Dear colleagues,
I write to thank you for a successful fall semester and all your support to strengthen our position as a leading global public research university. As I outlined at my investiture address in September, our future is bright, and we are enjoying strong forward momentum.
Today, I’d like to follow up on my address and other planning to share with you the comprehensive list of presidential initiatives to advance our university’s position as a talent magnet and activator for Michigan and beyond.
With these critical efforts, we will attract and support outstanding students from diverse backgrounds, prepare them for the evolving workforce and deepen our engagement with Michigan, the U.S. and the world to address humanity’s greatest challenges.
These initiatives reaffirm our dedication to providing a significant return on investment for our graduates and the state, enhancing quality of life through MSU’s world-class education, research and outreach.
Below, please find the complete list of initiatives and contacts for more information. I will be sure to share additional updates as we continue our progress.
Go Green!
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
(pronounced GUS-ka-wits)
President
Professor, Department of Kinesiology
President’s initiatives
Joseph R. and Sarah L. Williams Scholarship
This premier scholarship, named after MSU’s first president, Joseph R. Williams and first lady Sarah L. Williams, will be the university’s first full-ride scholarship that also provides an experiential learning opportunity for awardees. The scholarship will be available to 30 qualifying undergraduate students beginning in the fall 2025 semester.
Contact: Dave Weatherspoon, Vice Provost of Enrollment and Academic Strategic Planning
Native American Tuition Advantage Program
This expansion of the Spartan Tuition Advantage, called the Native American Tuition Advantage Program, will allow students from anywhere in the United States or Canada who meet tribal affiliation criteria to qualify to attend MSU at in-state tuition levels and potentially qualify for free tuition under the Spartan Tuition Advantage program.
The program aims to eliminate financial barriers and increase enrollment among historically underrepresented Native American students, addressing a key concern of Michigan’s tribal nations.
Contact: Dave Weatherspoon, Vice Provost of Enrollment and Academic Strategic Planning
Transfer Student Success
We continue to make MSU more accessible and welcoming to transfer students. Students who transfer into MSU graduate at very high rates and already make up nearly 20% of our graduating class. We recently signed a new agreement with Lansing Community Collegethat renews and expands our commitment to Envision Green, which smooths the pathway for LCC students to transfer to MSU. We are building a physical location for our newly created Transfer Student Success Center, and our staff and faculty are collaborating to improve our transfer processes by expanding credit for prior learning and implementing new software and processes that will speed up transfer credit evaluation.
Contact: Portia Watkins, Deputy Director for Transitions and Transfer Student Success
Lansing Cohort Program
Progress on the Lansing Cohort Program has proceeded quickly, and we plan to welcome our first class of students into this program this fall. The new Lansing Cohort Program extends our partnership with the Lansing community and will provide summer bridge-to-college experiences, first-year seminars, peer mentors, academic success workshops, tutoring and, perhaps most importantly, connections with Lansing-area businesses and community organizations.
Contacts:
- Joy Hannibal, Program Director, Detroit M.A.D.E Scholars Program and Strategic Innovation Manager, Office of Undergraduate Education
- Jared Stratz, Educational Program Coordinator for New Student Orientation, Office of Undergraduate Education
First-Gen Center
Building on our work that led to our recent designation as a First-Gen Forward Institution, MSU’s First-Gen Center will enhance the visibility of and support for MSU’s first-generation college students. It will aggregate a variety of supportive programs, ensuring that first-generation students have the resources and guidance they need to learn, thrive and graduate from Michigan State. The First-Gen Center will serve as a dedicated space to foster community and celebrate the unique contributions of first-generation college students, staff and faculty to our campus.
We are convening two committees comprised of dedicated student success leaders to form an Advisory Committee and Workgroup Committee. If you are interested in contributing to this initiative and joining a committee, please consider completing our interest form.
Contacts:
- Christina Bridges, Strategic Retention Manager, Office of Undergraduate Education
- Heather Shea, Director of Pathway Programs, Office of Undergraduate Education
Modern General Education Curriculum
Today’s students challenge us to offer an education that will best prepare them to meet current and future workforce needs. To that end, a committee of our world-class faculty (and administrative units/leaders) will lead the development of a modern general education curriculum following a thorough review to be initiated in the spring.
Contact: Thomas Jeitschko, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Green and White Council
To reinforce MSU’s ability to prepare students for the current and future workforce, we will launch a Green and White Council of Michigan leaders and executives. Such allies offer an extraordinary wealth of talent and knowledge and will advise us on how MSU can continue to deliver academic programming that reflects the evolving Michigan job and economic landscape.
Contacts:
- Harold Balk, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategy and Operational Excellence
- Michael Zeig, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Presidential Speaker Series
The series will focus on bringing thinkers and doers to our campus in an atmosphere of civil discourse across differences to help our students learn to better navigate a world of diverse beliefs and viewpoints.
