OCC Mourns Passing of President David L. Mathews

The following press release was submitted by Oakland Community College to Patch.

The President of Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills Campus, David L. Mathews, passed away on Feb. 28, two months after his appointment.

Highland Lakes Campus President Gordon May will again step in to serve as interim Auburn Hills President, while retaining his responsibilities at Highland Lakes, until a replacement is selected.

“David Mathews’ passing is a profound loss, not only for his family, but the entire college community where he was highly respected,” said OCC Chancellor Tim Meyer.

Mathews, 64, of Clinton Township, leaves his wife, Carla, OCC’s Executive Director of Enrollment Management, children Katina (Ronald) Reason, John, Tameka Calhoun, Jerome Stepp, Jeren Stepp, Carla White, three grandchildren, and six siblings.

Chancellor Meyer named Mathews president of the Auburn Hills Campus on Jan. 2. Mathews joined OCC in 2002 as Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the Southfield Campus. In 2012, he was named the Dean of Business/Information Technology. He also served as liaison to the Galileo Project, which encourages faculty members to take leadership roles in the introduction of innovative teaching techniques.

Before coming to OCC, Mathews was in the service (Vietnam era), then spent 13 years at Marygrove College where he occupied a variety of positions.

Funeral services were held at the Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons Funeral Home in Sterling Heights on Monday. Interment was at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township.

The Auburn Hills Campus, which enrolled 9,000 students this winter, is the largest of OCC’s campuses.