Changing MSU's Culture
In first public remarks, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., told Spartans he’s committed to restoring trust, helping MSU to mend
I want to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee for giving me the opportunity to serve this great university.
MSU is an extraordinary institution, the pioneer land-grant university, one that helped to fulfill a noble mission…provide students with affordable access to excellence.
There’s an excellence that shines across the whole university: It’s reflected in the caliber of our faculty, staff and students; our innovative teaching and learning; our groundbreaking research and scholarship; our world-renowned athletic programs; and our vital Extension mission.
MSU is a university with the scope and scale few others possess. It’s a scope and scale that creates impact which allows us to do good, not just for individuals and their families, but also for communities, the state, the nation and the world.
MSU is engaged in initiatives I have worked on in my career and which I care deeply about—improving student success and growing sponsored research to generate discoveries that will change lives.
And there are other initiatives that are new to me and have already captured my imagination, like the drive to integrate the arts into our land-grant mission, and our new initiatives transforming agriculture for local farmers and farmers across the globe.
I’m also impressed by MSU’s growing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, all core values for successful institutions. I want to build on that. Developing a more robust campus-wide plan for diversity, inclusion and equity will be a high priority. And I look forward to engaging the board and the entire campus.
These are just a few of my initial impressions.
There’s so much more I need to learn about MSU. But I’m so excited about the trajectory it’s on. And I look forward to being part of that journey. At the same time, I also see a Spartan community that has had a turbulent, difficult time and a community in need of healing.
I want to meet with the survivors and their families, listen to their voices and their thoughts and learn from them. I want to work with them and the entire campus community to ensure the changes that need to be made are implemented.
What happened at MSU will not be forgotten.
Instead, it will drive us every day to work together to build a campus culture of transparency, awareness, sensitivity, respect and prevention. A safe campus is going to be key in all our initiatives.
I want to especially thank the Associated Students of MSU for its letter. It was full of wisdom. But I was particularly taken by a quote from a graduating senior, who wrote, ...‘While I will be leaving the Spartan community, I will not be independent of it. We hope you will become an integral community member.’
That is one of my goals, and I will further it by living on campus and making every effort to be visible to my fellow Spartans.
I look forward to working hand in hand with distinguished faculty and staff, amazing undergraduate and graduate students, citizens and elected officials in the great state of Michigan.
With 576,00 proud MSU alumni who bleed green and white…we’ll write the next great chapter in Michigan State University’s history.
It’s my pleasure to welcome Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., to MSU. I look forward to working with him throughout his transition now that I’ve returned to my post as executive vice president for Administration. On Jan. 17, I accepted the role of acting president. It was an honor to serve MSU. I have reason for optimism and confidence that our university is being led by an experienced, forward-looking and caring individual.
Satish Udpa
MSU’s Former Acting President
The Search Process
In August 2018, the Board of Trustees appointed an 18-member search committee, co-chaired by Trustees Dianne Byrum, also the board chair, and Melanie Foster. As part of a national search, the committee solicited input through 22 campus-wide input sessions and an online submission form through which community members shared their ideas on the characteristics they desired in the university’s next president. The committee used those comments to create the criteria used in evaluating candidates.
“We express gratitude to the members of the Presidential Search Committee who dedicated their valuable time, immense knowledge and thoughtful perspective,” said Byrum.
“The committee members took the time to capture their thoughts on the process and the selection of President Stanley. We’ve shared that feedback on the presidential search website.
“We also want to thank the Spartan community for taking time to share their thoughts with us. We truly have an invested community,” Byrum said.
