Podcasts about wkar

#podcast #politics #Michigan #Progressives #Democrats #Farming #Rural #Medicaid #Environment #Economy #RenewableEnergy #WorkingClass #Tariffs #WorkFromHome #Oligarchy #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Musk #Trump #MAGA #LeftOfLansing 00:00-21:28: MAGA Attacks on Rural Michigan/Dems Attack David Hogg Pat Johnston talks about how MAGA Michigan Republicans are passing bills hurting farmers, while also passing bills that have zero benefits to working class. The same goes for the MAGA Republicans in Congress, who are trying to pass $880 billion in Medicaid funding--funding that'll be devasting to rural Michigan residents with hospital closures. And why are Republicans gutting health care for the working class? So, they can pass trillions of $$$ in tax cuts for the elite donor base, like Elon Musk and Betsy DeVos. And Pat's incensed over the DNC's moves to oust party vice-chair David Hogg. 22:29-38:37: Michigan Farmers Union's Bob Thompson Michigan Farmers Union President Bob Thompson joins the show to talk about how Trump & Elon's cuts are adding pain to Michigan farmers, and rural Michigan. Thompson shares his views on topics such as: tariffs, cuts to USAID and USDA, cuts to NOAA and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, and cuts to universities that perform studies designed to help farmers. To learn more, visit the Michigan Farmers Union. 38:38-44:57: Last Call on At-Home Work The "Last Call" is on the MAGA Michigan Republican House majority's demands that state employees come back to Lansing for a five-day work-week. Pat explains why this is beyond idiotic. 44:58-46:40: Ending Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can! leftoflansing@gmail.com Left of Lansing is now on YouTube as well! leftoflansing.com NOTES: "5 Calls" Site where you can call your Congressional Representative and tell them NO to the MAGA Republican Budget.  "MDHHS Report: 750K Michiganders on Medicaid stand to lose coverage if federal cuts are finalized." By Steven Bohner of ABC 13 News in Grand Rapids "U.S. House GOP mandates Medicaid work requirements in giant bill slashing spending." By Jennifer Shutt of Michigan Advance "Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds." By Steve Peoples and Linley Sanders of The AP "Anti-PFAS coalition decries Trump Administration's rollback of drinking water regulations." By Kyle Davidson of Michigan Advance "Children's health services could see trims even under scaled-back Medicaid cuts." By Shalina Chatlani of Stateline "MSU researchers, administrators cope with estimated $82 million lost in funding cuts." By Hannah Locke of State News "5 Key Facts About Medicaid Work Requirements." By Elizabeth Hinton & Robin Rudowicz of KFF "Trump Is (One) Logical Endpoint of the GOP." By Noah Bertlaski of Everything Is Horrible "DNC panel opens the door to removing David Hogg from his national post." By Andrew Howard of Politico "People who work from home all the time ‘cut emissions by 54%' against those in office." By Patrick Barkham of The Guardian "Off The Record with Tim Skubick--Season 54, Ep: 44" by WKAR

The next few weeks are critical, says WKAR Public Media General Manager Shawn Turner. As Congress prepares to vote on the issue of federal funding for public media, the most important voices that will influence the decisions of lawmakers are yours.Approximately $1.60 is the amount each taxpayer contributes to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That $1.60 is seed money for a national system of local public television and radio stations. Shawn Turner joins me now to expound on the value of public media. Americans receive a lot of public services in communities across the country for $1.60.Conversation Highlights:(1:08) - Public media provides an essential universal service. Together, public media broadcasters reach up to 99 percent of the American populations, regardless of zip code or income level, including in communities where commercial television can't succeed. The value extends well beyond radio and television.  (2:42) - Public media is the only free, national media resource that operates with a public service mission, not commercial interest. At WKAR Public Media from Michigan State University, we serve our mission to inform, educate, and inspire through sharing exceptional original content, connecting with community, fostering learning, and much more.  (3:43) - The noncommercial model is particularly important and unique in the children's media space. PBS stations reach more parents of young children than any other children's TV networks. 63 percent of parents surveyed named PBS KIDS® the most educational media brand for children, substantially outscoring the second-most highly rated brand, YouTube, at 13 percent.  (5:04) - Public media stations are locally operated and locally controlled, providing unique, local, essential services. They make their own programming decisions reflecting the unique needs of those living within their broadcast area. For WKAR, that local control means the ability to serve audiences across a region that includes a state capital, a Big Ten University, manufacturing facilities and family-owned farms. (6:24) – WKAR is committed to providing locally focused, balanced content that serves the needs and broad range of viewpoints across this varied community. Michigan hunting and fishing, DIY and travel shows, classical music, performing arts, drama, politics and government. There truly is something for everyone. (7:28) - The work and impact of any local public media station goes far beyond the broadcast. Stations engage in community events that celebrate local cultures and foster open discussion. Many have educational outreach efforts that connect educators and caregivers with free educational broadcast, streaming and gaming resources available from PBS KIDS.  (9:03) – How can listeners and viewers make their voices heard in support of WKAR and all public media?Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Celebrate women who rock in a discussion with the hosts of NPR music's series Turning the Tables as they share their new book How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music. Uncovering the role women have played in shaping the music industry, editor Alison Fensterstock brings long-overdue recognition to female artists, challenging traditional best album lists and highlighting overlooked contributions in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. By bringing together material from over fifty years of NPR's coverage, Fensterstock underscores the enduring impact of women in music. Audience members will gain insight into Joan Baez's reflections on nonviolence as a musical principle, discover Dolly Parton's favorite song and the story behind it, and learn about Nina Simone's use of her voice as a tool against racism. The book also captures Odetta's transition from classical music to folk as a way to express her anger over Jim Crow laws and Taylor Swift's early uncertainties about her career. Music enthusiasts, songwriters, feminist historians, and anyone intrigued by the creative process are invited for a compelling evening of composition conversation at Town Hall. Alison Fensterstock is a New Orleans-based writer and editor. A contributor to NPR Music since 2016, she's written and edited for Turning the Tables and appeared on NPR programs including All Things Considered, World Café and Word of Mouth; her writing about popular music and culture has appeared in Rolling Stone, the NewYork Times, the Oxford American and MOJO, among others. Emily Fox hosts and produces KEXP's music interview show, Sound & Vision. Music and storytelling are her passions. Prior to working at KEXP, Emily was a host, producer, and reporter on Michigan Radio, WKAR and Seattle's KUOW. Rachel Flotard is the singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Seattle rock band Visqueen and mother of three.  She manages artists at Red Light Management and previously served as Director of Operations at Fretboard Journal. Flotard is a creative producer and founded her own independent record label, Local 638 Records, inspired by her dad's New York City Steamfitter's Union. She continues to tour, record and collaborate with folks she loves.     Buy the Book How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music The Elliott Bay Book Company

The presidential election is right around the corner and Michigan is going to play a crucial role in the election results.For MSU Today's 2024 Election Spotlight Series, I'm talking with MSU researchers and experts who can discuss all things elections and politics. Each guest brings a unique perspective on research and work they're doing that relates to the 2024 Election. For today's episode, we are not talking with faculty. Instead, we have guests joining us who are playing active roles in getting out the vote around campus and the greater Lansing community. We are joined Marie Wicks, city clerk of East Lansing, Shawn Turner, general manager of WKAR and Renee Brown, executive director of MSU's Center for Community Engaged Learning and co-director of MSUvote. Su Webster is co-director of MSUVote and director of Community and Student Relations. Conversation Highlights: (1:09) – What is WKAR's role in the election? (1:53) – Describe your role as East Lansing city clerk. (2:32) – Tell us about your roles at MSU. (4:27) – What is MSUVote? (5:38) – How is East Lansing engaging residents about voting? And what can you tell us about Michigan's new voting laws? (9:40) – What should we know about voting at WKAR this year? (12:30) – Remind us about registering and voting in precincts across the state. (13:59) – Are there any MSUVote events coming up? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Tom Shanahan is an awarding winning writer with a 46-year career covering sports for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Voice of San Diego, freelance writing and his website, TomShanahan.Report. His three published books include The Right Thing To Do, Raye of Light, and Bubba's Dad, Duffy and College Football's Underground Railroad.Football Writers Association of America recently awarded him first place for his reporting a piece on the 1962 Rose Bowl and segregation. He won multiple San Diego Press Club sports story-of-the-year awards. He also received a distinguished American from the San Diego chapter of the National Football Foundation. He earned a Braven Dyer Award from Southern California Interscholastic Football Coaches Association. He took first place in the Copley News Service Ring of Truth Awards. He was also given a President's Award from the San Diego chapter of USA Track and Field. A sampling of where his work has appeared in includes these media outlets: Yahoo News, The Wall Street Journal, Detroit Free Press, MLB, Miami Herald, The Charlotte Observer, The Tennessean, The News & Observer, Times Union (Albany), Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), and Honolulu Star-Advertiser,  Media coverage of Raye of Light included: ESPN, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, MSU Alumni Magazine, Dan Daly Pro Football, The State News, radio interviews with Lansing's Jack Ebling and WKAR's (East Lansing) Al Martin, and WRAL's (Raleigh, N.C.) The Adam Gold Show, 102.5 Game's Robby and Rexrode (Nashville, Tennessee) and other stations. Samples of his podcast include these: The End Game: Race and Sports - Tom Shanahan Report and Duffy Daugherty's Underground Railroad - Tom Shanahan Report. Shanahan was featured in the 2023 Sports Emmy Award-winning The Incredible Legacy of Jimmy Raye. Based on The Right Thing To Do, a four-part docuseries is being created, Game Changers of the Century, and will be produced by Bolder Spartan Media Enterprises. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he was raised in Big Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from Michigan State University, with a BA in Journalism. He now resides in Morrisville, N.C. https://tomshanahan.report/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.

Matt Grossmann, Charley Ballard, and Arnold Weinfeld from MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research talk politics and the economy. Show Notes On this month's State of the State Podcast, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research Assistant Director Arnold Weinfeld, along with Institute Director, Dr. Matt Grossmann and Economist Dr. Charles Ballard discuss the current state of the economy including the impact of the continued rates hikes by the Federal Reserve on the economy and the upcoming election. The guest this month is Dr. Debra Horner, with the University of Michigan Ford School's Center for Local, State and Urban Policy where she serves as senior program manager on the Michigan Public Policy Survey program. The program surveys local government officials across the state of Michigan and just released findings on the attitudes of local election officials when it comes to confidence in election security. This podcast comes to you from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and WKAR.”

Episode 2579 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how the State of Michigan is honoring its Vietnam Veterans. The featured story appeared on WKAR and was titled Vietnam veterans eligible for state certificate honoring service. … Continue reading →

WKAR is supported by Capital Area District Libraries. Sponsor of "Que Onda Michigan?", WKAR's weekly Spanish-language news podcast featuring headlines with a focus on people and issues important to Michigan's Latinx community. New episodes are available Fridays on WKAR.org. Subscribe to the podcast here.

¿Qué Onda Michigan? es el podcast en español de WKAR con Michelle Jokisch Polo brindandote las noticias y titulares más importantes de la semana con un enfoque en las personas y los problemas mas importantes para la comunidad Latina de Michigan. El podcast esta disponible semanalmente los viernes.

Marisela Garza, CADL's youth services specialist read this version of  Clement Moore's 'Twas the night before Christmas on WKAR's 870 AM/102.3 FM. Also, an English version aired on 99.1 WFMK and AM 1240 WJIM.  

 Mason librarian Lindsay Anderson read this version of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” on 99.1 WFMK and AM 1240 WJIM. Storytime includes special messages from executive director Scott Duimstra and Governor Gretchen Whitmer.  Also, click to hear our Spanish version which aired on WKAR's 870 AM/102.3 FM.  

On this month's State of the State Podcast, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research Assistant Director Arnold Weinfeld, along with Institute Director, Dr. Matt Grossmann and Economist Dr. Charles Ballard discuss the current state of the economy including the impact of the continued rates hikes by the Federal Reserve on the economy and the upcoming election.  The guest this month is Dr. Debra Horner, with the University of Michigan Ford School's Center for Local, State and Urban Policy where she serves as senior program manager on the Michigan Public Policy Survey program.  The program surveys local government officials across the state of Michigan and just released findings on the attitudes of local election officials when it comes to confidence in election security.  This podcast comes to you from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and WKAR.”

