Dear Spartans and friends,
The pathways meandering around Beaumont Tower and other favorite campus landmarks are quieter this week, with fall graduates having already captured memories with photos in their caps and gowns. Most students, with their exams and projects behind them, have rejoined their families for the holidays as faculty and staff focus on wrapping up a busy fall semester.
Students, enjoy your winter break. Rest, recharge and return ready and curious to make the most of your opportunities at Michigan State.
Spartan parents, take pride in how your students navigated challenging courses and unfamiliar situations. As they reacclimate to family routines and perhaps catch up on sleep, remember that transformation is an important part of the college experience.
Having helped celebrate some 4,000 fall 2024 Spartan graduates at our recent commencement ceremonies and sensing their restless energy, one can’t help but feel optimistic for the next chapters in their lives and for the impact they will have on our communities and society. I loved seeing that sea of Spartan green caps and gowns at Breslin and the lineup of faculty present to greet and offer up a high five in celebration of these resilient and accomplished graduates. For inspiration, I encourage you to read about one of them, Luz Vazquez, and her commitment to building a better world by advocating for environmental justice and protection for farmworkers.
Beyond our campus boundaries, we hear from many employers about the high quality of the Spartans they hire. I was pleased to see such reports validated by our recent ranking among the top 10 public U.S. universities producing the most employable graduates. Earlier this month, I wrote about some of our work to broaden access to an MSU degree and prepare graduates for the opportunities of tomorrow in this Lansing State Journal column.
Everything I’ve seen at Michigan State since assuming the presidency in March, and the pride with which our big, diverse family wears the Spartan identity, adds to my confidence in this passionately public, leading global research university’s capacity to make a positive difference in the world.
Speaking of Spartans and friends making a difference, I want to thank all those who helped our students continue to learn, grow and thrive by participating in Giving Tuesday earlier this month. Donations rose 40% over last year to $570,588, with a 14% increase in donors to 2,005 and a 22% rise in alumni donors to 1,093. The generosity of those who love and believe in MSU allows us to be strategic, bold and student focused in our commitment to be a leading global public research university.
And as many of us take stock of the year that’s ending, I hope you enjoy this look back at 2024 at MSU.
To close, my family and I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a healthy, happy and successful new year ahead. We hope you enjoy this message celebrating the season.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
(pronounced GUS-ka-wits)
President
Professor, Department of Kinesiology