College of Business alumnus Jim Lico says Operations Management Professor Emeritus D. Ross Cowan left a lasting impression on him.
“There are a lot of aspects about UM- Dearborn that make it special,” said Lico, ‘88 B.S.A. “(Donald) Ross Cowan, who ran the operations management program, was one of those. I had someone with a great mind and who was a wonderful listener guide me.”
Cowan, who taught on campus from 1959 to 1996, was technologically ahead of his time — he was the first to incorporate computer use in the business curriculum. Cowan wanted to give back; there’s an endowed professorship in his name. And he focused on moving UM-Dearborn forward by serving on the first executive committee after the campus became a university in 1971.
Today, Lico runs Fortive Corp., a Fortune 500 industry technology company. He and his wife Maureen established the Donald Thomas Lico Endowed Scholarship in memory of his father to help College of Business students with financial need. He has recently joined UM-Dearborn’s newly established National Advisory Council (NAC).
The NAC is comprised of leaders from different sectors of business, industry and nonprofits who advise Chancellor Domenico Grasso on all matters bearing on the effectiveness — such as accessibility, energy sustainability and academic excellence — of UM-Dearborn. Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich said a national-level advisory group is a best practice in out-reach that will help expand UM-Dearborn’s presence, network and expertise. This benefits the future of UM-Dearborn and the campus’ students.
The university’s NAC is currently made up of Lico and 11 other members with expertise and experience working with the likes of the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense, Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple and more. Many of the members are alumni. “We have folks all over the country, as far away as Seattle and L.A. and as local as Northville. There’s a good cross section of thoughts, experiences and backgrounds to help shape UM-Dearborn’s priorities,” Ulbrich said. “The membership is made up of thought leaders. To grow and be as great as we can be, it’s important to get multiple, diverse voices involved.”
Some of the topics included in the NAC’s conversations include planning a future capital campaign and student success initiatives like the Go Blue Guarantee and Dearborn Comeback. Ulbrich said members give feedback and help create connections with the campus.
Lico, a 2021 Alumni Difference Maker, spends his days overseeing 20,000 employees internationally for his Seattle-based company. He seeks out opportunities to mentor students and speak in classrooms, knowing the importance of education when it comes to skilled employers, leaders and change makers. And he’s proud to give his time and talent to advance UM-Dearborn and the next generation.
“I was very fortunate to find UM-Dearborn and have such an influential professor like Ross Cowan,” he said. “It’s not lost on me on how lucky I am. I want to find ways to have a role in UM-Dearborn’s mission to raise people up and play a part in connecting students with opportunities that will help them succeed now and into the future. The NAC is one way that I can do this.”