WKAR Public Media is celebrating a century of service as AM 870 went on the air in August of 1922. Wharton Center for Performing Arts is celebrating 40 years of providing a wide array of world class arts and entertainment for mid-Michigan and beyond. And the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum opened its doors 10 years ago. The three leaders of these MSU institutions join the program today. Shawn Turner is the interim director of broadcasting at MSU and general manager of WKAR Public Media. Eric Olmscheid is executive director of Wharton Center, and Steven Bridges is interim director of the Broad Art Museum. “You don't get to stick around for 100 years without doing something right,” says Turner. “WKAR went on the air on August 18 of 1922. When we originally went on the air, WKAR was about providing agricultural information to local farmers and quickly evolved to providing additional programming to the local community. If you look at what's happened over the past hundred years, WKAR has been a leader in innovation when it comes to providing news and information and entertainment to the community. We've come from providing those very direct and limited broadcasts to providing programing and education.“Today we have one of the most popular classical radio stations in all of Michigan. And when we look to the future of WKAR, our viewers and listeners are going to see additional content that's really going to connect with this community. Our evolution has been one of responding to people in the community, responding to our listeners and our viewers, and making sure that at every turn we're doing the right things to support them and their needs.”“Wharton Center is coming up on its 40th anniversary on the 25th of September,” says Olmscheid. “On September 25, 1982, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra opened Wharton Center with a grand affair, and it's been nonstop since then. It has been nonstop in the sense of that commitment to the community and to mid-Michigan and world class performing arts and educational opportunities. The organization continues to think about what's next. We're celebrating 40 years, but we're excited about how we fit into this greater MSU 2030 Strategic Plan, the Arts Plan, and how our units collectively work more together to amplify what's happening from an arts and culture standpoint on this campus. We are continuing to evolve and thinking about how we engage and support what's happening here on campus and how are we connect with the community to be a leader in education, both in university and K-12.“It's truly just beginning, and there are so many more things ahead. As we look at developing our own strategic plan, I think of it as more of a roadmap. Where do we really want to go? And how do we want to connect with our community? People love the Wharton Center for great Broadway programming and amazing concerts, and we're home to traditional and contemporary performing arts. All of that's going to stay, but I think how we package it and how we connect to our audiences and how we get new audiences in the door is our next chapter and our next focus.”“In the past 10 years, there's been a lot of great work, and I think we've accomplished a lot and made a lot of inroads, both in our community and as a campus leader in arts education,” says Bridges. “We've been a strong collaborator and partner to many different disciplines throughout those 10 years. We recently celebrated a major opening of a Zaha Hadid exhibition, which is the largest, most major retrospective of her design work to date. To have Zaha Hadid's design work placed within the architecture of her building is a truly unique and unparalleled experience. I'm very proud of that exhibition, and for us, it also signals an important shift for us looking forward into the future. “If we look back at the Broads and Hadid, they were important figures for us as an institution. Looking at the ways that they carried themselves and that they invested and provided opportunities for growth and development within their spheres of influence, there's a lot of inspiration to be taken there. Zaha Hadid famously said, ‘I think there should be no end to experimentation,' and that's something that we take whole heartedly at the museum.”WKAR, Wharton Center, and the Broad are all part of a comprehensive campus-wide strategy called University Arts and Collections, which supports units across campus that hold significant cultural and intellectual collections that serve the research, scholarship, and outreach missions of MSU. What is it? Why now, and what are its goals and mission?“Let me start out by saying that I think this is a really amazing collaboration for the community,” continues Turner. “The fact that the three of us are here talking about our organizations and our collaborations and our willingness to work together, and that you have this broader collaboration that will really bring a level of intensity in the arts to this community that we've never seen before, is something that we're all very excited about. This is an opportunity for us to recognize that in the time that we've been a part of this community, we all have touched different parts of this community. We all have different audiences and different followings and different supporters, but those interests that this community has all converge at some point, and what we recognize is that that point is the arts. We're going to work together across the campus to make sure that these collections and these collaborations not only bring us together as organization, but those collaborations then create new and interesting opportunities for this community to engage with the arts.”“Michigan State is such a large organization that if we don't have the intentional connectivity, it's easy for us to all drift into our own focus,” adds Olmscheid. “We all have our own priorities and strategies that roll up into this greater university plan, which I think is critically important as far as setting direction and intention and shared goals. But if we don't have that intentionality of collaboration, it's easy for us to all be in our own lane not even focused on the greater good. I think that's great. It's really about access, and this idea that the community can come together is important as we think about our next stage and step in evolution and what we do because that's such a critical piece to our human condition. The arts are that fabric that brings us together. The weaving of the human condition is really through the arts. The arts are such a core piece of who we are and how its evolved in our day-to-day lives is very different today, but I think it's important to remember that.”“These anniversary years weren't planned, but what a great moment to seize that opportunity and recognize the opportunities that lie before us,” Bridges says. “Culture isn't just something that kind of happens to us. It's something that we create, and we create it together. We all work in the service of this university, the student body, and the faculty and staff and researchers here. But we work for the greater community of mid-Michigan, Lansing and beyond.“Moving forward we want to create more porousness, if you will, between our organizations, but also with the communities that we serve. We want feedback from them directly about what they want to see from us and meet them where they are to create a greater sense of belonging and collectiveness that I think will be more important in terms of ingraining the value of arts and culture within our communities and within our lives.”“Eric talked about access. And when we think about access over at WKAR, part of that for us is going out into the community and finding out what the community wants and what the community needs to feel supported by WKAR,” says Turner. “What is the community interested in with regards to the arts? This is a collaboration, not only between us, but between these organizations in the community. This is an interactive relationship, and so I hope that people feel as excited about this as we do because you're going to have an opportunity to shape the future of these organizations and shape the future of the arts in this community.”“The arts have this really important place in us as human beings, and they connects us,” Olmscheid says. “It's a natural connection, a connective tissue. Here at MSU, the arts have that same kind of connective tissue across campus and across our organizations. What are our plans as we look at connecting to the research endeavor and to looking at academic connections and many other tentacles into the campus community that are beyond just the arts and cultural components? That's the piece that I think is the chapter that is yet to be written. How are we continuing to evolve in that way across the campus and really infusing the arts to be a valuable tool across every piece of MSU?”“That resonates with the values of the museum and the University,” adds Bridges. “It has a large part to do with creating vibrant, welcoming communities and the next generation of arts leaders and stewards of culture within this country and region. The place of the arts as a generative force within our communities and the understanding that a creative approach to thinking and knowledge production are applicable far beyond the arts and into all disciplines. The integration of the arts across campus and into our daily lives is critical to creating exactly that kind of community.“There's a great opportunity to always see and experience and know things differently through the arts, and I think there's a real educational value, but also an expansion of your mind and awareness, which allows you to engage with different cultures, lived experiences and perspectives. That creates more well-rounded individuals and therefore better communities and better societies.”“We're all living at a time when there are a lot of stresses,” concludes Turner. “There's a lot going on in our environment that can make us feel anxious. And as we sit around the table here today, I think about the ability of these organizations to not only help people be well informed about their world, but to Eric's point, it's an opportunity for people to go to a place where we can let the stress go, and we can let the anxiousness go, and we can experience the arts in ways that help us all feel rejuvenated and help us all refresh and help us come back to our world with a new perspective. As I sit here with these gentlemen, and as I think about the collaborations that are to come, that excites me, especially at a time when I think that's something that we all need.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“Strategic communication is one of those terms that we hear thrown around a lot in the communication field. And what we're talking about with strategic communication really is the idea that we all communicate with each other daily, in organizations, interpersonally, with family and friends. And that communication is designed to relay a message between you and me right now to achieve some objective. When we talk about strategic communication, we're really talking about looking at a vision, objective, or goal for an organization and developing the communication that will help us achieve those objectives or those goals over time.“It's a field that's evolved over the years and one that I really enjoy working in because it involves not only helping organizations get from where they are today to where they want to go. But it also involves elements of crisis communication, issue communication, and a range of other things that organizations are dealing with daily. I still enjoy teaching and helping the next generation of communicators.”What made you want to take on the assignment?“When I got to know the team here at WKAR, what I found was just a great group of people who come to work every day with this idea that there's a community out there that needs information, a community out there that needs support, a community out there that relies on this station and the people at this station to keep them informed. And while it's very different than the type of service that I spent my career engaged in, it's still service to people who need your support. And so, I felt this natural kinship with the folks here. When this opportunity came along, I will tell you the only thing that gave me pause was the fact that Susi Elkins was such a phenomenal general manager here and has done such great work that I think you have to stop and think about following in the footsteps of someone like that.“The members of the WKAR team know what they're doing, and they don't need me to tell them what to do or how to do it. What they needed was someone to step in and be a leader and provide the space for them to continue to serve this community and to continue to do the things that they've been doing for so long and so well in this community. And so I said, ‘Yeah. I'll take this opportunity to do that.'"What do you see as some of the challenges facing WKAR and the opportunities inherent in some of those challenges, and what are some of your goals to meet those along the way?“We're at a sort of inflection point in public media where the days of simply turning on your television or turning on your radio and reaching your audience over the air are quickly going to be behind us. Now, to be clear, there will always be people who want to receive their news and information by turning on the television and getting it that way. And we are never going to abandon those people. We'll always be there for them. But what we've found is that there is an increasing number of people out there who want to receive their news and information on different platforms and through different digital means at different times. Sometimes they want it on demand and sometimes they want it live. And as I said, they want it from many different sources. And we must respond to that. “It's one of the reasons why during my time as interim, I'm very focused on a digital transformation that looks across our enterprise and makes sure that all the information that we are distributing and providing to the community is getting out through multiple digital platforms. We've got to make some adjustments. We've got to change. Every time I see a challenge, I see an opportunity. This is a really great opportunity for us to not only do better for our listeners and for our viewers, but to also be leaders in the public media space with the approach that we take.”What is the Century of Service?“WKAR will celebrate 100 years of service this year on August 18. WKAR Radio will be 100 years old that day. It is an unbelievable milestone that we are going to celebrate. WKAR Radio started out 100 years ago providing agricultural information to farmers in the Greater Lansing area. And over the years, we have been innovators at every turn with the support of MSU. We were an early adopter of television, and WKAR was one of the founding members of NPR and of PBS. There's an amazing amount of history and a great legacy here at this station.“When I think about things that excite me in the digital transformation, there's an opportunity to grow our audience. Public media tends to have an older audience. We tend to have people who are less entrenched in all things digital. But here's where it gets interesting. When you look at the content that's being developed here at WKAR and you look at the content that's being developed by PBS across the enterprise, that content speaks to a diverse cross section of audiences. It speaks to different communities across the country. We know that we have content that will appeal to people who may not be traditional public broadcasting consumers. The challenge for us is to figure out how to get that content to them.“We know that once we get it to them, they engage with it. We know that they like it, and we know that they'll keep coming back for more. I see this as a real opportunity for us to expand the audience of public media. I also see this as a way to serve the community. We like to refer to this as super serving the community, that is to give them more than what they expect and constantly exceed their expectations.“WKAR has been serving this community for 100 years, and we are going to continue to serve the Greater Lansing community, not only over the air, but out in the community. In order to stay connected with you, we have to be where you are. We have to get information into the channels that you want us to communicate through in order to reach you. Our objective is to provide news and information that gives our audience a view of the world that they might not get in other places. We are here to serve the community and to be a part of the community, and we're going to continue to make that our priority.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get yours shows.