Contact: Michael Zeig, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Ethics Institute
To establish MSU as a global hub for ethical thinking and decision-making, we are prioritizing the development of the MSU Ethics Instituteearly next year. The institute will evaluate and address institutional ethics and practices beyond the classroom through research, study, pedagogy and the advancement of community-engaged activities.MSU’s annual ethics symposia have helped lay a strong foundation for this new institute. In February 2025, we will host Ethics Week to encourage campuswide engagement with contemporary moral challenges.
Contact: Bree E. Holtz, Director of the Ethics Institute and Associate Professor, Department of Advertising and Public Relations
1855 Professorships
The newly launched 1855 Professorships program, named for the year MSU was founded, has recruited its first cohort of scholars who are taking bold strides to address some of society’s most pressing challenges, to make advances in underrepresented communities and to eliminate disparities. Created by the Office of the Provost, the program brings together 10 faculty members with one purpose: advancing MSU’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion while elevating the university’s academic and research excellence. In this next round, nine professorships have been awarded across colleges, and those colleges will now begin their recruitment process to hire the best and brightest faculty to fill the 1855 positions. It is expected the new cohort will be hired and start in fall 2025.
Contact: Ashley Green, Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost
Know More Campus Survey
MSU is committed to collaboratively working toward a campus culture free from discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and relationship violence. The input of students, faculty and staff is necessary to inform important work on these issues across the campus community.
First in 2019 and then again in 2022, MSU administered the Know More Campus Survey, which focuses on the culture, perceptions and policies associated with sexual misconduct among undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, faculty and staff. The survey results are crucial for continuing the positive transformation of the culture related to sexual misconduct at MSU and have guided prevention programming, policy development and resource provision on campus. The next survey will take place in spring 2025.
Contact: Carrie Moylan, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
Preventing Pass the Harasser
The Preventing Pass the Harasser workgroup has been formedto recommend improved transparent hiring practices and pending policy changes regarding employees or applicants with a history of sexual misconduct.
Contact: Melissa Sortman, Assistant Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
Global Impact Initiative
Launched in 2015 with a goal to recruit 100 new faculty in several new and expanding research areas, the Global Impact Initiative, or GII, has been an institutional success. Now we are implementing the second phase of the initiative, which will add an additional 20 faculty positions in disciplines such as space electronics, computational biology and health services research. This long-term investment will help reach our goal of $1 billion in annual research expenditures by 2030, as outlined in MSU’s strategic plan.
Contact: Doug Gage, Vice President for Research and Innovation
Operational Excellence
This initiative will institute measurable goals, milestones and campus engagement strategies to catalyze more efficient and effective services.
Contacts:
- Harold Balk, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategy and Operational Excellence
- Thomas Glasmacher, Interim Executive Vice President for Administration
- Vennie Gore, Senior Vice President for Student Life and Engagement
Spartan Bus Tour
Meeting grand challenges means renewing our commitment and our legacy of learning from the communities we serve. The inaugural Spartan Bus Tour, completed in late October, took a cohort of 60 administrators and faculty members to meet with residents, partners, business leaders and legislators in towns and communities our students call home.
A highly productive and successful trip, we will expand the Spartan Bus Tour to twice a year to further connect and strengthen bonds with communities around Michigan. In 2025, the first will be a visit to the metro Detroit area in May. The second one, next fall, will look more like the tour we took last October, with three days of visits across a wider section of the state. At this point, we’re looking at a tour of the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.
Contacts:
- Dave Brewer, Co-Director, Office for Resource and Support Coordination
- Natalie Moser, Co-Director, Office for Resource and Support Coordination
Enroll for the Future
This long-term enrollment strategy and roadmap for success will help MSU optimize undergraduate and graduate enrollment to best deliver on its mission of access and student success and meet the needs of Michigan employers.
Contacts:
- Lisa Frace, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
- Thomas Jeitschko, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Dave Weatherspoon, Vice Provost of Enrollment and Academic Strategic Planning
Health Sciences Council
The Health Sciences Council, composed of 13 key leaders, is guiding the university’s health sciences strategy, focusing on curriculum, research innovation and interprofessional collaboration.
Contacts:
- Joyce deJong, Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Jeff MacKeigan, Senior Advisor, Office of Research and Innovation
Comprehensive Campaign
In the months ahead, MSU will launch its next fundraising campaign. There’s much to be proud of and more we aspire to achieve together with our global Spartan community and friends of the university. Stay tuned for a bold campaign that intends to help Spartans solve the grand challenges of our time and prepare our students for the opportunities of today and the future as a premier talent activator for the state and beyond.
Contact: Kim Tobin, Vice President of University Advancement