From the President - Winter 2020
A New Year and a New Decade
One of the joys of being a university president is spending time with students, faculty, staff and alumni. People
are the heart of this university, and I have made it a priority to meet as many as possible in the first months
of my administration.
I have met thousands of Spartans and look forward to meeting thousands more. I also have spent time at each of MSU’s degree-granting colleges. I have begun to experience the vast scope and scale of Michigan State University.
Special alumni events I attended in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Washington, D.C., were terrific ways
to meet alumni. We share photos inside of some of these events. I want to offer my thanks to all who attended, and I look forward to meeting Spartans in other communities at upcoming events.
I also have enjoyed learning how Michigan State’s research explores critical areas such as autonomous mobility, which you can read about
in this issue. Through such advances, we are working to develop MSU’s campus into a live, networked transportation ecosystem to optimize safety and convenience.
It is a new year and a new decade, which is an especially appropriate time for taking stock and making plans for the future.
I recently announced two important planning initiatives for the university. The first is a comprehensive strategic planning effort that will help us better define who we are as a university and describe what we wish to become. I want to ensure MSU is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the next decade in our core areas of education, research and outreach.
The second initiative focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion, which I believe is foundational to all we wish to accomplish. As we seek to be a safer, more respectful and more welcoming campus, a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion will be essential.
Finally, from the start of my presidency, I have made it a priority to address issues related to relationship violence and sexual misconduct. I hope you will read about our progress elsewhere in this issue and on MSU’s Our Commitment website.
To learn more about that and my other presidential priorities, please also visit president.msu.edu.
Thank you for your continued interest in and support for Michigan State. I look forward to 2020 and beyond.
Go Green!
Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.