“I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately as you can probably imagine because I truly have grown up here. I started at WKAR as a student in their student employment program and never looked back. I love WKAR and MSU. This whole community has just been a wonderful place to be. I learned everything I know through the staff at WKAR.”What are some key accomplishments you're proud of the station has made under your leadership?“It's probably our education services. We often say we're so much more than a TV and radio station even though that's so cool that we are those things. But there's so much work that goes on behind the scenes in support of the community. I think the education piece is key.“My first full-time job here was working with faculty on distance education courses and helping them make sure they could reach students wherever they were in the country or in the world. It was so cool, and the faculty were so innovative. It inspired me to get a master's in educational technology because I could see what technology can do as a tool for education.“During that time, I moved over to the public broadcasting side and really wanted to use my degree and expertise to help kids and families and teachers. I started producing QuizBusters working with high school kids and their families. Curious Crew is another accomplishment that I'm proud of. A theme for me has been to use my abilities to build capacity around others who really can change the world. Rob Stephenson is a person who approaches science education for kids in a cool way.  Rob wants the kids to be the focus in their own understanding of science. There are nine kids that host the show with him, and they have become family for us. These kids are such incredible students. We've touched so many lives. It's broadcast in markets around the country, and that's something I'm proud of.“Our innovation work with the Next Gen Media Innovation Lab is another piece that I've been proud of. Our whole team just said ‘We don't really know what the future holds, but we want to have a part in creating something exciting for our community, and our industry, and for the university. So, let's create this lab and study what broadcasting will be in the near future.' That's exciting.“And I've had the opportunity to work at the national level and be elected to America's Public Television Stations and PBS boards. The work that they're doing on the national level for the citizens of this country is just amazing. To have been a part of that is something I'll never forget.”How have broadcasting and WKAR's missions evolved over the years? Where do you see them going?“The amazing part is that we're coming up on 100 years of broadcasting at WKAR, and I don't think our mission has changed. It's always been to take the power of our learnings from the university and the power of education and bring it to the people, all the people. That's what public media is about. It needs to be free and over-the-air and educate and inspire literally everyone.“There's no other organization that has a mission like that. I've been thinking about this, I've had people say to me, ‘Is public media even needed anymore?' There's so much content out there. We can learn about anything. It's at our fingertips. It's wonderful that there's so much content out there. I am a creator. It just reinforces the whole reason that public broadcasting was created in the first place. There is still no one who is going to create this for free without influence and provide it to every citizen in this country. In rural areas where there aren't large populations, it just doesn't make sense. You're not going to make a lot of revenue. There's no reason to do it if revenue is your core base mission. It isn't for us.“We push through all the noise of all the content and make sure that the local person at the local level has the information they need to, for instance, vote for the person that they want to be in leadership. We really cut through all the noise to reach those individuals who need us to be there for them. It's exciting that our mission really hasn't changed. We've just had to evolve. Certainly, society has changed. Technology has changed. We've changed to make sure we can accomplish that mission, but it really hasn't changed much.”What are some challenges and opportunities you see ahead for your successor?“There's no shortage of challenges, that's for sure, but there's also no shortage of opportunity. I think we're in a moment where we're constantly having to re-evaluate what's the best way to meet the moment. I can certainly talk about all the challenges there are and will continue to be around funding and resources, but I think those are challenges that anyone is facing in any industry anywhere. Those are always going to be challenges.“What I'm more interested in are the challenges and opportunities around the work that we do. We're in the business of bringing people together when there are so many forces pulling people apart. We have to really think about what this means for us now. If we are here to bring people together around conversation, how can we best do that given what's happening nationally and globally? We have to work differently in order to accomplish those goals.“We're in the business of supporting teachers and families, and the role of education and educators is in flex at this point. It used to be that was a no brainer. Now, they're really challenged. We have to be there for them even more than ever. I think we are as public broadcasters, but our role in education becomes increasingly important and that's a challenge. But it's also an opportunity.“Also, the role of journalism has changed significantly. We want to hold leaders accountable. We want to provide context. That becomes a challenge when facts aren't agreed upon as they may have been in the past. Really adding that context and going deeper is so much more important now than it's ever been because of all these other forces at work. To me, those are the real challenges. How do you make good on this mission? How do you make good on the whole reason for being for this organization when so many things are in flux and the societal norms are shifting so rapidly? You need to still make sure you're there for folks. It just looks different and feels different, and that's certainly a challenge.”What attracted you to this new position you're taking as chief community development officer at the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union?“So many things attracted me to this position, and it would have to be that attractive to pull me from WKAR. As you can hear, I'm very passionate about the work of the station and the work of the university. There are only two organizations in this community that I've been a member of for 30 years, and that would be WKAR and MSUFCU. We're both very oriented toward community and want to make sure that our members are supported and have the most innovate products and services.“I see that at MSUFCU. I've seen it for decades and have been inspired by it. I want to be a part of what they're doing, and it allows me to stretch myself creatively and professionally. I'm able to do that at WKAR and have for years, which is why I've always stayed. I see the ability to continue to do that, but there are just some challenges that I want to approach for myself personally that this role will allow me to do. I will be thinking through philanthropically what the community needs and how I can support that work. We have been a beneficiary at the station of the power that MSUFCU has to really help people achieve their dreams within the community. That's extremely exciting to me.“The innovative work that they're doing around their products and services and the role that work can play for smaller credit unions in communities is very similar to how I think about public broadcasters and how the system is only secure when the smallest station has access to resources within their community. I think the credit union plays that role in supporting smaller credit unions who need to stay strong for their community members. They play an active role here in this community but also nationally to make sure that all citizens have access to the funds that they need to make their lives better. It's just inspiring and exciting to me.”Say some more about what your role will be at MSUFCU.“I will have a significant portfolio that I'm excited about. It will include marketing, which means I will support a lot happening in a lot of different areas across the credit union. We have an excellent marketing team there. I'll learn a lot from them, but I think I'll be able to help provide an umbrella for all the various subsidiaries and for the foundation and make sure that we're all leveraging resources across the entire credit union.“That also means that I'll have connection to the university, to MSU, which is exciting to me. Campus to Career will also be part of my portfolio. That is connecting students to internships, and we would really like to build an infrastructure where students are increasingly able to have more responsibilities as they move through their internships and into job placement. I'm obviously a product of the work that WKAR does to support students. So, being able to do that work for the credit union is exciting to me. I see constantly through social media and everywhere how much every single person, no matter what job they have at the credit union, loves their job and they talk about that a lot. I think that speaks a lot to the leadership team and to April Clobes' leadership. The growth that's happened since she's taken over is just phenomenal, and it makes me want to be a part of it to see what I can do.“There are so many people that I want to thank as I leave WKAR, and it's impossible to name all the names. Because of their hard work and because the station is in such a fantastic space right now and we have such a phenomenal leadership team, I feel in good conscience I can go and explore opportunities that are exciting to me and know that the station is in such solid hands.“I want to thank everybody not only for helping me to learn and grow but for nurturing my own professional career and for seeing in themselves what I see in them and rising to the occasion and supporting our members and our community. It's just been such a phenomenal ride, and I just want to thank all our staff past and present, all our members, all our partners, our national partners, and my peers.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required a lot of attention and decision making at MSU to keep everyone safe and moving forward. Can you give us an idea of how these decisions are made?President Stanley:We begin with the fundamental principle of keeping everyone safe at Michigan State University: faculty, staff, and students. And at the same time, we're doing everything we can to continue our vital mission of education and economic development. These things and our extension mission are critical to us. And so, those considerations sometimes conflict a little bit or may conflict with what we need to do, but in general, we try to optimize each of those things. I meet very frequently with other Michigan State University leaders like University Physician Dave Weismantel and Norm Beauchamp, who oversees all of our medical areas. I also consult with the provost, of course, because she represents faculty, and with Vennie Gore, who oversees student affairs, and with Melissa Woo, executive vice president for administration representing our staff.It's a group that represents a number of constituents on the campus and allows us to take a very broad view of what we're doing. And then of course, we look at data. Because of my background, I'm very interested in what's happening. We follow what's happened in the past at Michigan State University. What have our patterns been in the past in terms of COVID? We're now well more than two years into this pandemic. So we can look at historical data and understand what happens. We know that when students return to campus, for example, we've seen a surge each time. Even if there was lower background in the community, we've seen a surge. When there's higher background in the community, we see a surge again on top of whatever's happening in the community. So that's happened. We need to be prepared for that.We also know that we've been very successful in safely administering learning during this time in person in our last semester. So we take that into account as well. We also consider guidance from the CDC. We try to adopt CDC guidance and stay with it. We look at what the state department of health and human services is recommending to try and go with that. And then of course, we make recommendations based on the science. We've learned a lot about the virus. It transmits probably twice as effectively as the previous virus did. It's also probably about half as virulent in some sense. About a half the people who had to be hospitalized from Delta have to be hospitalized with Omicron.About half the people who were hospitalized with Delta would be hospitalized with Omicron. So that's good. Hospital stays are shorter with Omicron, but still people are hospitalized. And if you go into a situation with with Omicron where you have three times as many people getting infected, then the fact that half as much means you're still getting more people in the hospital than you did with the Delta outbreak. So that's somewhat what we're seeing around the country right now is hospitals are at capacity. Finally, we look to coordinate with others. I talk to the leaders at other institutions. We obviously talk to our health department. We talk to our representatives from some of our cities and townships. So they understand what we're planning to do. All those things come together in making the kind of difficult decisions we do.Russ White:And as you mentioned, sir, we were able to limit the spread of the coronavirus while keeping most classes in person last semester. Why did we start this semester with mostly remote classes?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:It was a difficult decision because we know how much students want to be in person. And I think all of us wanted to be back in person, but I think it had to do with two things. One was just a little bit of uncertainty about Omicron, understanding it better. I think just even in the past few weeks, we've learned more about it and how it spreads. The second was the recognition that there were going to be large numbers of cases associated with this surge and that the measures we'd done before, vaccination and boosters - boosters are imperative by the way – are the difference between getting sick with these viruses and getting hospitalized with these viruses and having to a very mild illness. But what we know about Omicron is the breakthrough infections are more common with Omicron than they were with any variant up to date and it's far more contagious.So again, most of the cases that we've seen as a country are in unvaccinated individuals. And about 90 percent of the cases we've seen that are hospitalizations or deaths, unfortunately, are with unvaccinated individuals. But vaccinated people are getting Omicron. And some of us may know people who've been vaccinated and had their boosters who are getting Omicron. So we knew there'd be more cases to deal with. And the concern was we do have to quarantine or isolate. We have to isolate individuals who've been infected for now, according to CDC guidance, at least five days. Before it was 10 days. So if we came back and we had a major surge, our concern was there would be significant absenteeism, both in classes and in the faculty because of this Omicron surge at this time. So it would make it more difficult to have in person classes because people just wouldn't be able to show up basically.The first three weeks of the semester are critical in learning. It's the time when everyone learns about the course and what's going to be taught and some of the basic principles that are going to be important. And we wanted to make sure there was a consistent first experience for everybody coming back to MSU this semester. So we thought the easiest way to do that would be to be remote in these first three weeks. The goal now is that after we get these first three weeks in that everybody's on the same page. We know there'll still be some absentees. We know there'll be some classes that have to be missed, but people will have started the semester. They'll be in class. They'll know what's going on and it's going to make it I think a better experience.We also cared about what was happening with the opening of other school districts. We wanted to be aware of some of the surges that might take place there with reopening. We want to give parents who have to care for children or who may have children of elementary school age who may have to come home again because they test positive the opportunity to work remotely during this time and to give more flexibility to our faculty and caregivers with their schedules. So that's what's driven it. We're looking to open again to start in person classes on January 31st. That's our goal right now. And we're following numbers very carefully as we look up to that.Russ White:So what else are we doing this semester to control the spread of COVID-19?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:The mask mandate remains incredibly important. I encourage everybody to get the best kind of mask you can. And I think that's very important to do that. Mask wearing indoors remains something that we need to do. And I would really encourage everybody to do that. It's always still disappointing to me that the rest of the state hasn't caught up with that, but I'm really glad that I see it on our campus and people continue to adhere to it. And it's been adhered to at sporting and entertainment events and other things as well. I really appreciate that people are doing that. The really important thing of course is for people to be vaccinated and to make sure you've had your boosters. And we're requiring boosters for all faculty, staff, and students. If you're eligible during this period of time, we expect you to get it by February 1st.When you become eligible, if it's after February 1st, we expect you to get it within two weeks of your eligibility taking place. And so that's the most important thing. We know that this disease can change to something that can be very severe and cause death. Again, we're not seeing a huge decline in deaths right now during this Omicron surge, but they're not increasing proportionally to the number of cases as they would've with the Delta, for example, but that's still concerning. So, getting vaccinated and getting boosted is really critical. To make that easier, we're working within Ingham County to set up some vaccine stations that will be available for more of the mass vaccination efforts like we had early on in the pandemic at the pavilion.We're looking for those opportunities with maybe a capacity of about 1,000 boosters at a time. We're also continuing to talk to other surrounding areas about the availability of vaccinations so that we can put on our Together We Will website the locations of places that are providing vaccines for people who need to get them. We're doing some vaccines in our pharmacy. We're doing some vaccines in student health, but there's about a three week wait, at least for those. So I encourage people to find out where's the place you can get vaccinated. And for those students, faculty, and staff who have not had that booster, this is a great time to do this. While we're working remotely, you can do it while you're at home.Russ White:And President Stanley, I think you'd like to remind listeners too, that we're all in this together. Nobody likes this, but Spartans Will get through this.