Dear campus community,
Last May, we announced our commitment to making further improvements in our institution’s response to relationship violence and sexual misconduct, or RVSM. A Collaborative Advisory Board was appointed and throughout the last several months has been working to identify an external partner to lead the Institutional Assessment and Responsive Action, a comprehensive assessment of our culture, structure and policies.
We recently finalized a contract with Guidepost Solutions, and their third-party expertise will help ensure the assessment reflects the needs of survivors and the broader university community.
Guidepost Solutions will begin their work with direct outreach to leaders across MSU’s campus in the coming weeks. These next few weeks are a busy time for our campus as we prepare for finals and the excitement of commencement, but we thought it important to begin our partnership with Guidepost and offer multiple opportunities for engagement starting now and continuing over the course of the next several months.
In addition to their initial targeted outreach over the next few weeks, Guidepost will host town halls and listening sessions over the summer and throughout the fall 2026 semester. The university’s Collaborative Advisory Board will work with Guidepost Solutions to develop additional engagement opportunities, including communities that may face barriers to participation for various reasons. Additionally, a designated hotline for engagement will be shared on the Guidepost Solutions website in the coming weeks.
Students, faculty, staff, survivors and alumni are also welcome to reach out directly to Guidepost Solutions at any time with questions and feedback via email at MSU@guidepostsolutions.com.
It is our responsibility to acknowledge our history and seek opportunities for healing through our commitment to continuous improvement. As a reminder, the assessment is not an investigation, but an opportunity to continue improving our culture and identifying potential gaps in our ongoing efforts. Overall, the goals of the Institutional Assessment and Responsive Action process are to:
- Ensure historical accountability by acknowledging past institutional failures and assessing corrective actions;
- Provide a benchmark for progress, allowing the university to independently verify improvements;
- Identify potential gaps in prevention, support, reporting and response efforts, and put forth recommended actions that are informed by survivor-centered best practices.
The work of this assessment complements the efforts of our Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup here on campus, and the insights we gain from conducting the Know More Survey.
This is an important step in advancing our commitment to accountability, evaluating our progress and identifying areas where continued improvement is needed. It is also central to our ongoing efforts to ensure that our campus is a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for all members of our community.
We welcome and encourage full and candid participation from our campus community. This process is designed to inform meaningful, forward-looking action and will be conducted with attention to privacy and confidentiality.
For more information about the scope of the work and to learn about the expertise of Guidepost Solutions, we invite you to review information on the Institutional Assessment and Responsive Action website. Guidepost Solutions will conclude their work with a comprehensive public report presenting findings, recommendations and guidance on monitoring the implementation of those recommendations.
MSU’s Master Service Agreement with Guidepost Solutions is available for review on the Institutional Assessment and Responsive Action website linked above. Community members may also contact the Collaborative Advisory Board at assessment@msu.edu.
Thank you for your contributions to this effort.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
(pronounced GUS-ka-wits)
President
John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor
Department of Kinesiology