11/10/2025
It was with great sadness that Michigan State University announced the death of Dr. Marilyn J. Amey, professor of Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University.
Marilyn began her lengthy and notable faculty career at KU, serving as assistant and then associate professor in ELPS from 1989-1997. She passed away November 5, 2025, surrounded by family.
Over the course of her career, Marilyn contributed much to the scholarship on leadership in community colleges and in student affairs. She lived out her interest in leadership by serving in numerous administrative and service positions at KU, MSU, and the scholarly associations to which she belonged. In her short eight years at KU, we knew Marilyn as an exceptionally good teacher and advisor. Students lined up to take her leadership classes. Most importantly though, we knew Marilyn as a professor who understood and illustrated the value of faculty-student connections before scholars began to write about them.
As Dr. Ann Austin, her colleague at MSU, noted, “Marilyn’s compassion, humility and dedication to helping others succeed were hallmarks of her distinctive contributions to Michigan State and the broader higher education field. So many of us will miss her deeply, but will remember and be inspired by the way she enriched the lives of many students, faculty and staff…” Her name will always be attached to publications and awards, but it is through her dedication to helping others succeed that Marilyn’s impact will live on.
Marilyn left KU 1997 to assume a faculty role at MSU where she also served as department chair and assistant provost for MSU’s Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development, but she did not leave the hearts and minds of those of us Jayhawks who worked or studied with her. Despite new students, colleagues, and challenges at MSU, Marilyn remained closely connected to many of her KU students. Those of us who knew or worked with Marilyn continued to be impacted by her dedication to helping others succeed whether that be in academic endeavors or through personal challenges.
KU colleagues, students, and advisees who took a course from her, or had her as an advisor will resonate with the comments on https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/7grCaQtE/marilynamey
set up by MSU as a place to remember and honor Marilyn. If you didn’t have the pleasure of taking a course from Marilyn, chances are you read her book Beginning Your Journey: A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs. Please feel free to add KU voices and photos to the Kudo board. Comments and photos will be shared with the Marilyn’s family.
The Jayhawk family extends its deepest condolences to Marilyn’s husband Dennis, who also served in a variety of administrative roles at KU, their daughters Caitlin and Megan.
Tribute from MSU College of Education:
It is with profound sorrow that the College of Education shares the passing of Marilyn J. Amey. Amey died on November 5, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.
Amey was a professor of Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education and a former chairperson for the Department of Educational Administration. She was also the college’s Dr. Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (2017-2020). More recently, she served as the assistant provost for the MSU Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development. Amey was a part of the College of Education from 1997 until her passing.
Amey’s research centered around understanding how leaders learn, and analyzing educational partnerships, particularly those in community colleges.
“Marilyn contributed significant scholarly work that advanced knowledge and practice through her writing and editorial roles, especially focusing on leadership in higher education, teamwork and collaboration, the important contributions and issues associated with community colleges and the experiences of women administrators,” University Distinguished Professor Ann Austin shared. “Yet the core of her work could be summarized ... as supporting others to do their work—whether she was guiding her graduate students (who loved her), leading the Department of Educational Administration as its chairperson for many years, or designing and offering professional development opportunities to administrators and leaders across MSU.”
Throughout her remarkable career, Amey authored numerous publications and books on leadership in higher education. She also served on several committees including the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Publications Committee.
“Dr. Marilyn Amey was a significant figure in the study of higher education and a deeply respected leader within the Michigan State University College of Education,” shared Dean Jerlando F. L. Jackson, who worked alongside Amey for many years as part of the ASHE Publications Committee. “Her scholarship and mentorship shaped generations of higher education leaders and researchers, particularly through her long-standing engagement with the Association for the Study of Higher Education.”
Amey earned multiple prestigious awards, including the MSU Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Education (2004), College of Education Teaching Excellence in Education Award (2006), ASHE Distinguished Service Award (2015), National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Pillar of the Profession (2017) and the MSU Outstanding Supervisor Award (2025).
Those who knew Amey admired her kindness, generosity and exemplary leadership. Dean Jackson recalled his experience with Amey’s leadership: “I saw firsthand her brilliance, integrity and quiet generosity. She combined exacting scholarship with a genuine spirit of encouragement that elevated everyone around her.”
Austin shared: “Marilyn’s compassion, humility and dedication to helping others succeed were hallmarks of her distinctive contributions to Michigan State and the broader higher education field. So many of us will miss her deeply, but will remember and be inspired by the way she enriched the lives of many students, faculty and staff at Michigan State and beyond.”
Amey has left a lasting impact that has touched the lives of everyone who knew her. Amey will be dearly missed by the College of Education community and all those who knew her.