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:I know that people are frustrated by the pandemic. I think all of us and many of us who have really taken this seriously have really thought about our responsibility, not just to ourselves, but to others and family members and the community to try and control some of the spread of disease. It's difficult when we're confronted with this variant that still can infect people, even though they've taken the precautions. And again, there's no shame in getting infected by this virus. It's not anything you did necessarily. It's the virus and its infectivity that's changed. But I think we still need to have the empathy we've had for people. But we also need, again, to think about doing the things that we can do to try and mitigate this to the extent we can.We're all in this together. All of us have the same goal, which is to pursue our education and to pursue our innovative work at Michigan State University and do it in an environment where we're safe and welcome. We all have that goal. Getting vaccinated, getting boosted, and wearing your mask are all ways in which we work together to allow us to get as close to normal as we can during this challenging period. And I think it will get better. What we know from South Africa and the United Kingdom is that this virus goes up and then it goes down in a much more rapid way than we saw with the previous one. I'm optimistic that by mid-February, we'll be seeing significant declines in these numbers and that things will look much better by March.The pandemic has been challenging. There's a high level of frustration, but there will be better days ahead. Pfizer has announced they're making an Omicron specific vaccine that may help us with this variant and may make a difference. We have new antivirals coming in from Pfizer and from Merck that may be helpful in treating individuals who do get COVID who need this. They do more to reduce the severity of disease for people who get it. There are some good things on the horizon, and we just need to recognize that this is a surge. It is going to come back down again. That's what it's done everywhere else. It's not going to sustain at this level. It's not really possible. We've got to get through these next few weeks, but then things are going to be better as we go through the spring semester.MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. says the plan is a guidepost for MSU to be strategic about wisely and efficiently using limited resources and refine its values in an inclusive way.“We have a mission of education, research and innovation, and outreach to really take what we've learned and make a difference in people's lives,” Stanley says. “So, we really need to be strategic. Resources are limited. We know that. We depend upon tuition. We depend upon state allocation. Those things have not been rising at great levels recently. We must think very carefully about how we use our resources. What we did for Michigan State University was say, ‘What are our values? What are the things we care about? How do we want to make a difference? Where do we want to be impactful?'“We identified those values and then we said, ‘How do we accomplish and excel in them?' We have the university's strategic plan, which looks at the university's activities on a whole level. We have the RVSM Strategic Plan, which looks at an issue that's been very important for Michigan State, relationship violence and sexual misconduct. And then we have a plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is not only a separate plan, but also incorporated into the university's strategic plan. We made a campus wide effort to bring people together.“These plans had to be inclusive; they weren't going to be top down. We had to have plans where faculty and staff and students had input on what we're going to do going forward. And from that we've crafted something we think, particularly in the university strategic plan, is going to take us from now to 2030 and be a guidepost for us for how we invest our resources and how we work together as an institution to be impactful and to make a difference for the State of Michigan.”Ultimately, says President Stanley, the plan puts people and student success first.“We have great facilities, but really when it comes down to it, it's about people. We start with our students and student success. Our heritage is to provide access for students who are economically disadvantaged and give them an opportunity to get a college education that was good as they could get at any school in the country. That was our primary mission initially, and that's continued now. So, we're finding ways to ensure student success and help every student who arrives at Michigan State University graduate.“Absolutely essential as well is our faculty and staff and providing opportunities for them to reach their full potential. So, whether it's in education, whether it's in research and innovation, whether it's in outreach, how do we help them use their full potential and have impact? And what are the conditions we need to set to do that? How do we help them become better at educating? How do we reduce barriers to their ability to do their best research? How do we find resources to help them achieve what they want to do? How do we help their professional development so they can really see careers ahead of them that allow them to succeed and make Michigan State a destination where people want to work? Those are the things that are most significant. We're putting people at the center of our plan and focusing very much on them.”The goal for MSU is to evolve and grow its impact on Michigan and the world.“The destination looks like a Michigan State University that's recognized around the world as being impactful and having impact in areas that matter to people. There are some major problems we face, like problems around climate change and problems around artificial intelligence and how we use it effectively. There are issues around health and health disparities, which are a very significant problem for the United States and for the world. How do we keep our water and food supply secure so people don't have to suffer from insecurity or concerns about their water? All these things are things that Michigan State can tackle. We have the multidisciplinary ability to do it. The strategic plan lays out ways in which we can make a difference. One of the goals, for example, is to get to $1 billion annually in research expenditures.“We know that's a number where we're going to be having impact. If we're at that number, that speaks to a national and global impact. As we look at graduation rates, we know if we can get up to 86 percent that we'd be among the top public universities in the country in terms of graduation rates. It's an achievable number, but how do we get there? This is an educational institution that matters to Michigan and to the world. We have found ways to get engaged in the problems that matter most to society, like creating the trained workforce that helps Michigan continue to excel and create economic development.”President Stanley says the process of how the plan was developed was crucial so that the entire Spartan community could take ownership in the plan.“The process really mattered so we needed a plan that involved input from faculty, students, and staff. The key constituents needed to have input. But we expanded that as well. The Board of Trustees was intimately involved in this and was involved in reviewing each of these three plans on a regular basis. And then we went to our alumni as well. We went to our donors and talked to them. We went to elected officials and talked to them. All these people had a chance to provide input into the strategic plan because we wanted a plan that people owned and know they contributed to. “Without that buy-in and people seeing themselves in the plan, it could become a document that just sits on the shelf. That's not what we want. It was critical that it be an inclusive process. My hat's off to the leaders of these different committees for all the work they did to be inclusive, all the listening sessions they held, and all the outreach they did. I think it's paid off in having a plan that I think people can, as I said before, see themselves in, buy into, and want to be a part of.”President Stanley says the plan is not etched in stone and will evolve over time as necessary. And the plan allows MSU to refine and evolve its values.“It's always important for an institution like MSU, one with this incredible history of accomplishment, to not rest and to always look and say, ‘What are our values? Are we staying true to our values? And are our values appropriate to the times we live in? How have they changed? And what's changed from maybe 100 years ago or 150 years ago?' That relook was very important. Coming out of the challenges the university faced earlier in 2017 and through the pandemic, it's really helped us hone in on what's important to the university and how we're going to be impactful. We had vigorous discussion on these questions. The values segment of the plan took a long time to come together to get cohesiveness and agreement on. Having those values defined will help us function better as a university.”2030 is eight years away. It's the right amount of time to implement the plan and evaluate its progress.“Eight years is a pretty good number. It's hard to get things done and have real impact in a short period of time. As we know, universities are large and complex organizations, and to get people pulling together sometimes takes some work. But once we do, it can be extraordinary. So, I think that timeframe is appropriate. Things change rapidly. So we will revisit this plan on a regular basis. We have already built into the plan a review in about three to four years into the process to see where our progress is. And Bill Beekman, our vice president for strategic initiatives, will be looking at this plan and be responsible for helping to coordinate metrics and help coordinate the reporting of those metrics. The Board of Trustees will expect several reports on the plan's progress.“They're intimately involved, as I said before, on implementing this plan. They want to be engaged in it. And the key thing is having an implementation plan. So having Bill's position and having strategic champions for each of the pillars of the plan that we've identified for each of them are important in making sure the plan gets implemented. Many strategic plans are done by universities, and many sit on a shelf. That's not what we want for this. We want one where we are actually holding ourselves accountable for progress. And there are some stretch goals in the plan. We may not reach every goal as fast as we'd like, but I think it's feasible to reach every goal on this list by 2030.”As President Stanley said, it's now time for the plan's champions to begin implementation.“That involves the champions getting together now and figuring out what the priorities are that we want to begin with. What are the areas where we want to start applying resources to make a difference and how do we do that? That's going to involve the champions working with key constituents. Those can be deans of colleges, department chairs, and students who can really start putting together a committee that's going to help guide where resources flow. Implementation is going to be the next key step, and that's taking place as we speak.”As President Stanley mentioned, Michigan State University's Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Bill Beekman will lead the implementation of the plan. And Beekman agrees with Stanley that the plan is not etched in stone and will evolve as there are more ways than one to reach the desired destination.“A strategic plan is an important thing for any organization, maybe particularly a university, because it's a roadmap and a sense of direction of where we want to go,” says Beekman. “If you're traveling somewhere, there's almost always more than one way to get there. You can take path A or path B or C. So, when we think about a strategic plan, it's not necessarily carved in stone. It's more about the destination. We'll figure out the path a bit as we go and as times change, as circumstances change, and as people change. To me, a strategic plan is really important because it gives us a sense of direction and a process we can adjust and adapt. It gives us a point to look towards and strive towards in the future.”Beekman says progress on the plan's implementation will be shared often with the campus community. Bill will lead a team responsible for helping to refine strategies and actions, establish robust measures and metrics across all themes, and recommend processes to track and report on implementation across themes.“When the Board approved the strategic plan at its September meeting this past fall, there was an implementation strategy that was written into the plan. And that called for me as the vice president for strategic initiatives to gather a group of folks who are the executive sponsors for each of the six pillars of the plan along with several other folks. And in fact, we met last week and had our introductory meeting. President Stanley came and charged the group to begin a process. So, each of those executive sponsors is going to formulate a work group or an implementation committee for each of the six theme areas. Those groups will really support the planning process. We had probably at least 200 people from the university community who were engaged in providing input and synthesizing that input into the plan.“We'll go through a similar process with the implementation. We've got our direction and our sense of where we want to go. So, what these work groups will do is really help us think through how to get there and what steps to take and what to prioritize in the plan because the plan certainly has more than we can do in a year or even three years or five years. That's partly why we call it the 2030 Plan because it really gives us about a decade's worth of direction. These work groups will be formulating over the next month or so and begin meeting and collecting information from their peers so that we can start formulating not only where we're going, but how we're getting there and begin to dive into that process. We'll also be thinking about metrics. How can we track our progress over the course of the next decade? When can we consider something completed? What does completion mean? What does success mean? Do we need to adjust our process to get there more quickly or try something else? So, we'll have metrics that help guide us in that process. We'll share progress on the plan through a variety of approaches. One is podcasts like this. Over the course of the next number of months, we'll have various sponsors of the themes do podcasts much like this. They'll be able to share that way with the university community.“The work groups will be communicating with those who are interested in those particular areas. The information will be synthesized onto a website. Folks who are interested in finding out more information about the strategic planning process through the website that we've structured can go to strategicplan.msu.edu. And that website will have not only the current strategic plan, but follow up information as we progress. And people who might have things they want to share can email us at msu2030@msu.edu. That website is up and running. If people have input that they'd like to make, they can contact us at any time through that website. I'm happy to answer any questions that folks might have, and I appreciate any information that folks would like to share.”The MSU community, especially faculty and staff, can help to advance the plan, stay informed, and participate where appropriate.“Our executive sponsors of each of the theme sections are listed in the strategic plan. As folks are reviewing the plan and there's something that strikes them as a particularly high priority or something that they're interested in providing input on, they can either contact the executive sponsors of that section of the plan and provide input directly to those executive sponsors, or they can contact us at our website or contact me directly to share that feedback and get them engaged.”MSU Strategic Plan 2030 identifies goals within six key themes: student success, staff and faculty success, discovery, creativity and innovation for excellence and global impact, sustainable health, stewardship and sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion.I'm very excited to be participating in this process. I think it's very important for the university that we have a sense of direction and that we're striving to achieve that sense of direction. And I would encourage everybody to read the plan. It's fairly lengthy so don't be shy about skipping to the part that most pertains to you. And we certainly welcome any feedback. Anybody who would like to help or participate in the process is welcome to do so. And that's really what it's about it. It's not about me or a particular dean or vice president. It's about all of us as a university community striving to be better. And the plan's purpose is to help guide us there.”“Just again, I appreciate how much people have been engaged with this,” concludes President Stanley. “I appreciate the excitement about it. I encourage people to read the strategic plan, and, if you haven't read it already, to read the DEI Strategic Plan and the RVSM Strategic Plan and think about how you can contribute. As I said before, it's a living document. We'll be ready to modify it as times change or if our priorities change. We want to continue this kind of conversation and dialogue with the university community.” MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“It's an exciting time of the year,” says President Stanley. “These commencement days are my favorite days. It's just such a joyous occasion as these students reach the finish line and celebrate with their families and friends. I never tire of it. It's always exciting.”As an eventful 2021 draws to a close, Stanley reflects with pride on student success initiatives and three strategic plans published this year.“Student success is one of the pillars of our strategic plan. And for the seventh year in a row, we raised our graduation rates and that's difficult to do. My hat's off to the people who work on student success and to the students and their resilience. Even in these tough times, we're seeing a continuation of this wonderful trend. And to get the graduation rate up to over 82 percent is a huge change from years ago. It speaks to the idea that what we want to do is have every student who comes to Michigan State University leave with a Michigan State University degree. And how you make that possible and the work it takes to do that is significant, but that's our goal and we're putting it on us, not on students, but on us. If we accept you to Michigan State University, we feel it's our role to help you graduate and see you through that degree.“Commencement represents the culmination of that. I'm also just really proud that we had as close to a normal semester as we could. It's been a challenging semester. There have been a couple of incidents that everyone knows about that have been tragic and troubling. Yet, at the same time, we brought 16,000 students back to living on campus. We conducted our classes in person as we said we would do with, of course, a mix of hybrid and online. And to successfully accomplish that, again, speaks to me to the resiliency of students and the innovation and skill of our faculty and staff to make it all work.“And three new strategic plans address relationship violence and sexual misconduct, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a university strategic vision that will guide us as we build excellence and impact in key areas in the years ahead. Each plan focuses on creating an environment where students, faculty, and staff can do their best work and achieve their greatest potential as MSU serves its mission here and around the world. To push them through during this time of the pandemic and have them come out as such forward thinking documents that incorporate what we've known before, what we learned during the pandemic, and what our approach to the future will be is rewarding.”Stanley says he's proud of MSU's 19th Marshall Scholar Andrew McDonald, who exemplifies the brightest and best at MSU.“Michigan State University attracts extraordinary students. I look at our Honors College and the credentials that those students have. And then, when they come to MSU, they have all these opportunities to really expand their portfolios and to really do more and accomplish more. Not only do they come here bright, but they have a chance to really spread their wings and fly here. That makes them competitive for these kinds of awards.”The opening of renovated teaching and learning spaces in Wonders Hall last week with computer and other laboratories for College of Engineering students capped a year of exciting facility openings that will support student learning and success for many years. Student success hinges in part on having the right facilities for students to do their best work.“Couldn't have said it better. We're developing state-of-the-art facilities for our students, faculty, and staff. And that's incredibly important. It's a competitive environment out there. Students have choices and their families have choices about where they want to attend college. And when you have an outstanding faculty to teach and you couple that with facilities that are inspirational, it makes a difference.