EAST LANSING, Mich. - When Clifton E. Haley, 72, former chairperson and CEO of Budget Rent-a-Car, flies twice weekly from Drummond Island for classes at Michigan State University, he dons two "hats."
One is as an adjunct professor at MSU-DCL College of Law; the other is as an undergraduate student in interdisciplinary humanities. For teaching, he dresses in a suit and tie; for attending his class in ethics, his garb includes a pair of jeans and boots. He'll add the traditional green cap and gown to his wardrobe for MSU's May commencement ceremonies.
Haley will receive his bachelor of arts degree at the College of Arts and Letters ceremony, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the University Auditorium.
"When I became affiliated with the law school, I made a commitment. I wanted to have a part of MSU in my academic background," said Haley, a member of the MSU-DCL board of trustees since 1997 and current president of the law school. "I worked with university officials to put together a program based on my previous education at the University of Detroit, my law degree from MSU-DCL and my business experience. I was 30 credits short of getting my MSU degree, so for the past three years, I've been an undergraduate."
A native of Detroit, Haley attended the University of Detroit. He took law classes at night and worked by day at Chrysler Corp. as a labor relations manager. After graduating from law school in 1961, he went to work at Ford Motor Co., and spent five years in Ford's European operations, with two of those years in Belgium. He spent 17 years as a Ford executive, with the most recent experience in mergers and acquisitions.
"I practiced law for a very short time, but I found out I wanted to be the visionary, the person that made things happen, and you don't always get to do that as a lawyer," he noted.
Now, he relates his extensive experience as a corporate CEO with Budget Rent-a Car in Chicago and entrepreneurial skills to his 134 students in his classrooms. Since his retirement from Budget, he keeps his hand in the business world as co-owner of the Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center and as an adviser to a New York investment banking firm.
Haley the instructor co-teaches mergers and acquisitions, and is one of five individuals teaching business enterprises, an introductory business course at MSU-DCL. For his mergers and acquisitions class he developed an "e-book," an electronic format text that includes cases, case law and related documents. Haley the student is working on finishing up an essay on the ethics of human cloning.
One of his biggest challenges in attending classes is transportation. It's some 200 miles from Drummond Island, where he and his wife, Carolyn, an educator and pilot, have resided for 10 years. On the other hand, for Haley, an experienced pilot, it's only a 50-minute flight each way. He's particularly proud of the fact that he's never missed a class.
He's also proud of his three daughters, Deborah, Denise and Daryl, all MSU graduates. Grandson Eric Pender of Commerce Township, an MSU sophomore, often stops by to visit his grandfather after his own classes to compare notes on Spartan life, or for a bit of grandfatherly advice.
Haley's advice to his fellow classmates and his students?
"I tell my students to not expect to be a vice president or partner of a law firm as soon as you graduate from college. Work hard and work smart, and you will have a competitive advantage because you went to MSU," he said.
"The challenges facing all of today's students are the same ones facing society, which is changing as rapidly as the seasons," Haley said. "Don't talk about the best resumes or interview techniques - talk about taking the high road. Each person's contributions to society and what you do with your life are the most important things to think about."
What's ahead for Haley after his graduation?
"I'm very pleased with my business accomplishments in life, and I'm happy I decided to pursue my new degree, which at my age, can be very challenging," Haley said. "Now if I get really good grades and complete my degree, I may go out and get a really good job."