Scott Shireman, an experienced higher education administrator with deep expertise in global and online education, is the inaugural director of the University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit. 

His appointment to a five-year term, effective Jan. 1, 2024, was announced by Provost Laurie McCauley.

The provost said Shireman’s administrative and leadership experience demonstrate his ability to excel as the UMCI director. 

“He will not only be an effective leader for the center itself, but his deep roots in higher education will allow him to collaborate across the institution and with Detroit-based partners to bring the center to life,” McCauley said.

Shireman comes to U-M from the online higher education company Coursera, where he was the global head of Coursera for Campus. Before that, he was associate dean and chief operating officer at the University of California Berkeley Extension and as director of IT infrastructure and operations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Shireman, a first-generation college student, earned two degrees from Northwestern University—a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese religion and Master of Business Administration.

UMCI is designed to be a world-class research, education and entrepreneurship center designed to advance innovation and talent-focused community development to propel city, regional and statewide job creation and inclusive economic growth by stimulating economic development in Detroit.