“The Billman Pavilion, The Eli Broad College of Business Minskoff Pavilion, the Wonders Hall renovation and our amazing STEM Teaching and Learning Facility are places where education is going to take place in new and exciting ways where students are going to learn and have opportunities for hands on experiences. I met a number of first year engineering students, a very diverse group by the way, and their excitement about being in that space and what it meant to them was contagious.”MSU ranked number 21 on the Princeton Review's 2022 list of top green colleges in the United States. MSU is green in more ways than one.“You're absolutely right, and I'm so proud of that. It's a point of pride not just for us, but for our students. I think they take great pride in this. This is something they care about. They're a generation that takes these issues very seriously. They want to be impactful, and they want to be associated with an institution that cares and makes a difference. To be in the top 25 Princeton ranking is great. To be one of the top ranked Big Ten schools in this list is very important for us as well. And we're going to continue. The strategic plan contains a section on stewardship and sustainability. We've made a commitment to continue to do this and to work to becoming carbon neutral. There are challenges ahead to do that, but we have the ingenuity and Spartans Will to excel in this area.”MSU's academic quality is underpinned by the excellence of our faculty members, 11 of whom earned recognition for their influential scholarship among their peers. These distinguished faculty members are ranked among the world's most cited researchers over the past decade. It's hard to have student success without our world class faculty, right?“The two go hand in hand. Great students help attract great faculty because they have graduate and undergraduate students who help work in their labs and help demonstrate the creativity and enthusiasm that's so important. And, of course, students come because of outstanding faculty for their ability to teach and to do innovative research with the global impact.“I'm very proud of those faculty. That is a wide world out there in terms of who you're competing against. So, to have 11 faculty who are in the top rankings in the world I think is spectacular. We'll continue to try to recruit exceptional faculty and create an environment at MSU where all faculty have the chance to be nurtured to reach those kinds of goals.”Campus safety is another commitment to our university community. And Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch recently announced two new initiatives supporting that priority: The Police and Public Safety Advisory Committee and the SafeMSU app.“My thanks go out to Chief Lynch in his role as vice president for public safety and chief of police. He really is taking the charge that we gave him when he arrived very seriously, which is to really make sure that we're doing everything we can to keep MSU as safe a campus as possible. The advisory committee delivers on the promise we made with the task forces that we had earlier this summer who were working on policing to create a new advisory committee for the police. It's part of our goal of having more community engaged policing as we look at the campus. That's very important. And I've already downloaded the new app.”President Stanley acknowledges MSU Culinary Services' national grand prize for the allergen free dining hall in Owen's Hall, Thrive, and he shares his concerns for the rapidly emerging Omicron variant of COVID-19. “Like everyone else, I continue to read and follow with interest and concern what we see with the outbreak at Cornell University; it's worrisome. It seemed to involve mostly vaccinated students. There is some evidence that's come out of South Africa that still needs to be confirmed that this variant may be less likely to cause severe disease. But that remains to be seen.“I continue to advocate for boosters for individuals. The data seems to suggest, again still early, that people who have been boosted against COVID-19 tend to be more resistant to developing infection or symptoms with Omicron. And that's really important. We may be at a stage with this variant where it's more difficult to prevent infection, but what we want to do is prevent hospitalizations and deaths. The more people who are vaccinated, the easier it will be to accomplish this.“I haven't seen data on mask wearing, and I don't know what Cornell's policies were. But we will certainly continue our mask wearing for we know that does help prevent against transmission of Delta. We know it helps against transmission of influenza, which is the other problem that people may be experiencing as well. So, getting vaccinated against flu, getting your booster against COVID-19, and carefully continuing to wear masks indoors is the advice I'd have for people over this holiday. And if there are going to be gatherings where you don't think you can anticipate wearing a mask, having people tested ahead of time may be helpful in trying to prevent infection.”Stanley is excited about MSU's upcoming participation in the December 30 Peach Bowl.“We had a football season that was wonderful in terms of what was accomplished and particularly rewarding because it was unexpected. The pundits before the season had us picked as last in the Big Ten East. We well exceeded those expectations. Coach Tucker and his team didn't listen to what the pundits said and had an amazing season. We're very fortunate we were able to make sure that we retained Mel Tucker as the coach.“He's done a great job with recruiting. He's done an amazing job with the X's and O's, but he's also been a prolific fundraiser. And that's helped bring new resources to a program that is the heart of what we do in Athletics because the revenue from football really provides the revenue to support other sports. Men's basketball and football are the two sports that provide the revenue that allows us to participate and be competitive in all our sports.”MSU will provide a $1,500 bonus to most faculty and staff in January and has given the Spartan community the week off between Christmas and New Year's. “I'm glad we're able to do this bonus. And it's so well earned by everybody at the university. And we wanted to make it something that all faculty and staff were able to participate in because everybody has been affected by the pandemic, and everybody has had their work changed and had to do more during this time. There's no one who's escaped the impact of this.“And I appreciate those who sacrificed some of their finances during these challenges. I appreciate those who were furloughed and have now come back. And we're glad to see you back again. But all this was so impactful to so many. So, our ability with some of the money we have in reserves to say how much we appreciate this is something that we're very proud of. Thank you so much for everything you do. We couldn't have done this the way we did without your total commitment to MSU and your willingness to really go above and beyond what would normally be expected to help keep this university running and to serve our students, who are so important to all of us.”President Stanley wishes the entire Spartan community a safe and healthy holiday season.“These are some of the most difficult times we've had in terms of our safety from illness and from the pandemic. So, I encourage everyone to do the things that will keep you and your family safe. There's nothing more important than that as we move forward. The theme next semester will be to continue what we've accomplished this semester. We'll be following Omicron very carefully. So, I urge people to stay tuned over the holidays in case we have announcements to make if there are changes we might need to make. But right now, I hope people rest and relax during these holidays. Use those three days to be with your family and celebrate everything we've accomplished and the fact that we continue to move MSU forward.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“Urology is a subspecialty,” says Khatiwoda. “It's a surgical subspecialty that focuses on the genital urinary systems and disorders of the genital urinary system. It's essentially how you pee, how your kidneys work, your bladder, prostate in men, and some urethra and vaginal disorders in women.”“My subspecialty is gynecology, and it's a blend of both urology and gynecology,” says Moyerbrailean. “Matter of fact, that's where it got its start. The two boards got together to make a discipline that just focuses on female pelvic floor disorders. In addition to problems with the bladder and the urethra, we also deal mostly with pelvic floor issues like prolapse, uterine prolapse, and bladder prolapse.”“I'm a general adult urologist,” Khatiwoda says. “I see men and women and practice general urology. Kidney stones are a big part of it. Urinary disorders or what we call voiding dysfunction are a part of it. Incontinence in women or leakage of urine is a big part of it.“When most people hear about urology, they usually think of men's health and men's issues. It's very nice to have someone who's female focused like Dr. Moyerbrailean. It brings a certain element to our practice that you don't always think about when you hear the word urology. In terms of practice philosophy, it's about providing something to the community that many may not even realize is available. Urology is a personal subspecialty. You're dealing with a lot of things that people aren't always very forthcoming about. At MSU Urology, we're here to provide excellent care to the community and provide urologic care that's at the top of the technological forefront. For me personally, it's about building relationships with people and helping them open up about something that's quite personal that they may be embarrassed to talk about otherwise.”What symptoms would someone experience that would lead them to seek out a urologist?“In general, we see men and women who have urinary issues,” says Khatiwoda. “Are you peeing too much? Are you not peeing enough? Are you leaking when you shouldn't be? Are you not able to empty when you should be? And we see anyone who sees blood in the urine, anyone with a history of kidney stones, and anyone who has infections more frequently than they should. And there are things that they may not be aware of that their primary doctor would figure out, like is there a growth somewhere in one of the genital urinary organs, the kidneys, the bladder, the penis, or the urethra?”“I don't treat men,” Moyerbrailean says. “My training was based in obstetrics and gynecology and branched out into urogynecology. But we also do similar treatments with women, especially women with overactive bladder. That's probably one of the biggest things we see and one of the areas that women tend not to want to come in to see the doctor about or are embarrassed to talk about. But it is so common. Up to 80 percent of women by the age 80 have an overactive bladder. They just feel like they have to go all the time. And a lot of times their friends are telling them that there's just nothing they can do about it. That's wrong. There are plenty of things that can be done that can actually help alleviate some of those symptoms. Where I differ from my urologic counterparts is I deal a lot more with pelvic floor problems, mostly the prolapse issues.“Some would say it's a result of childbirth. And most women are afraid to come in and have that treated figuring that surgery is the only thing that can be done when that's not accurate either. That's one of the big myths in this field, and there are things you could do that actually help alleviate those symptoms.”Say more about how you treat urologic disease. “Urology is unique in that while it's a surgical subspecialty, we actually do a lot of nonsurgical treatments,” continues Khatiwoda. “For most of the benign disorders - so obviously not cancer, but non-cancerous disorders - the first step is very basic and it's usually behavioral therapy. There are medications and then typically the last step tends to be surgery. There are surgical treatments for almost every disorder that a patient might come to see us for. We tend to start very basic and then move up from there.”“Sometimes people think all we want to do is perform surgery,” Moyerbrailean adds. “The majority of the time we're not doing surgery; we're actually treating the person first and finding out what exactly they need. What are their goals? We figure that out at the very first visit. Where are they in their care and what do they want? We give them the options and let them choose.”Are there particular challenges in treating urologic diseases? And is there research or new treatments on the horizon you're excited about?“Sometimes patients come to us with an expectation that we can't always meet,” Khatiwoda continues. “Let's say you have someone who has had a problem for 20 years and they finally can come and see a urologist. We do get some patients who expect immediate and 100 percent change. It's almost impossible to take a problem that's been there for 20 years and fix it in 20 minutes. But the nice thing is, you don't have to see a urologist once in your life.“It's usually a lifelong relationship with your urologist. And there really is a certain trial and error that comes with a lot of the benign urology issues where you try something and if it doesn't work, then we reevaluate you in the clinic and then we try something else and ultimately look for a goal that improves your quality of life. You may never be how you were when you were 18 or 20, but we can certainly get you to a point where you're more comfortable and you're happier with your symptoms than you were when you came in.”“We treat on a bother-most system where we go after what bothers you the most and try to help you in that respect,” continues Moyerbrailean. “Some things we can't cure. We are trying, and there's always new research coming out. We're always talking about new things. But that's really where our challenge is. Some of our disorders are not curable, but they are certainly treatable. And we've got a lot of treatments to offer.”“I feel like there's always something new,” Khatiwoda says. “We really are living in an exciting time of medicine where there is always something new. And from a general urology standpoint, the way we look for cancers, especially prostate cancer in men, has really changed the game. First, it used to just be a doctor felt your prostate and if there was something abnormal, they did a biopsy. Then it was the PSA lab test. Now we're at a point where we can do MRIs of the prostate and really pinpoint specific areas that need to be biopsied. Even since I graduated residency in 2018, there has been a huge shift in how we look at men and men's health and prostate cancer. So, yes, it seems like there's always something new every day. And it's a very exciting time to be a urologist.”“Again, my specific focus is pelvic floor disorder,” says Moyerbrailean. “It's basically weakened tissue in the female pelvis. There's a lot of work being done now in stem cell research trying to figure out ways to improve the tissue quality. If we could improve tissue, then we would have a better chance at successfully fixing it or maybe preventing it all together.”Is urologic disease hereditary, environmental, or a combination? Can we avoid some or all of it with a healthier life?“It's definitely a combination,” says Khatiwoda. “There are some things that genetics can be blamed for. Kidney stones are one of those. But at the same time, if you have a genetic predilection but you also don't drink any water, your risk is way higher than if you're someone who is well hydrated. Genetics are big. So are your environmental factors and the decisions you make about your health.”“We go back and forth about that in the research world as far as the pelvic floor and whether or not that's something that's hereditary or not,” says Moyerbrailean. “We're still looking for answers in that respect. Smoking and occupations that are very strenuous are much more likely to lead to disorders. You can make a difference by changing your health and lifestyles.”Are there some facts about urology you'd like to reinforce or some myths you often hear that you'd like to dispel?“I have one that really gets my goat,” continues Khatiwoda. “It comes from anyone who has had a kidney stone and passed it on their own without seeing a urologist. They always come in and they say, ‘I have not had any calcium. I don't drink any milk. I gave up all dairy.' That is not a good thing to do. It's typically not calcium that's the problem. It's other things in your diet. I mentioned a lack of hydration. It's usually not drinking enough water or other food issues.“There are things called oxalates that are found in a variety of foods, even in foods we think are healthy, that can contribute to stone formation. The first thing I tell my patients, especially post-menopausal women who seem to get stones, is to make sure they get the amount of calcium that they need to get. That means the normal dietary recommendation because otherwise you're going to start having trouble with osteoporosis, and it's probably not going to make your stone risk any better. That is something that I think people don't have a great understanding of because they think stones are made of calcium. They decide to cut out all calcium. But that's usually not what you need to do to make your situation better.”“I think the biggest myth in my field is that surgery is the only possible option, and that's not true,” says Moyerbrailean. “As a matter of fact, we probably do nonsurgical therapy for eight out of every nine patients who come to us with some type of a pelvic floor disorder to give them adequate relief. One in five women actually in their lifetime will end up having surgery or some type of a treatment for either urinary incontinence or prolapse of some sort.”“If you're concerned about a problem with your bladder or you've got a problem with your bowels, seek out your family doctor and talk to them. If they're not comfortable taking care of you, MSU Urology is here. We can definitely take them on and that's what we do. We do it day in and day out. It's pretty straightforward for us and we do everything we can to make our patients comfortable.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Under the direction of Chief Lynch and with the approval of MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., the focus and structure of the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety has been adjusted to better represent the priorities of the Spartan community. The reorganization took effect July 1 and places greater emphasis on community engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion, relationship violence and sexual misconduct, professional standards and public integrity, and behavioral support services. As chief of staff, Green is responsible for accreditation, internal affairs, recruiting, budget, finance, human resources, and strategic planning. In addition, Green will oversee DEI initiatives, including programming, training, and education. “I am an alumnus,” says Green. “I went to graduate school here at the School of Criminal Justice. I've always hoped to reconnect with MSU at some point in my career, and I've always been interested in university policing. One of the reasons I went back to grad school was because I liked the ability to be around different ideas and social identities and different understandings of the historical foundation of things and how things work. It was just a natural fit. This is an opportunity to grow and to further use a skillset I have from a municipal background and to bring that over to a university setting.”What will your role entail? What will you be doing?“One of the things I like about my role is that it's fluid,” Green continues. “Understanding and leveraging what the university has to offer has been key for me. And particularly, one of the key documents that I was able to analyze early when I started here in July was the great work of MSU's 2030 Strategic Plan and its DEI plan, the Diversity Equity Inclusion Plan and Recommendation. So that's been key to me because we have been charged with making sure that DEI is a foundational piece of our police and public safety department. Making sure that we align ourselves, as a police department, with the university's mission is going to be key.” Among Green's priorities is working on the department's accreditation, which he says “gives us an opportunity to examine and scan the department to determine and embrace our best practices and implement them. And accreditation gives us an annual review process so we're constantly reviewing those policies and procedures. And that's one thing I've learned throughout my history in policing is whatever the policy is today, it's going to change somewhere down the road. So, we must be constantly engaging and learning what's best for our university.