Remarks as prepared
Supporting our international community
I want to begin on a note that I referenced in my January community letter just a few weeks ago to our campus and global family of Spartans. I’ve been spending a lot of time over the past several weeks meeting with students and faculty who are concerned about the aggressive turn of immigration enforcement across the country, particularly what we’ve seen unfold in Minneapolis.
In addition to our thoughts being with the family, friends and colleagues affected by the events there, we appreciate how such events can impact us locally. We’ve been spending time with our community here to express that and to let them know that we are here to support them.
For decades — really, for nearly 150 years — Michigan State has taken pride in enrolling international students and employing international faculty and staff. International students, faculty and staff are central to Michigan State University’s mission. They are part of the fabric of our university and enrich our campus in so many ways.
So, we continue asking everyone to reach out and lend support during these challenging times.
The international aspects of our university necessitate interaction with federal agencies, and I know many people are anxious, feel vulnerable and want to know what the university will do to support them. I urge anyone concerned to refer to our online Immigrant Support and Safety Resource webpage, which is being updated regularly.
For those who feel they need additional support, resources such as our Employee Assistance Program, Counseling and Psychological Services, and other services are available. We continue to update and augment the university’s resources to respond to the needs of the different populations in our MSU community.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those MSU units supporting our community members. This includes the Office for International Students and Scholars, International Studies and Programs and our Government Relations team. All are working with campus partners, immigration attorneys and international education colleagues nationally to assess the impact of federal actions on education, MSU and our people.
We are working together as one team to support our international students and employees.
One last note on this point: The International Student Association is holding its annual International Student Leader Summit this afternoon. The summit brings together leaders of more than 20 internationally focused student organizations to meet with university leadership about concerns. Thank you to those students for their leadership.
Celebrating our values
As we celebrate our values, we continue to celebrate an inclusive and engaged community reflecting who we are as Spartans.
In January, we hosted our annual Community Unity Dinner, as well as the Mid-Michigan MLK Commission, as part of our week-long commemoration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Our campus continues that mindfulness through a number of Black History Month programs this month. These include celebrating the first anniversary of our Multicultural Center’s opening, and the 26th year of the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s William G. Anderson Lecture Series, Slavery to Freedom: American Odyssey.
It was also a privilege recently to join student honorees, parents and others for our annual Spartan Volunteer Service Awards. Awardees complete at least 100 hours of community engagement, and last year alone, 205 Spartans logged more than 42,000 hours of service.
Such experiential learning helps prepare students to thrive and to give back to their communities — a key Spartan value as a proudly public, land-grant university.
Engaging directly with our communities and partners to address society’s challenges is a defining legacy that we are proud of. We are ranked No. 1 among public universities in service learning and most recently earned validation again with the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
Congratulations to everyone leading and participating in these efforts.
Collaborating for Career Preparation
We’ve also been talking a lot about career preparation and readiness for our students and collaborating with industry leaders. One of the industries employing Spartan graduates is the automotive industry.
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending my first Detroit Auto Show. If you’ve never been, you’ve got to go. I’m not a car guy, but I could have spent the entire week there.
While in Detroit, I participated in a fireside chat with former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on the future of mobility and how higher education is responding to the challenge. MSU is certainly responding through much of the work that we do.
Then, at the Detroit Policy Conference last week, I joined our partners from Henry Ford Health and the Detroit Pistons to discuss how our collaboration is bringing innovation and investment to health care in Detroit and beyond.
Such collaboration is also reflected in the important work of our Green and White Council, which I appointed last April. We recently announced three signature initiatives recommended by the council to strengthen workforce readiness and economic impact in Michigan and beyond.
The first is AI Ready Spartans, which expands digital and AI competencies across the undergraduate experience. The second, Career Connected Spartans, expands access to career exploration and experiential learning. The third, Spartan Catalyst, accelerates collaboration between MSU researchers and industry partners.
Together, these initiatives reinforce our commitment to prepare graduates for meaningful careers while aligning research with real-world needs.
