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Griffin Endowed Chair Announces 25 Anniversary Events

Central Michigan University welcomes keynote speaker Jon Meacham for 25th anniversary of the Robert and Marjorie Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government

To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Robert and Marjorie Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government, Central Michigan University, in partnership with Mott Community College and the Ballenger Eminent Persons Lecture Series, will host presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 24 at the Flint Institute of Arts.

Meacham's talk, "America 250: Then, Now and Next," will commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This special event is free and open to the public. Central Michigan University will provide bus transportation for students to attend this exciting event, email SPSJPS@cmich.edu to reserve a seat.

In addition to the public talk, CMU is hosting a private gala at the Flint Institute of Arts. Please register by Thurs., Sept. 17 to attend.

Meacham is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A highly sought-after commentator, Meacham regularly appears on MSNBC, CNN, and other news outlets. A skilled orator with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion, and current affairs, Meacham has the unique ability to bring history to life and offer historical context to current events and issues impacting our daily lives - whether we realize it or not - to audiences of all backgrounds and levels of understanding.

Meacham served as Newsweek’s managing editor from 1998 to 2006 and as editor from 2006 to 2010. He is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, including And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle and Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush.

Named a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the Society of American Historians. Meacham is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University where he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency. In 2024 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden and was honored as a Library Lion of the New York Public Library.

About the Griffin Endowed Chair

Established through private donations, the Griffin Endowed Chair honors the significant public service contributions of distinguished CMU alumni Robert P. Griffin (1923-2015), a former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator and Michigan Supreme Court Justice, and Marjorie Anderson Griffin (1922-2017), former Clarke Historical Library board member.

The Griffin Endowed Chair teaches PSC 300 (Michigan Politics and Elections) and PSC 301 (Law and Policy in Michigan State Government), coordinates public forums each semester, and builds relationships in the community with nonprofits and political internships for students.

The current Griffin Endowed Chair is Dan Kildee (2025-present) and co-instructor Jim Ananich (2025-present).

CMU has been fortunate to have several outstanding past Griffin Endowed chairs: Andrea LaFontaine (2021-2025), David Rutledge (2017-2021), Gary Randall (2013-2017), the late Maxine Berman (2009-2013),U.S. Senator Gary Peters, 2007-2008 William S. Ballenger, Chair from 2003-2007 Craig Ruff, First Griffin Endowed Chair from 2000-2003.

Robert P. Griffin

The Honorable Robert P. Griffin (1923-2015) served 22 years in the U.S. Congress. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1966 following the death of Senator Patrick McNamara. He was elected later the same year and reelected in 1972, serving through 1978. He was the Republican minority whip from 1969-1977.

After his Senate terms, Griffin continued his public service on various boards while practicing law privately until 1986 when he was elected to an eight-year term as associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

After graduating from Dearborn's Fordson High School, Griffin began his Central Michigan studies in 1941. His education was interrupted in 1943 by World War II. He earned two battle stars while serving with the 71st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in the European Theater, returned to Central Michigan in 1946 and graduated in 1947 with a bachelor of science degree. He married Marjorie Jean Anderson the same year.

Griffin earned his juris doctor degree from University of Michigan in 1950 and later was awarded 11 honorary degrees, including a doctor of laws (LL.D.) degree from CMU. He donated his U.S. Congressional papers to Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University after he left the Senate.

Marjorie Anderson Griffin

The valedictorian of Ludington High School, Marjorie Anderson Griffin (1922-2017) attended Central State Teacher's College to become a teacher, graduating in 1944 once again as valedictorian of her class. She was very active as a Central college student, serving as president of the Association of Women Students and as the first chairman of the Central's Victory Loan Fund for returning veterans.

Marjorie taught two years in Greenville, Michigan, before returning to Central Michigan as a faculty member in Park Library. She later served a decade as a member of the Board of Governors of the Clarke Historical Library.

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