“Interacting with our community is vitally important. Every day, our police officers are trying to interact with our community in a way that builds trust and legitimizes our police department. We're trying to build on a great culture that historically has done a great job. We're trying to take it to the next level and make sure that we create a system of accountability and lean on our community. We're leveraging the resources of the university, too. There are some bright people at this university, and we want to make sure that they have an opportunity to engage with us and have a voice. As we build and incorporate them into our training, our policies, and our supervisory leadership training, we want to make sure that they have a vital role in that.“And that includes a lot of the training that our officers must encounter to understand a diverse community. We must make sure that we have a multicultural competency when it comes to our police officers. They must understand as much as they can about social identities and the differences within our community.  We can do that and be very transparent about it, which can help legitimize our police and public safety department.”What are some challenges in reaching some of your goals and some opportunities in reaching some of them, too?“I'm very optimistic,” Green says. “Learning some of the internal workings of the university has been key to understanding how the strategic plan was built, what was the foundation of it, and how we move forward. I have been listening and reading and understanding what our values are as a university. And when you look at the strategic plan, you can almost substitute the word police for the word university. I think the university's strategic plan has been key. There's tremendous opportunity and metrics that we can use to show that we are progressing in this foundational piece of establishing DEI in everything we do and becoming the excellent police department that we have been and continue to be.”Chief Lynch talks about the Police and Public Safety Advisory Committee he has formed, and he describes the SafeMSU app.“It's a large committee because I wanted to be inclusive,” says Lynch. “One of the primary reasons for this committee to exist is to hear from our community directly and regularly and not only in a time of critical incident or in a time when allegations are being made. This is a regular conversation. It also provides ownership. You heard Daryl mention the university's strategic plan. Our department is also creating a strategic plan, and this committee will have a regular voice in that. So, as we develop the plan, they will be actively engaged in it. We will hear directly from our community on a regular basis. It gives our community ownership and accountability. It lets them in. There's nothing behind the curtain that they won't be exposed to. They can be the perfect conduit from our department to the MSU community.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.“Well, thank you so much, Russ. Happy holidays to you and everybody listening out there. And I hope it's a very restful and peaceful one for all of us.”The most important thing we do at this university is educate our students. And Michigan State University's graduation rate is up for the seventh straight year. The rate for first time, full-time students entering MSU in 2015 increased from 81.3% last year to 82.1% this year. What's significant about that, and what does that six-year graduation rate indicate?“It's very significant and something we really should celebrate on campus. It really represents the work of an extraordinary number of people who are very dedicated to seeing that number increase. And just to put it in perspective, even though that's 0.8% increase, that's about 53 students. That means there are 53 more students who graduated from MSU who wouldn't have graduated if they'd entered at another point in time who are going to get that MSU degree, go out into the world and make a difference and have lifetime earnings that are about a million dollars higher than students who don't complete a college degree.“So, from the state's point of view and from a human endeavor and potential point of view, it's wonderful to get students through and help them graduate. We've had a very steady ascent on this. We do much better than would be anticipated in terms of our graduation rates. They're higher than one might predict based on the GPAs and SATs and ACTs of students coming in. We make a point of really helping students get through. And I'm very excited about it. I think that's the good news. And we are seeing those increases for all students. So all of our students showed an increase in graduation rates. No students have been left behind.“The one challenge we still have, and we talk about it a lot in our strategic plan, is to narrow gaps between groups. Because we still have groups, for example Pell eligible students, who are graduating at lower rates than non-Pell eligible students. So, we are now laser focused as an institution on narrowing those gaps while at the same time elevating everybody's success. But it just makes a huge difference. And I'm very grateful to all the people who put the hard work in, including the students, of course, who did that great work of continuing and succeeding.”And sir, we're in the middle of a very enjoyable football season. Tom Izzo's got his group started. But there are some other things happening in our athletic department. The men's water polo club team won the men's collegiate club national championship.“It's always busy over there and there are always exciting things happening. I'm proud that not only have we been competing, but we've been competing safely. And I just want to give a little shout out to the fans who've been coming to the football and basketball games and thank them for wearing their masks and really following our rules. We have not seen outbreaks of COVID associated with our sporting events. We want to keep that. So I encourage everybody to keep those masks on indoors. Those are our rules on campus. CDC now is advising people do that around the state. So I really appreciate people sticking with the safety. Because we want to be able to enjoy Tom Izzo. We want to be able to enjoy Suzy Merchant's team on the court. And of course we've had some amazing success in football. And I'm very excited about this game coming up on Saturday against Penn State, which will say a lot about our season and our bowl opportunities.One of the fun parts of everybody coming back to campus is we've been able to experience Michigan State sports. And I do thank you again for reminding me of the tremendous success of our cross country team. Our women's soccer team has had a very good season. There's been a lot of success on the field and on the court. And as we just heard, in the classroom for MSU.”And there is more support coming from our donors. You recently had the chance to thank Greg and Dawn Williams, who made a generous $10 million commitment for expansion and renovations to the Tom Izzo Football Building.“And how fun it is to say that: the Tom Izzo Football Building? Everyone knows Coach Izzo is such an incredible fan of football. And of course, he's had great success in the basketball program, which other people have supported very much as well. Yeah, I really thank our donors. They've really been stepping up. I think we're going to set some records or come close to it in terms of athletic donations for this year. And again, I think people are really recognizing that sports are something that really unites the university and can bring us together in some very important ways.”And to get a little bit more serious for a minute, sir, the October 29th campus disappearance of visiting student Brendan Santo gained widespread notice and led to questions and concerns from students and others in our community. MSU Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch and Senior Vice President for Student Life and Engagement Vennie Gore held a town hall recently, which can be viewed on the MSU Student Affairs and Services YouTube page. What came out of the town hall? And what would you like people to know right now about campus safety?“My heart goes out to the family of Brandan and their efforts to return him. And our efforts to return him to the family have been paramount in our mind from the beginning. This is something where tremendous resources have been devoted both by the police on our campus and external support from other agencies like the FBI. People from Grand Valley have been coming to help. Citizens have been coming on weekends to look. There's been a concerted effort to find Brandan and return him. I think at this point in time, I want people to know that we believe the campus to be safe. There's no evidence that this was foul play and the law authorities have been very clear on this. We want to focus on returning him to his family right now but also be aware of ways in which we make campus more secure.“One of the things that's brought up is the fact that we did have a camera that wasn't working at Yakeley Hall at the time. That's been reported. We wanted to make sure that we now have spares available and can really deal with the cameras that are out of service in a more rapid way. As everyone has learned, we're adding 300 additional cameras to the campus to help improve security there. But overall, I believe it is a safe campus. There are things we should do and continue to work for continuous improvement in that area. It's very important to us going forward.”President Stanley, what are the plans related to COVID for next semester?“It would be nice if I could tell you that COVID was going away, and I thought we'd have no cases coming into spring. But this is a disease that continues to be resilient, if you will, in terms of its ability to stay among us. Part of that is based on vaccination. Part of it is based on some of the characteristics in the variants that have made it more difficult to control spread. Having said that, I think the things we've been doing on campus have been very successful. We've had a slight uptick in cases that took place that began about a month ago, but they have leveled off. While at the same time, the state of Michigan and Ingham County have really shot up significantly. Because of our high vaccination rates, about 90 percent of our population now is vaccinated - students and faculty and staff.“Because of these vaccination rates, we've had fewer outbreaks and less spread. And so fewer cases per population than we're seeing in Ingham County or the state. That's no reason for us to celebrate because any cases we have, we're still concerned about. But it means the things we've been doing like the mandatory vaccination and mask wearing have made a difference.“The state Department of Health and Human Services is now recommending people wear a mask indoors in the state of Michigan. And I would encourage listeners to do that. I think that's one way to keep yourself safer is to wear a mask when you enter stores or enter public businesses, restaurants, and so on, unless you're eating. These are all ways in which we can stop the spread.“I'm concerned about this recent spread. We plan to continue the same measures we've been doing now into the spring. That's our plan right now. If things change and numbers were to get better, we're always ready to adjust. And it's easier to adjust, though, to loosen some of these restrictions than it is to continuously start and stop and restart them. And so, we'll be looking very carefully at what's happening. We'll want to make sure that everybody who comes in as a student is vaccinated. So the vaccine mandate applies to new students who come in the spring. So we want to make sure they're vaccinated and we will be asking them to attest to that. Employees will probably be dealing with the rules that have come down from the White House, in terms of requiring employees and staff to be vaccinated as part of the vaccine mandate there. So we'll want to make sure everybody's in compliance with that. But I'm looking forward to a great spring. I think we've had a very successful fall so far. And I think it's because people have been doing what is necessary to keep us here.”You recently participated in a campus symposium framing an exciting new initiative to integrate ethical consideration more thoroughly into MSU's curriculum, research, and character of the university community. What's striking you about this? What's important here?“It's really critical. And I think as we look at our country and we look at our world right now, ethics become increasingly important. There are so many challenges for behavior that were faced every day. Times when integrity becomes important, because there are so many ways in which one can go down paths of lesser integrity or make easy choices, as opposed to sometimes what's more difficult in principle. So having students educated on this idea of ethics is important, whether they're in our College of Law, College of Business, our College of Arts and Letters, or any of our colleges. And I point out those three because those three deans have been actively involved in putting this program together. But whatever college we're in, we want people to behave ethically and understand what that means and what the responsibilities are of citizenship. This is important for us.“We've been very fortunate to have some donors who share that vision of having ethics more incorporated. We talk in our strategic plan about our students learning experientially coupled with ethics. We think is a way in which we can really have students who are not only ready to face the world, but ready to do it in an ethical way. So we're excited about this. We appreciate the donors who've stepped in to help us do this. That symposium was very exciting. We're working towards forming an institute. And this is going to be, I think, an important role for my office as well as for the provost and those deans. I mentioned faculty who've been very involved in this in putting this all together as an academic enterprise, but one that will also go into our administrative units, as well, as we think about the ethics involved in compliance and things we need to do on campus every day.”This month, we introduced an exciting new component to our connected campus mobility infrastructure, a 22-passenger electric autonomous bus now undergoing rigorous safety and operational testing. It's one of the largest electronic autonomous transit vehicles on United States roads. Not only will the electric bus add to the ways we're reducing MSU's environmental impact and meeting our sustainability goals, but it will also allow MSU researchers to develop a variety of real-world data to advance our already impressive, advanced mobility capabilities. The new bus is expected to enter service sometime next year. It will connect the MSU Auditorium to MSU commuter lot number 89 at Farm Lane and Mount Hope, where you can also find part of the largest solar carport array in North America. The bus must be fun. I'm sure you've had a ride in it. Talk about this program.“What a great way to tie it together to our commitment to sustainability and the solar array that we have in the parking lot. And then of course this wonderful bus that really is autonomous in terms of its ability to get from that parking area to the auditorium site and to navigate on our regular roads. I did have a chance to ride it. It's tremendously amazing to see this thing turn, stop, detect pedestrians, and detect cars in front of it. It's still got a few things to work through. And I saw that when I went on the ride. It's not perfect, but it is making great progress. They're working through it on these roads at nighttime when there's very little density of students and other traffic. They're working to make sure it's going to work perfectly at the time we put it in service. And that's what we expect of it. Of course, there's a driver there who can override the system and take control if necessary, and that's important as well.“It's really a look at the future. I think autonomous vehicles, particularly for this sort of thing, are going to be very important, whether they're this size or larger or smaller. I'm not sure. The market will determine that, but this is a nice size to practice on, if you will, with about a 22-passenger capacity. It's good enough to make a difference in terms of transportation needs, but not so large that it becomes more cumbersome to manage and take care of. It's a great starting point and I really appreciate the opportunity to work with our partners in this and to work with many colleges on campus who have interest in this because the autonomous vehicle issue is complicated. “Now, obviously you need the technology. You need the LIDAR and radar, the infrared that allows you to detect and drive safely, and the artificial intelligence that allows it to learn a route and change how it behaves on the route. Those are critical components, as well. The sensors that are necessary to get data on its performance are critical, too. And that all comes from stars in engineering and computer sciences who do a lot of work there.“At the same time, though, there are a lot of social issues as well. How do you utilize this best? What are the parts in terms of city planning? Where are the places where it makes the most sense to use it? And liability issues. Who's liable for this vehicle if it's running? Is it the manufacturer? Is it the person who's operating it? Who's liable if there are accidents involving it? Getting our legal scholars involved in this area and understanding this is important as well. So it's exciting, but it also raises some questions that I think people need to answer and understand. It's wonderful to be at the cutting edge of this.”Talking with President Stanley on MSU Today. And sir, you attended the recent Grand Awards gala that annually honors Spartans whose contributions to their communities, companies, and the university have been especially impactful. It's kind of like student success leads to alumni success, doesn't it? Almost a circle of life kind of thing.“Again, Russ, you've really hit the nail on the head. You've phrased it really well. It's really nice for us to think about this in terms of these amazing students we graduate. But that's just the beginning, obviously. And then the potential ahead of them and the lives they live turn out to reflect on MSU in very positive ways. It was a remarkable evening for me to have a chance to listen to these incredibly accomplished alums. And some were not alums but have given back so much to Michigan State University. It was great to hear their stories and what they've done and what they've accomplished. And again, their modesty notwithstanding, these are some amazing people who've done some incredible things. And I'm not going to single any one person out because it wouldn't be fair to the others I heard. But it was just an array of talent and accomplishment and a wonderful evening where we had a chance to celebrate them and their accomplishments and to think about, again, what great things our students are going to do in the future.”You again recently witnessed how much MSU faculty and staff love and support MSU at the annual Thanks for Giving lunch. 5,259 faculty, staff, and retiree donors collectively contributed $21 million to the university and students in the last fiscal year. These truly impressive figures put MSU second in the Big Ten and seventh among the 66 members of the prestigious Association of American Universities in employee and retiree giving. “It's incredible. The people who work at MSU really give so much beyond the hours they put in every day in the office. They really are committed to this institution and what it stands for. Nothing speaks more to a donor, in my view, than people who work at the institution, who are paid by the institution, who then want to give back to the institution. Because here you are working every day giving your all, and then you still are giving part of that treasure you've earned back to the institution because you care about it and what it's doing.