President Susan called Friday’s meeting to order with a ring of the bell and led us in the 4 Way Test. Julie Pingston provided a reflection on higher education. She believes that it isn’t athletics or research that lives on in our memories, but the little things that are remembered and have the biggest impact on our lives. MSU Shadows reflects on those little things:
MSU, we love thy shadows
When twilight silence falls
Flushing deep, and softly paling
O'er ivy covered halls
Beneath the pines we'll gather
To give our faith so true
Sing our love for alma mater
And thy praises MSU
Songwriters: Bernard Traynor / Lucille Morris
I’ve always loved that song. Thank you for the reminder Julie!
The reflection was followed by “The Star Spangled Banner” accompanied by Hari Kern on our piano.
With too many guests to introduce everyone individually, President Susan welcomed all to the meeting, with a special welcome mention to Amy Guskiewicz.
Our special music was introduced by Courtney Millbrook. Yotham Eshak is a second year Master of Music Student at MSU and is also working for LSO. He is originally from Texas and has been a member of the North Texas Symphony. Yotham shared two etudes written for solo clarinet by Béla Kovács. These are part of a set of nine written in the style of nine major historic composers. Yotham played Hommage à J. S. Bach and Hommage à Manuel de Falla. Judging by the silence in the room during his performances, we were a very attentive audience. I know that I enjoyed his playing immensely.
Announcements included volunteer opportunities at the Big Red Ball in November and Greater Lansing Food Bank on September 22nd. A call out to attend the Voting Rights and Democracy March at the Capitol that evening. (I know I saw at least one Rotarian during the local news coverage!) Phillip Bahar, Director of the MSU Broad Art Museum, was in attendance and encouraged all of us to attend the tour and social gathering there on September 24th. The new exhibit is “We Are This Land” and marks America’s 250th birthday.
President Susan introduced our Chair of the Day, Janet Lillie. There was no doubting Janet’s appreciation for MSU’s President Guskiewicz. He brings all his skills every day and is genuine and interested in the whole community. His wife, Amy, is also amazing. President Guskiewicz wants to give more attention to the local community and works to build a culture of caring. Janet appreciates his efforts because it makes her job – which is primarily building relationships or leading the horses to water but not necessarily getting them to drink – much easier.
President Guskiewicz began with a rousing “Go Green” which had an equally rousing appropriate response. He filled us in on this most exciting time on campus and students move in for Fall semester. He and Amy enjoyed meeting students and parents and even carrying a few boxes. There are 17,000 new students with 54,000 total – the second largest population ever. Wednesday night was kickoff night at Breslin for new students. The summer was also busy with high school events, hosting the state bar exam, Special Olympics, Green and White Days for prospective students and other activities. The first few weeks after graduation are a bit lonely, but it doesn’t last for long.
Some of the existing infrastructure is a bit old and renovations are always underway. The new Student Recreation and Wellness Center is state of the art and opened in April. The new pool will open in mid to late October.
A new facility for Plant and Environmental Science is under construction and should be completed next June. It will consolidate top ranked researchers and students, and house 40 new principal investigators.
The Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation is also under construction. When completed, it will bring together 6 colleges and 65 – 75 principal investigators. It will also house the Burgess Center for Entrepreneurship. The facility is scheduled for completion in December 2028.
Both of these projects are designed to increase collaboration, particularly when applying for research grants. Without this collaboration, MSU researchers are competing against each other for grants.
The University is focused on honoring its land-grant mission:
• Serve as a talent activator for Michigan and beyond
• Being committed to and connected through its community partnerships
• Being an R1 Research University supporting innovation, prosperity and quality of life in every corner of the state.
President Guskiewicz is looking forward to his fifth bus tour. These tours offer firsthand opportunities to engage with communities, industries, organizations and research facilities while experiencing MSU's land-grant mission in action.
This past spring, 10,000+ students graduated ready to begin careers that will likely last 50+ years. There is constant thought given to what jobs will exist when today’s students retire. Two thirds of graduates stay in Michigan. There is a focus on lowering barriers and broadening access. MSU has worked hard to keep tuition as low as possible and has lower tuition than other state universities. Additional scholarships have been made available and opportunities for study abroad, service learning and internships have been expanded.
Envision Green is a program that supports first generation and transfer students. There were 326 transfer students last year and more than one in 5 students is a first generation college student. Envision Green is a model program that provides support to these students. The expectation is that they will thrive, not just survive.
The Green and White Council launched in April of 2025 and is made up of CEOs from 6 industry sectors. They lend their expertise and provide feedback on what recent graduates are lacking. Their feedback provides a basis for improvements. One result from this Council is the availability of two-hundred $5000 internships for students.
General education is being re-imagined based on feedback from students. There are new vertical learning opportunities available. All students are required to take a one credit AI course that will ensure that they graduate AI-ready.
There are also efforts underway to exposed local industry leaders to MSU faculty. This can happen through faculty input as well as student internships.
MSU’s health science strategy is being re-imagined through the One Team, One Health initiative. MSU graduates more physicians than any other university in the country. Five-hundred incoming students recently participated in their white coat ceremony. This past spring there were 70+ nursing graduates. The new College of Health Sciences will harness the university’s educational, research and clinical assets, while bolstering stronger connections between MSU’s human, animal and environmental health programs as well as better prepare the next generation of providers.
MSU’s economic impact is statewide – to the tune of $9.75B annually felt in every county. Ingham County sees $4.3B annually and MSU spends $340M with area businesses each year. The University works with local organizations that are involved with area planning for neighborhoods and parks.
MSU is one of the top 70 research universities but would like to rank higher. It is in the top 40 patent granting institutions and is #1 nationally in Department of Energy funded research. Research funding will top $1B in funding this year.
The Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign has seen a record year of fundraising. 63,616 donors contributed more than $736 million to Michigan State University, reflecting the collective impact of Spartans and friends across all the globe and representing a 94% increase in giving from last year’s $380 million total fundraised. Kicking off in 2022, the campaign has a goal of $4B by 2032; 1.94B has already been raised, prompting President Guskiewicz to comment that perhaps the goal needs to be higher.
In the athletics department, football coach Pat Fitzgerald is excited about the first game on September 4th. The women’s soccer team is currently undefeated and ranked #5 nationally. Dan Bartholomae recently came on board as MSU’s 22nd athletic director. He and President Gus, the 22nd President, both have jerseys with the number 22 on them.
After a short question and answer session that included a thank you for deciding to stay at MSU which was met with applause, President Susan thanked President Guskiewicz for speaking to us and rang the bell to adjourn the meeting just a few minutes behind schedule.
My table questioned what was happening the following Friday, but a quick check of the Rotogram that Cathy places on each table confirmed that this week is a Friday off for the Labor Day weekend.
Email for Linda Lynch: linda.j.lynch@gmail.com
DowntownLansing Inc is having its annual Big Red Ball on Saturday, November 21, and they are looking for volunteers to help with the event. DLI’s mission is to “strengthen and nurture the culture, health, and sustainability of our downtown district.” Shifts on November 21 include event setup 2:30-5:30 pm, various shifts during the event from 5:30-10:00 pm, and event tear down and cleanup from 9:30-11:30 pm. More information can be found here: 
We have a service opportunity at the Greater Lansing Food Bank on Tuesday, September 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. located at 5600 Food Ct., Bath Township. Please let Jason Brunette know if you can help: 