Remarks as prepared for delivery
Start of the academic year
I’m going to shorten my remarks today, given the full agenda and higher number of public commenters signed up to speak.
I also want to be sure to point out several important events happening on campus this afternoon — including a 9/11 tribute recognizing our first responders and those who protect us every day and the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation celebration, and our recognition of the donors who have made this building possible.
And I will apologize now should I need to leave for these events prior to the conclusion of public comment. I will take the time to view the recorded meeting transcript.
Welcoming Spartans
It’s great to see campus come alive again for fall semester, and I enjoyed meeting students and families at move-in and our other welcome events.
We are the No. 1 choice for in-state students — “Michigan’s state university.” And we enroll students from all 50 U.S. states, all 83 Michigan counties and 127 countries.
The moments Amy and I have shared with students and families over the past few weeks remind me how great it is for us to be here at this time and place and how much we have appreciated the positive sentiments sent our way over the past few months.
With MSU’s outstanding leadership team, working in collaboration with the Board — and the institution’s strong momentum powered by our world-class faculty and staff — we are One Team, and I’m very optimistic about our upward trajectory.
And I know a lot of our alums and donors feel the same way, especially given the great success we’ve enjoyed since the start of our Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign.
In the last fiscal year, nearly 64,000 donors contributed a record-breaking $736 million, totaling $1.94 billion toward our $4 billion goal.
And on the research front, I'm proud to announce that we will reach our 2030 strategic goal of $1 billion in annual research expenditures this year. The impact of our discovery and innovation is truly impressive.
From the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams’ expansion of the nation's chip-testing capacity for critical next-generation semiconductor devices to learning how insects might help us detect PFAS contamination, MSU science is making a difference.
And as a hypothesis-driven researcher and education leader, I like to think of possibilities in terms of “imagine if.”
So, imagine if a school of humble origins became a global exemplar of broad, land-grant access to the most impactful, cutting-edge knowledge, discovery and innovation.
Imagine if that institution’s dedication to the democratization of higher education served as a beacon of inclusion as well as a home for robust, scholarly debate in an era of social fragmentation and division.
Imagine if educators could turn even the most shocking of events and experiences into important learning opportunities to empower students with wisdom they can carry into an uncertain future.
Well, doing starts with imagining, and our university — founded as an expression of faith in the progress of humankind through knowledge and understanding — is doing all this, and more.
Investing in excellence
We are doing this by investing in our excellence, including through some specific means we’ll discuss today.
Those include the establishment of an endowment to support our Williams Scholarships — a full-ride scholarship with an experiential education component for top scholars.
We’ll also consider the continued expansion and upgrading of facilities for our top-ranked School of Packaging.
In that vein, I look forward to joining trustees and other university leaders, faculty, staff and students in celebrating the construction of our Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation this afternoon.
The Leinweber Center is supported by MSU’s largest private gift for an academic facility — $50 million from the Leinweber Foundation — as well as $60 million in state appropriations. It will add 265,000 square feet of research and learning space to our campus.
Importantly, it will expand our capacity to train more of the engineers Michigan will need while expanding talent options with interdisciplinary approaches for 21st-century challenges.
Deepening connections
Speaking of contemporary challenges, I enjoyed yesterday’s Board of Trustees stakeholder engagement forum.
Our three discussion group topics, developed with the assistance of a campus survey, focused on harnessing artificial intelligence responsibly; on people, culture and organizational effectiveness; and on creating a connected Spartan experience from enrollment to graduation.
I appreciate the Board’s efforts to engage with university community members to explore important topics that will continue impacting MSU into the future.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Board’s approval this summer of a revised Code of Conduct. It reflects a commitment to continuous improvement in how we govern and lead.
While no single action solves every challenge, establishing clear expectations and standards is a meaningful step in the right direction. It provides a stronger foundation for collaboration, respectful dialogue and thoughtful stewardship as we work together to serve our students, faculty, staff, alumni and the broader community.
Codes of conduct are common practices for organizations — many of us who serve on other boards are asked to sign them as well. Our peers at other R1 institutions in the state also have similar codes.
This was a prudent step forward, and I appreciate the Board’s commitment.
Upcoming university events
Our world-class faculty members sit at the heart of the university’s excellence, so I’m looking forward to our endowed faculty investiture Sept. 29, followed by my State of the University address.
The investiture is a highlight of our academic year as we celebrate the extraordinary faculty members whose scholarship, teaching and service strengthen our university and extend its impact around the world.
And the State of the University address is an opportunity for me to connect that faculty excellence to the ways Michigan State is answering the challenges of today and tomorrow.
I hope many of our colleagues and others here can join us at Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.
Spartan making a difference
We often talk about the transformational impact MSU has on our graduates and recently profiled online one alumna whose trajectory reflects the relevance of her college experience to today’s world.
Rina Rakipi was a first-generation American student from Dearborn whose father served as a Marine in Operation Desert Storm.
Her family’s background inspired her to enroll in James Madison College’s international relations major, where she pursued a specialization in international security before graduating in 2019.
Today, thanks to the inspiration of faculty, the support of college guidance staff and her growth through multiple internships, she’s helping safeguard Americans as an operations coordinator in the Threat Hunting Subdivision of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
She is a Spartan making a difference, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Commemorating 9/11
And this brings me to a truly seminal event that has affected how we view our security, our world and ourselves.
Today is the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and once again we remember the lives lost and all those whose lives were forever changed.
I know trustees will have more to say about this event — including how Michigan State responded to it, the faculty members who lent their expertise in the aftermath and the scholarships established for children of those who perished.
As a globally engaged institution, we also recognize the profound impact on Muslim and Arab American communities and the importance of fostering understanding across differences. This is particularly critical for a university where we believe that learning and scholarship can help us confront misinformation, fear and division.
So, I was proud to join Provost McIntyre and other leaders at a fundraising launch event last month for our Arab and Arab American Education Initiative.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of MSU’s Muslim Studies Program. For two decades, the program has brought scholars, students and communities together to deepen understanding of Muslim societies and cultures through teaching, research and public engagement.
This work remains especially meaningful as we reflect on the lessons of the past 25 years.
All of us who vividly remember it have our ways of commemorating Sept. 11, 2001.
As I mentioned, I’m planning to join participants from our university and local community, including first responders who protect us every day, at an event today at Ralph Young Field.
And as we remember, we imagine a better world built on the lessons of the past and share the optimism that, by confronting our challenges with resilience and resolution, we can overcome them.