“When I talk to donors, they're always very impressed when I cite these numbers. Because again, it means they're investing in something that the people who work at MSU are willing to invest in as well. So I'm very grateful to what the faculty and staff have given. I thank them for their contributions to the university and I hope they continue to support those elements at the university they believe make a difference. So, whether it's student success, scholarships, faculty doing their amazing work, infrastructure to build support for many - whatever the gift is - it makes a direct difference in someone's life. And we very much appreciate it.”Tuesday, November 30th is Giving Tuesday. Should anyone want to give to this great place, givingto.msu.edu is the place. And sir as we wrap up do you have some holiday thoughts for Spartans, or do you care to share how the Stanley family will enjoy the next few weeks?“The Stanleys will be meeting at the location of one of my daughters. We will have everybody in the family together except for my oldest daughter, who will be celebrating with her fiancé's family. But everybody else will be there together. And we're looking forward to a very restful and relaxing Thanksgiving and a chance to get together again and see each other. It's been a while since we had the whole group together. And it's such an important holiday in terms of getting together. And I hope everyone has a chance to experience it and experience it safely.”As you look ahead to 2022, what are you thinking about?“Well, FRIB opening is going to be extraordinary. And I think the chance to get this user facility, which is already in demand by hundreds of scientists around the world, actually running and doing experiments is going to be, I think, transformative. I also look forward to continuing our work in student success. We've made some progress in this. Now that we have the strategic plan, we will begin to implement that plan and begin the hard work of taking these exciting ideas we have and turn them into faculty recruitment programs. There will be work in DEI that will change the composition of our faculty and staff and students. There is hard work ahead for us, but I see much more opportunity to implement coming in 2022.”That's Michigan State University president, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. All he's working on for us is available at president.msu.edu. And you can follow along on Instagram @msupresstanley. MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Tyler grew up in Philadelphia. She first learned about MSU when she was an undergrad at Penn State.“I came to MSU because I was looking for a grad program that really centered all my interests,” says Tyler. “At the time I was pursuing agrarian or agricultural literacies among inner-city and urban youth. And I also was really interested in Black farmers. I did a summer program for undergraduate students at MSU that trained you how to do research and navigate the graduate school process. I came to Michigan State for the summer prior to graduating Penn State. “MSU was a really good fit for me based on the curriculum of the department. And I had relationships with the faculty members and I was able to get funding for my graduate program. And so it was just a really good fit. Growing up in inner-city Philadelphia, I would consider myself to not be the prototypical urban child. I was very much into nature. I loved going to summer camp. I was that child who would run off into the forest to be with the trees instead of going to play basketball or jump rope or something like that. I was always drawn to the natural environment around me, hugging trees, digging in soil for worms, and studying the cycles of the moon. And I just stayed with that passion. I knew I wanted to do something related to food and the natural environment because that was my passion.”Tyler says coming to MSU was a transition “because I jumped into the water by working with farmers. I wasn't familiar with agriculture much growing up in the city. I didn't grow up on a farm. I didn't grow up with a garden in my yard. It was a really new experience that changed my life for the better from so many angles.”Part of what inspired her to learn more about where our food comes from was the birth of her daughter.“Being a person of color, particularly a Black woman in the agricultural sector, I was usually the only person of color and or the only woman of color in my agricultural classes. And I always wondered why and felt ostracized and out of place sometimes. I was always curious as to why people who looked like me or people who shared my cultural background were not interested in the same things that I was interested in, that is as an agricultural major and someone who was just really interested in the natural environment generally.“I was also really drawn to wanting to know more about where our food comes from. Because at the time I was a new mother. I wanted my daughter to have a more holistic lifestyle, particularly around the foods that we were eating because I grew up eating a lot of crappy foods. I wanted better for her. And so I started to learn how to grow my own food and just wanted to know more about the food system generally and why things were the way they were. And so I began to ask questions and one of my mentors told me that I should go to grad school because they didn't have answers to my questions and I needed to do research to get those answers. So that's what I did.”Tyler is president of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.“DBCFSN is the acronym. The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network is a nonprofit organization that has the mission to build self-reliance, food security, food justice, and more importantly, food sovereignty in Detroit's Black community by influencing public policy, engaging in urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating, and encouraging cooperative buying and directing youth towards careers in food related fields. We have the vision of advancing the movement towards food sovereignty throughout the entire African diaspora, not just for Black Detroiters. Because we understand that food is dignity. Healthy food is dignity and access to fresh, affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate food is a human right, which does not currently exist for everyone on this planet. And so that's what we're working towards.”How do you define food sovereignty?“Food sovereignty is the self-determining right to have a say in how your food is produced, how it is distributed, sold, and consumed, and even recycled back into the production process. It's really about a transference of power from the corporate food actors that dominate our food system to the people who are mostly the consumers of the food system and are generally most affected by food inequities and inequalities. We're demanding a complete transfer of power where we can have more say over our soil, our water, our air systems, and how that impacts us from a health standpoint. We want more control over these systems because seeds, water, soil, and ultimately the food that comes out of those three things intersecting is the essence of life. And currently there's a monopoly over food production, distribution, and consumption. And that's highly unethical. Food sovereignty is about changing that system where the people are in control and not corporate food actors.“Food justice is a similar concept and is focused on fresh, affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate access to food in the way that we would like to consume it and in the way that we would like to produce it. Food sovereignty takes food justice a bit further because it's about controlling those systems that bring the food forth. They're very similar terms, but food sovereignty is often considered to be a more radical orientation where it's about community ownership of the food system. I don't want to minimize it, but it's a concept and a practice that centers around generally getting better quality food that's self-identified for the people who are consuming it.”Tell me more about your work in Detroit.“I'm with the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund that is subsidiary organization of Keep Growing Detroit. We are a coalition of three long-standing Detroit urban farming organizations with a collective mission to rebuild intergenerational land ownership for Black farmers in Detroit. And those three organizations are the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network that I'm currently very involved in, the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, and Keep Growing Detroit. We are a coalition of organizations that are committed to being in right relationship with the land. And we believe in the transformation of our communities through food sovereignty and the revitalization of Detroit's agricultural landscape. We honorably steward this fund to support Detroit's Black farmers in land acquisitions and general farm support. We believe that land ownership is a huge strategic tool in building intergenerational wealth, which a lot of Black Detroiters don't have.”What's the state of, and potential for, urban farming in Detroit?“Detroit is often considered to be the mecca of urban agriculture, and I didn't really know that prior to moving here to Michigan from Pennsylvania. And it was just, I guess, the divine flow of things that I ended up where I was supposed to be. Because when I would first come to Detroit and visit for the day coming down from campus, I used to be in such awe of so much agricultural activity happening everywhere in the city. There's such a wealth of vacant land available.“People are growing in their backyards and their front yards and their vacant lots next to their houses and next to their businesses and even hydroponics and aquaponics in abandoned buildings. There's just so much energy around food production and growing your own food as a political power tool and taking back our voices and our power within the food system. We're planting seeds and nourishing them through production and cleansing the water and air in the process. And we're rebuilding our top soil that corporate agriculture has decimated over the course of a few decades.“Urban agriculture in Detroit represents a really vibrant movement of people, grassroots organizations, and just general everyday people coming together to build a better reality in the face of so much blight and devastation that the city was experiencing.”Can there be enough urban farming in Detroit to feed significant pockets of the community?“Yes, that is a desirable vision for many of us in Detroit. We would like to have self-sufficient and self-reliant communities where we are growing as much of our own food as possible. Of course, everything doesn't grow here in Michigan. So that's an obvious challenge. However, we do want to grow what we can, even if it's all the tomatoes that we can eat for the season and all the leafy greens, all the onions, garlic, and things that are more commonly grown here that are common staples in our diet. We believe that is possible, and that is what we're actively working towards every day. Detroit is a metropolitan area that's unlike many metropolitan areas where there are huge swaths of vacant land available.” From a 30,000-foot perspective, Dr. Tyler, is the world up to feeding its growing population?“A recent report by the Food and Agricultural Organization, or the FAO of the United Nations, states that by 2021, 30 percent of the world's population, or about 2.3 billion people, will not have access to adequate food. And I wholeheartedly believe that that's not because of a food shortage. It's because of the political policies that are in place that restrict food access for many people, particularly poor people, women, and people of color. Feeding people is political, just like growing food is political. So we have more than enough food. The world grows, I think, three to five times enough food to feed the entire world over and over and over again. The corporate monopoly over the food system causes hunger and poverty. I believe that there's enough land and resources to feed the world. Will the monopoly that has a choke hold on the food system be relinquished enough so that that can happen?”How does climate change impact the situation?“Again, because of the corporate monopoly of the food system, our land and water and air supply are at very dangerous toxic levels because of the complete raping of the land and resources and just putting profits over people at every sector of the food system and the environmental system generally, which is causing severe climate change on a global level. And it just so happens that those who are most affected are those who are growing much of the world's food. Small scale farmers around the world grow 80 percent of the world's food, according to certain sources. Yet we have the least amount of power in the food system. And those small-scale farmers who are growing most of the world's food are using what we consider to be agroecological growing methods where we grow in communion with Mother Nature. We grow in communion with the natural environment, and we don't use a lot of harmful growing strategies like over-tilling, pesticides, monocropping, etc.“We know that if we don't shift our growing methods rapidly within the next 10 to 15 years, there will be no more topsoil left. Topsoil is the quintessential ingredient in growing rich, nutritionally dense foods. Climate change intersects with food sovereignty and the food system generally. We know that industrial agriculture is a main driver of carbon pollution in our environment. They're a main contributor to climate change. The only way to change that is if we have a complete transference of power from corporations to people who are growing most of the world's food.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“I've been working in gastroenterology for over 20 years,” says Kerschen. “I've been in the mid-Michigan area at different practices. I've actually worked for MSU since 1999. MSU Health Care approached me about starting a practice here at MSU in gastroenterology and we look forward to getting that practice up and running.”“I've been in practice almost 20 years and I've worked with Cathy and Maria for all of that time in some way, shape, or form,” adds Oliveri-LePain. “I'm a graduate of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, so it's nice to be back where I started.”“I grew up in the East Lansing and Grand Ledge area, so I know this area well,” Reed says. “I also have worked with Dr. LePain and Dr. Kerschen since 2001. I obtained my undergraduate degree from Michigan State and then went to PA school in Miami, Florida. I'm grateful to be back in the East Lansing area working with these truly great physicians to help satisfy the needs of the East Lansing community.”So, talk a little bit about why the new practice and you're coming together. What's the goal, the mission?“The three of us all share the same philosophical goal of wanting a patient-centric community practice where we can take care of the needs of all the people in the Lansing and East Lansing area and some of the outlying areas,” Oliveri-LePain continues. “We're interested in outreach by helping part of the community that doesn't have the best access to healthcare. Today, nobody should be dying from something like colon cancer. We really want to help the community and build a strong program.”What is gastroenterology?“Gastroenterology is the specialty of treating digestive diseases,” Kerschen continues. “We like to say we cover everything from the mouth down to the anus and everything in between. Some of the most common conditions we take care of are colon disorders. Colon cancer screening is something that keeps us busy. We also take care of inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. Then we take care of esophageal diseases like acid reflux and peptic ulcer disease. We also cover a variety of liver diseases along with pancreas and gall bladder diseases. We treat a wide range of patients, but we are primarily adult gastroenterologists, so we see patients 18 years and older.”Who should see you? What symptoms would someone be experiencing to cause them to reach out?“There are a wide range of symptoms,” says Oliveri-LePain. “You can experience anything from abdominal pain, heartburn symptoms, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. And sometimes the symptoms are not so obvious, and a lot of symptoms overlap. You can have minor symptoms that can be a symptom of something more serious, something like Crohn's or colitis or something like irritable bowel syndrome where you can have similar symptoms. Treatments are very different though, and they can affect all ages of men and women.”What is treatment like and what are some of the challenges involved?“Some of the challenges are environmental like what we eat and the stressors we're under,” Reed says. “We've all been through a lot of stress with COVID, and we try to treat our patients from a holistic approach making sure that they're getting the right nutrition and getting their exercise every day. Medication treatments are also available. We partner with Henry Ford and we're hoping to tap into a lot of research in conjunction with MSU to provide treatments for our patients that might not otherwise be available.”Is diet the key contributing factor for someone to get a GI disease? Is it hereditary? Why would someone need to see you?“Every disease entity has a different etiology or risk factors that make it better or worse,” continues Kerschen. “So, in some of our diseases, diet and exercise and mental health make a difference on how well the patient responds. Most colon cancers are sporadic. However, there is an increased risk if you have a family history. So, there can be a genetic link. Some of the liver diseases that we cover have some genetic links, so we'd be more likely to screen patients for certain liver diseases such as hemochromatosis. But a lot of liver diseases are due to risk factors like hepatitis C. If you had a blood transfusion years ago or if you're an IV drug user, that increases your risk. So, we would look at those risk factors for patients. It really depends on what disease we're talking about within the GI system.”Do patients most often start with their primary care physician and then get referred to you?“Yes,” says Oliveri-LePain. “The majority of people start out with their primary care physician and then if it gets to a point where they've exhausted their evaluation, they are referred to us. If they need a procedure, they would be referred to us as well.”Is there some exciting research happening or some new treatments on the horizon that have you excited about treating GI better?“There are a couple things,” says Kerschen. “In the liver world, there's a lot of research right now on fatty liver, which is a big issue in our society right now. It's linked with other disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. So, liver disease can be linked with that. Right now, all we have is lifestyle changes to help treat it, but there is a lot of research right now going on about different medications that might help with fatty liver. My anticipation would be in the next 10 years that we may have more treatment options for people with fatty liver.“There's always research going on in a variety of diseases in gastroenterology. Inflammatory bowel disease has something interesting and exciting that they're working on in the research realm. Hopefully again, through our partnership with Henry Ford Hospital, we'll be able to get involved in some of the clinical research.”Talk about the excitement of coming together and doing what you love to do under the auspices of MSU Health Care.“To me, this is a perfect union of the three of us because we do know each other so well,” says Oliveri-LePain. “We know how we work philosophically. We are very similar in how we treat our patients. We're going to be able to bring a lot of positive care to the community and to MSU.“It's important that patients always feel that they're being heard. A lot of patients are tired of the cattle philosophy where they're being herded in and out and they're not really listened to or paid attention to. We think it's important that when patients come in that they're heard and that their concerns are heard and that they're taken seriously. Every patient should know that they're the most important patient at that time. That's really important.”What would you like our listeners to know about GI diseases and how you can help them?“One thing that we've seen over the last few years is improvement in our treatment of hepatitis C. Previously when I first started practice, the treatments for hepatitis C were very intense and the success rate was only about 50 percent. Now over the last several years, our treatment success rate is about 96 percent. For patients who may have had hepatitis C for last 30 or 40 years or maybe don't even know they have hepatitis C, the cure rate is phenomenal right now. The treatments are much shorter in duration and the side effects are very minimal. For people who years ago may have had hepatitis C that progressed to cirrhosis and maybe even liver cancer, we don't have that anymore. We would like to be able to have a hepatitis C clinic here in East Lansing at MSU to help those patients.”