W. Michael Donovan

Email: mdonovan@cedarcrest.edu
Room: Curtis 219
Phone: (610) 606-4666 ext.3415

Helping today's students recognize subtle opportunities in the changing world of business is foremost in the mind of business and economics professor Michael Donovan. 

"We are in the business of developing people to be successful - not just now, but throughout their lives,” says the Bowdoin College political science undergraduate, who holds an MBA from Columbia University and is a Certified Management Accountant.

Donovan credits his years of experience in the private sector for his teaching and problem-solving abilities. "20 years in finance, operations, and marketing have given me a well-rounded idea of what students will need to know to become productive and confident," Donovan remarks. "I've learned that it's not only a strong business education, but a sense of ‘business awareness’ that causes success." Such a sense of awareness once helped Donovan discover a problem with a former employer's forward-foreign exchange system that, when resolved, saved the company over a million dollars a year.

Michael completed all but his dissertation in public policy at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School. He specializes in the development of problem-solving coalitions, leadership, and regional economic development.

Donovan's resume includes private-sector experience, not only in finance, but in communication (AT&T) and computers (Data General), as well. He was also the Executive Director of a regional economic development agency in Maine, and managed Northern New England’s largest microcomputer dealership for several years. His involvement with local boards and committees, grant-writing experience, and professional accreditations have shaped a teacher that knows business, from unraveling financial statements to writing a business plan. 

Due to family circumstances, he could not accept a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture on the development of capitalistic fitness and entrepreneurialism in Chisinau, Moldova, during the 2005-2006 academic year. Instead, Professor Donovan served as a member of the transition team for the new Mayor of Allentown, Ed Pawlowski. He was co-chair of the sub-committee on economic development and was part of the search committee for the Community and Economic Development Director. In November of 2007, he won election to a 4 year term on the Allentown City Council. Board memberships include the Allentown Arts Commission, Allentown Parking Authority, and the Allentown Economic Development Council.

Donovan recognizes that people run businesses, and so encourages his often high-energy business students to become well-rounded, with literature and social science courses at the top of his "electives" recommendation list, in order to allow students learn to mix at key business meetings and social functions in and out of the office.

Donovan’s outside activities include running, hiking, and working on his family’s camp in New Hampshire. 

“Much in business success, as in life, has to do with flexibility and ability to learn new things quickly,” he says. Practicing what he preaches, Donovan taught himself the principles of electricity, and safely installed his remote camp’s solar panels, batteries, and wiring system.

Publications

"Loyalty, Culture, and Change: Organizational Response in Dynamic Market Conditions." Proceedings, Business/Economics Society International, 2002. Page 437.

“Contributions of Teachers to Regional Economic Success,” Maine Sunday Telegram, 2004.

"The Value of Social Networks Created by Teachers," Portland Press Herald, 2003.

"For Better Workers, Focus on Teachers," Portland Press Herald, 2003.

“Science, Technology Key to Maine's Economy,” Portland Press Herald, 2002.

Developing a Statewide Technical Infrastructure and Culture: The Role Played by Southern Maine Technical College Graduates, Original research and Report to the Maine Technical College System, 1998.

"Innovation and the Internet in a new World, book reviews of Wellsprings of Knowledge, by Dorothy Leonard-Barton, Being Digital, by Nicholas Negroponte, The Digital Economy, by Don Tapscott, and The Road Ahead, by Bill Gates. Small Business Forum, University of Wisconsin, Spring 1996.

"Managing vs. Coaching the Team," Entrepreneurial Edge, March 1996.

"The Pitfalls of Growth," Entrepreneurial Edge, March 1996

Editor, Small Points, a monthly commentary for owners of smaller, privately-held firms. 1987-1992.

Review of The End of Laissez-Faire: National Purpose and the Global Economy after the Cold War, by Robert Kuttner, in The Small Business Forum, University of Wisconsin, July 1992.

Case Study Response to "Selling Your Business," The Small Business Forum, University of Wisconsin, September 1991.

"The Benefits of National Health Care Insurance for Small Business," The Small Business Forum, University of Wisconsin, April 1991.

Interviews

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