A Word with Trustee & Campaign Co-Chair Mike Sheehan

As a Trustee, Mike Sheehan brings decades of leadership and vision to Endicott every day, but no role has been more pivotal than his position as Co-Chair, along with Trustee and alumna Sheila Walsh, of the historic $75 million Spread Your Wings: The Campaign for Endicott College. A seasoned advertising and media executive, Sheehan has held top positions in some of Boston’s most influential organizations, including as CEO of Hill Holliday and Boston Globe Media Partners, where he guided the news giant through turbulent industry transformations.

With a diverse career spanning advertising, journalism, and small business ownership, Sheehan has earned a reputation for anticipating trends and developing innovative strategies—qualities that make him an invaluable leader of Endicott’s ambitious campaign. Together with Walsh, Sheehan is helping to steer the College toward its next chapter of growth and success.

We recently caught up with Sheehan to talk about the campaign’s progress.

This is Endicott’s first campaign. Talk a little bit about why now and why this was the right moment.

When many liberal arts schools are fighting for survival, Endicott is thriving. Most donors view their philanthropy as an investment and they rightfully expect to invest in growth. Using virtually any metric (admissions, discount rate, graduation rate, employment after graduation), Endicott is flourishing. It’s the perfect time to invest in Endicott’s long-term future.

Why did you accept this role as Co-Chair? Have you ever led a campaign like this before?

As a Trustee, I have the privilege of interacting with the administration, alumni, faculty and staff, and students. I don’t think you’ll find an enterprise more aligned, more energized, more committed to success. It’s a joy to co-chair a campaign when I can leverage those dynamics and I am thoroughly convinced we can meet our aggressive goal. I’ve chaired several campaigns for academic institutions in the past, but none with the dynamism of Spread Your Wings.

What’s been the most surprising part of co-chairing this campaign?

The love and conviction that all constituencies have for the College. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it.

Throughout your storied career in media and advertising, you were known for seeing around corners and anticipating consumer preferences and behavior. Endicott is changing fast and so is the higher education landscape. Where do you see Endicott in 15 years and can this campaign be a significant part of that continued acceleration into the future?

Most liberal arts schools are reluctant to change. Let me be clearer—they despise change. They have acres and acres of fields where they grow laurels so they can rest comfortably on them. Endicott’s culture is to love change, to embrace it. We are living in the Age of the Nimble, and Endicott will be better and more relevant tomorrow, next year, and 20 years from now than it is today because there is fearlessness among all constituencies to be modern. I have no doubt there will shakeout in higher education, and the weak will not survive. Endicott is here to stay because of its commitment to refresh and reinvent at every turn.