therapy and other health services to Peoria residents who don’t have access to those services. The new clinic will serve more patients in an expanded facility with upgraded equipment.
Over the summer, capital grant funding from the state of Illinois allowed us
to renovate the classrooms and research labs in Olin Hall. We’re also using this funding to modernize and expand Williams Dining Hall. The spacious addition will have more seating and provide an incredible view of campus. Both of these projects have significant impacts for students and faculty and will help recruit new students to campus—which goes back to my first goal of increasing enrollment.
We’re also excited that T-Mobile chose Bradley to leverage its 5G Advanced Network Solutions to create a student-centric digitally-connected campus. Through this initiative, all students, full-time faculty and student-facing staff received iPads provided by T-Mobile including an unlimited 5G data plan and apps designed to create a digital community throughout campus. This partnership allows us to improve digital equity for students, advance their success and create a rich learning environment for the entire campus.
Before your current role as interim president, you served as the chair of the board of trustees. Neither is an easy job—why do you feel compelled to serve the university?
Peoria has been my home for more than 40 years. I believe what’s best for Peoria is best for Bradley and vice versa. There’s so much to love about Bradley, and I want everyone to truly understand the incredible impact the university has on the community.
The backbone of Bradley University—the staff and faculty—come to work each day to ensure students have a transformative experience. Their dedication and thoughtfulness are truly the hallmarks of this institution and I’m continually impressed with them.
The students inspire me every day. I’m always amazed when I hear about the research and activities they’re involved in and it makes me proud to see how they are working to improve their community—and they have fun doing it! Our fraternities and sororities actively participate with local nonprofits through fundraising and community clean-ups. Last year, students dedicated their Capstone project to tackle food insecurity locally.
Our student-athletes are making a positive impact by mentoring local grade school students in Peoria Public Schools through the Power of Sport Initiative. Each month, Bradley student-athletes visit each of the 20 primary and secondary schools to interact with the students by reading, tutoring math and serving as role models.
These are just some of the hundreds of examples I’ve heard as a board member and now interim president.
We are also fortunate to have such an involved and vast alumni network. Our alumni are generous and our greatest asset when recruiting new students. The success stories coming from alumni are a true testament to the importance of a Bradley education. The alumni voice is incredibly valuable.
So why am I choosing to serve the university? Simply, I love what it stands for—in the Peoria community, to our students and the university community as a whole. I am honored to have this opportunity.