MICHAEL McDANIEL, ASSOCIATE DEAN AND RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL

ASSOCIATE DEAN AND RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL C.H. McDANIEL MAKES

an impact in Michigan West Michigan Day of Remembrance and Scout Salute “These men, along with the men and women who serve our country, whether in the service, police department, or fire department, are our nation’s heroes.” MICHAEL C.H. McDANIEL

Lansing campus Associate Dean Michael C.H. McDaniel was the featured speaker during the September 11 Community Day of Remembrance and Scout Salute on the grounds of Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each year, the Gerald R. Ford Council of the Boy Scouts of America along with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and Museum honor those who sacrificed their lives during the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, with a day-long Scout Salute.

30

McDaniel, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a teenager, said, “Everyone remembers where they were on that day and yet when you hear the phrase 9/11, you don’t think of anything other than the events from 15 years ago. We say 9/11 and everyone knows what we feel and what occurred. It was a visceral deep pain.” Speaking to an attentive audience, of Boy Scouts and their families, police officers, firefighters, first responders, and those belonging to service organizations such as the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross, McDaniel spoke about the courageous efforts of Father Mychal Judge, a New York City Fire Department chaplain,

and John O’Neil, a retired FBI agent who worked at the World Trade Center. He said Judge and O’Neil, who chose to go toward the disaster zone 15 years ago and died trying to help others, should be the kind of people we recognize as heroes — ­ those who serve to protect the U.S. Constitution. “These men, along with the men and women who serve our country, whether in the service, police department, or fire department, are our nation’s heroes,” said McDaniel. “We should not be confused with entertainers and sports figures who consume much of the time during national newscasts. They may be possible role models, but not heroes.”

McDaniel Appointed to the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee

WMU-Cooley Associate Dean and Retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel (right) with Randall and Sharan Levine, WMU-Cooley graduates and managing partners at Levine & Levine.

McDaniel Speaks About the Importance of Veterans Treatment Courts to Kalamazoo County Leaders Dean Michael C.H. McDaniel spoke to Kalamazoo County leaders and individuals interested in creating a county operated Veterans Treatment Court (VTC). The event was hosted by WMU-Cooley graduates Randall (Wiest Class, 1979) and Sharan (Wiest Class, 1979) Levine, who are managing partners of Kalamazoobased Levine & Levine Attorneys at Law. McDaniel, who authored Veterans Treatment Courts in Michigan: Manual for Judges, spoke about the benefits of VTCs. “Veterans Treatment Courts help Michigan’s justice system-involved veterans get back to leading productive, law-abiding lifestyles more quickly,” he said. “Through VTCs, we can help those who served our country and want to be productive members of their communities.”

In 2016, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced the appointment of Dean McDaniel to the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee (FWICC). McDaniel’s appointment is in addition to his role leading Flint’s Fast Action and Sustainability Team, where he serves as liaison between Flint Mayor Karen Weaver’s and Snyder’s offices, a post that he was appointed to in February 2016. The 17-member committee, housed within the Michigan State Police, will make recommendations to the governor regarding the health and welfare of people exposed to lead, studies Flint’s water infrastructure and determines potential upgrades, reviews Flint Water Task Force recommendations, and recommends ways to improve communication between local and state government.

“We are proud to have our faculty assist the residents of Flint in addressing this unprecedented problem.” DON LeDUC, WMU-COOLEY PRESIDENT

“General McDaniel’s appointment to this important position continues the law school’s tradition of serving the public while providing WMU-Cooley’s students the real-life knowledge and experience that trains them well for the practice of law,” said WMU-Cooley President Don LeDuc.

“We were pleased to present this opportunity to discuss the importance of creating a Veterans Treatment Court in Kalamazoo County,” said Randall Levine, who is an advocate for the county’s development of a Veterans Treatment Court. “Michigan is a national leader in the number of Veterans Treatment Courts, and the addition of such a court here will address challenges the justice system is ill equipped to solve.”

31