I’m grateful for the work of the council’s 18 members and look forward to working with the provost and our world-class faculty to more fully integrate these objectives into our academic programs.
Investment and Impact
Our work preparing graduates for jobs that may not yet exist took an important step forward this week with the start of construction on our new Engineering and Digital Innovation Center.
More than a new facility, this project represents our long-term commitment to digital learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating discovery into impact. It will bring together faculty across six or seven colleges to rethink how we train students for future careers.
Our momentum has been strengthened by two extraordinary philanthropic investments. Earlier this week, we announced a $50 million gift from the Leinweber Foundation — the largest facility gift in MSU’s history. Today we will officially name the building the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation.
In addition, we will recognize a $10 million commitment from the Spalding family by designating the facility’s atrium in their honor.
Many thanks to alumni Larry Leinweber and Dave Spalding for their exceptional generosity.
At the same time, our Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign continues to gain remarkable traction. Thanks to the generosity of more than 132,000 Spartans worldwide, we’ve raised $1.8 billion — matching the total of our previous campaign in half the time.
With its $4 billion goal, this campaign reflects both the urgency of today’s challenges and the alignment of a community committed to MSU’s future.
Recently, I joined the Michigan Association of State Universities to unveil findings showing that Michigan’s 15 public universities generate tens of billions of dollars in net new economic activity annually.
As one of the state’s four R1 research-intensive universities, MSU contributes robustly to economic growth in every Michigan county. We recently learned that Michigan State’s statewide annual impact — factoring in our health care and medical operations — has grown to more than $9.7 billion.
A fine example of how we serve both campus and community is our newly renovated MSU Museum. The museum recently reopened after an 18-month project — its first major renovation in more than 75 years.
With updated spaces and critical climate upgrades supported in part by the Forest Akers Trust, the MSU Museum is better positioned to preserve its million-object collection and expand its mission of interdisciplinary learning and discovery.
To support our university’s vital research mission, we recently announced the selection of Shashank Priya as MSU’s next vice president for Research and Innovation, pending board approval today. His appointment follows a national search and anticipates the retirement of Doug Gage, whose leadership strengthened MSU’s research enterprise over many years.
I look forward to welcoming Dr. Priya later this month.
Spartan success and safety
Before I wrap up, I want to mention a few points of pride.
First, congratulations to College of Music faculty members Xavier Davis and Michael Dease on winning a Grammy this week for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album as members of the Christian McBride Big Band.
Xavier Davis is Associate Professor of Jazz Piano and Michael Dease is Red Cedar Distinguished Professor of Jazz Trombone, and it’s the fourth time these two artists have won a Grammy as members of this band.
Michigan State also continues to earn strong national recognition for the quality of our programs. The 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings of Online Graduate Programs awarded top placements to MSU business, education and criminal justice programs.
I want to thank and congratulate our world-class faculty, staff and leaders in these departments for this recognition.
Also attesting to the excellence of our faculty and students, Spartan student-athletes last fall semester posted their highest all-time cumulative grade point average of 3.4866. With every team posting cumulative and semester GPAs above 3.0, it marks the 30th consecutive semester they’ve earned above a cumulative 3.0.
In fact, 84% of Spartan student-athletes — nearly 500 of them — ended fall semester with a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher. And special congratulations to the 106 student-athletes earning perfect 4.0 GPAs for fall semester!
All of these bright points depend on an environment that allows our entire university community to feel safe, respected, welcomed and supported.
To heighten awareness and transparency about our culture of safety and care, last week we shared results from our 2025 Know More Campus Survey. I urge you to read the report. Overall, the findings show meaningful progress, while also underscoring areas where continued focus is needed.
Everything I’ve mentioned reflects a dynamic university on an upward trajectory — firmly grounded in its values and legacy, inspired by its vision and aligned around its priorities as we prepare to meet the demands of our next 171 years — a milestone we will reach next week on the anniversary of our founding, Feb. 12.
Thank you, and now, let’s move forward with the agenda.