“We'd like patients to know that there are a wide variety of GI symptoms that they might be suffering with at home that they don't realize that there's something that can be done about it,” Kerschen says. “I would encourage patients to talk to their primary care physicians because a lot of times there are things that the primary care physician can do for them that will help alleviate it. But when they work with their primary care physician and find that they're still having issues, that's when they'll come to us, and we'll work further to try to figure out what's going on. Particularly in this day of COVID where people aren't asking for help as much for a variety of reasons, we want patients to get back in with their doctors and start talking to them about some of the things that are going on. Then if they need specialists like us, we're now here in the community and we can help work with them and work with their primary care physician to try to improve their symptoms.”Can you elaborate a little bit more on those symptoms?“That's a challenging question because depending on what the issue is, you can have minor symptoms like a little bit of belly discomfort or heartburn,” continues Oliveri-LePain. “For people who wake up in the middle of the night with acid issues or a hard time swallowing, it could be something minor like heartburn. Other symptoms are abdominal pain, which can be again from your ribcage all the way down, and diarrhea or constipation. No symptoms should be ignored. So again, start with the primary care physician and then come to us if things don't get resolved.”“An important part of the gastroenterology practice is that we do endoscopy,” Kerschen adds. “As physicians, we spend a fair amount of time in the endoscopy unit. Right now we'll be working through McLaren Healthcare and Genesis Surgery Center, which is off Jolly Road. That is something that gets arranged through our practice with our schedulers, and we'll take care to make sure our patients are well cared for in those facilities.“Patients can find us at the Hannah Technical Research Center on Hagadorn. We are on the second floor and our phone number is (517) 353-3102. We share a waiting room with the MSU Urology." (Photo session followed COVID protocols. Subjects were unmasked briefly.)MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Patrick Forystek is the coordinator of the Student Veterans Resource Center. Emre Umucu is an assistant professor in the Office of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education. And Matthew Ritt is an undergraduate student at MSU. He's studying building construction management. “Veterans come back to school with a lot of things that make them a little bit different than your traditional students,” says Forystek. “They typically are more likely to have families, have a service-connected disability, be a little bit older, and live off campus. They're a lot like other non-traditional students but just have their own special twist on it. The center helps connect veterans to the resources they need. MSU already provides a lot of the resources that they might need, like the Student Parent Resource Center and Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. We just help connect them to those resources.”“I was sitting in class one day and a student who had worked at the center suggested I check it out,” says Ritt. “I had no idea it existed. I stopped by there and I could get snacks there, and I could do my printing there. If I had questions about any opportunities on campus or anything going on campus or any help I needed, I could ask Patrick or anyone else that was there.”“I'm doing a lot of research on understanding how to improve college adjustment, wellbeing, life satisfaction, and academic achievement in student veterans and veterans with disabilities,” adds Umucu. “I reached out to Patrick to see if we could collaborate and do some meaningful research to help MSU student veterans improve their academic achievement.” And what are you learning in your research so far that's helping you?“If you look at student veterans with or without disabilities, those who experience disability in an academic setting have lower levels of wellbeing and quality of life,” Umucu continues. “We also found that if we help these student veterans to have better positive emotions, better relationships with peers and faculty, or a better sense of accomplishment, they actually get better GPA's. That's meaningful because we can develop some interventions to test here at MSU and help these student veterans to increase their positive emotions, positive relationships, meaning in life, and sense of accomplishment. Then we can help them to have better academic achievements. That will also reduce dropout. When they have higher GPA's, they will be more motivated to stay in college and be more persistent in the academic settings. Then eventually they will get better jobs. My goal is to help student veterans with and without the disabilities at MSU.”“At the center, our programming and everything we do throughout the year relies heavily on donor funding,” continues Forystek. “That's where we need the most support. That's the best way you can support us. Or just reach out to our office. Sometimes we have opportunities for people in the community to get involved in other ways that aren't just funding related. And we're always looking for new and exciting partnerships and ways to get our veterans engaged on campus and in the community.”“Say hi to a veteran you see and ask how it's going. Veterans and younger students have a lot they can share with each other,” says Ritt “There are so many veterans who have been in stressful environments that they know how to get through. When students have exams and they're stressed out, reach out to a veteran in your class and ask how they deal with stress. I've asked younger students for help when I've had problems with something like Google docs and new technology. But I also have had other students say ‘Hey, I'm trying to get through my homework, but I'm having trouble balancing all this.' I've tried to help.”“We've been preparing some programming for Veterans Day, and I discovered some nice data points I want to share,” says Forystek. “The graduation rate for veterans nationally is about 11 percent. There are some issues with that data; it's probably a little bit higher than that if we're being honest. But MSU comes in well over 70 percent with our student veterans. It's been like that for a while. Our student veterans come back, and they do a really great job. They're phenomenal students. And most of them are first generation college students doing this for the first time.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Russ, it's always a pleasure to be with you. And it's a very exciting weekend we have coming up. I was traveling out of state in Washington, D.C. the past couple of days and the first thing everyone wanted to talk to me about was the game. I didn't need to say more than that, just the game. People are excited about it. If you look at statistics, I can't remember the exact number, but roughly we have played Michigan let's say more than 100 times, and only four times have we both been ranked in the Top 10. The last time was 1964. This is really going to be a game that people are going to remember. And I hope it lives up to all our expectations and of course ends with a Spartan victory.Russ White:And sir, while we compete fiercely with Michigan on the fields and the courts, we cooperate with them through our University Research Corridor arrangement, which Wayne States is in too. We work together a lot for the betterment of the state and frankly the world.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:That's absolutely correct. And I think we really put differences aside that exist on the athletic field. And we work together on a lot on scientific collaborations. And there have been a lot of discussions about managing during difficult times like COVID 19. How do we do that? Both Mark and I were panelists in a meeting that dealt with this. And I think it's a great opportunity at multiple levels. I know the provost speaks to the provost at Michigan. We're in the same state. We have several of the same challenges and can talk to them about what they're doing and learn best practices from each other. I think it's incredibly important and people might not believe it, but we do that.Russ White:You couldn't travel much during the pandemic, but lately you made a couple of trips, one to Detroit and one to Grand Rapids, where you really got to experience MSU's land grant outreach mission in action.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:Oh, they were incredibly exciting. I had a chance to go to Detroit and see the new Apple Developer Academy, and this is in the old First National Bank building in downtown Detroit. It's a partnership between Apple and Michigan State University. The Rocket Companies and Rock Ventures came on board to help us with the property and help make this building available to us as a donation from the Gilbert Family Foundation and the Rock Companies. It's an incredible space and within it are some incredible people. This is the only one in the United States. There's one in Brazil, one in Italy, one in Indonesia, and we're the first one in the United States. Apple picked MSU and they picked Detroit to place it.Apple identifies individuals 18 or over who are interested in learning how to develop applications for the iOS system. They learn some very important foundations of coding and development. And then there are some who are selected to go on to the full program and that's another nine months, or it could be another nine months plus another year, depending on the option they take. And so, there are 100 students enrolled, I think in this first class, and they are so enthusiastic and excited. They're now in this the first nine months of training. We had a chance to watch them work with their mentors. I met a mother of six who has decided to do this so she can have a better life for her family, but also so she can talk technology with her children. I met an 18-year-old who is still in high school who arranged with his principal to be able to get mornings off so he could work at the Apple Developer Academy, and he wants to be a programmer someday.And I met somebody who's been in the tech business but saw this as a way to give back to the community by developing apps that could help the community as he approaches retirement. It's a great program. We hope some of them may become MSU students as well, but it's something MSU can be proud of and it's very distinct.Russ White:And sir, in Grand Rapids, you took a tour of the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building. The facility is another anchor for the growing MSU Grand Rapids Innovation Park, the MSU Grand Rapids Research Center, and the continuing MSU transformation of the Medical Mile. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:One of the things that really attracted me to Michigan State University was the Grand Rapids initiatives that we have. The opportunity to really see how a public private partnership and the will and the commitment of leaders in the community can really help build an industry in a city was remarkable. And the Medical Mile represents this incredible coming together of people who care about their community and who want to see cutting edge medicine available to everyone and are willing to invest their time and energy in making it happen.The Doug Meijer building is really the third building that MSU is involved in. We have the Secchia Center where we're housing our medical school students who train in Grand Rapids. And they really enjoy being there. I saw Spectrum Hospital where they have a chance to practice their residency programs and do their third- and fourth-year medical training. It's an incredible facility with state-of-the-art equipment.Then I had a chance to go back to our research building and see the amazing research that's going on there. And that was built in association with Spectrum Health, who were major contributors to it and helped build it. And then finally, the Doug Meijer Innovation Building really houses several things. It houses some offices for MSU people coming over from our East Lansing campus who are interested in bioinformatics and epidemiology based on big data. But the exciting thing probably for me is the theragnostic component. This was from Doug Meijer's experience in having treatment for his cancer in Germany. It's an approach to cancer treatment that involves using isotopes that could both identify where the tumor is as well as kill the tumor cells and that was not available in the US. It's now going to be available in Grand Rapids in the State of Michigan for people who need it. And that's something I think we can all be excited about.Russ White:The university strategic plan is out. What are some things you want people to know about the strategic plan?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:The first thing to know is that it puts people first. The first category is student success. It's the idea of really helping everyone who comes to Michigan State University as a student to succeed, graduate, reach their goal, and reach their full potential. And it's about helping them, not only when they're in school, but when they're out of school as well, and really helping provide the networks and support they need to be successful in their chosen careers.There's a lot of detail in that first section alone about plans we have and outcomes we want to see. We want to see an increase in graduation rates, and we want to see a reduction in gaps in graduation rates between groups.And then the second piece is all about our faculty and staff. They are the heart and soul of the university. They're the continuing workers here. And the difference they make is extraordinary. So how do we make sure that their experience is a great experience? How do we make sure that this is a place where they want to come to work and that this is a place where they can reach their full potential and succeed in their careers? The provost and our HR group are spending a lot of time trying to figure out ways to make this happen. We're going to do work in health, sustainability, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.And last, but certainly not least, is our research and innovation. There are several plans on how to grow that anchored with the FRIB, our amazing plant scientists, and several other areas in our Extension program that allow us to do outreach and transform lives throughout the state of Michigan.Russ White:And enhancing arts and culture on campus are part of what you'd like to do. Part of that is the Billman Music Pavilion, which was opened recently. The facilities now have caught up with our world class College of Music.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:The Billman Music Pavilion is a beautiful building. We have the Minskoff Pavilion at Broad. We have the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, which is incredible. And now with the Billman Pavilion, we have a building that does justice to our outstanding music program. The humanities and arts are so important to the university. They really give people ways to approach problems in different ways. They really facilitate creative thinking. Beauty is something we can all appreciate. And I think particularly when we've seen stressful times as we had recently, the arts really have an important healing and unifying effect. Arts are a critical part of the strategic plan, and we're working hard to find ways in which to integrate them into all the things we're doing on campus.Russ White:October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. MSU Safe Place under the direction of former first lady Joanne McPherson was the nation's first on campus domestic violence shelter. It's another resource where we try to help our Spartans and the community.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:It's a great resource that's been making a difference in people's lives for over 25 years. Peter and Joanne McPherson are to be congratulated for helping to make this possible. I think it's something people need to know more about. I think it's probably underutilized. I think there are probably people right now who are suffering from abuse who need help, and this is a place where you can get it. I encourage people to look at it, read about it, and find out about it online. In the community letter I sent there's a link that takes you to Safe Place. And I encourage people to go there and understand the kind of possibilities it can help with in a very, very difficult problem for our country that we need to do more on.Russ White:Another resource is our Student Veterans Resource Center.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:I can't say enough to thank our veterans for what they've done for our country. Both my uncle and my dad fought in World War II. I'm very proud of the contributions they made to the United States at that time. We don't want to forget about our veterans, and there are several programs that are available. We want to make sure they're taking full benefits out of them. One of the things that the Student Veterans Resource Center is designed to do is to help acquaint them with these services and the benefits they can get. There are also many opportunities to honor our military, our veterans, and military affiliated students at MSU, including supporting the center through scholarships. Veterans can be financially challenged even if they have benefits such as the GI bill. We'll continue to make it an emphasis in our plan going forward and part of the student success component.Russ White:And if I could ask you to put your infectious disease expert hat on for a moment, where are we with COVID, not only on campus, but around the world? What are you feeling good about and what still concerns you?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:I'm very pleased with how we're doing on campus right now. We've really seen a fall in the number of cases. We peaked in early September when we came back, and we've been going down steadily since then. I'm a little concerned about the state of Michigan. I haven't checked the numbers in the past few days while I've been away, but they've been doing kind of a slow but steady rise over the same time. The things we put in place are really having a positive effect. I think the vaccine is making a huge difference and is the reason why we're getting to such low numbers now. The last time I looked, we had only seven students in isolation. I don't know what the number is now, but there are 16,000 students living on campus so that tells you we really have things under control at this point. Everybody stick with it. The mask wearing makes a difference. To anybody who's not been vaccinated, please get vaccinated because we really are serious about the mandates. They're really designed to protect the community, to allow us to come back safely, and to allow us to experience college the way we all want to experience college. And that's for faculty, staff, and students. What we're seeing is still the same thing as the pandemic progresses and that's the Delta variant. And what we know is that the vaccine prevents and protects you against the Delta variant. And if you're vaccinated, you have an incredibly low chance of dying or being hospitalized from Delta. If you're not vaccinated, you are taking a chance.Russ White:What are you optimistic about? Is there something keeping you up at night? Preview for Spartans what's ahead the next couple of months.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:I worry a little bit about the winter because flu season is coming, and people will be inside more. Students and faculty and staff have taken advantage of being outdoors and we've had a fall that made it possible to do that. I encourage people to continue to try to do activities outside when they can. But I'm very optimistic about going forward and my prediction is that we're not going to experience the same winter as we did last year, which was a terrible winter for the United States. Over December, January, and February, about 250,000 lives were lost during that time. I think things are going to be better because we have more people vaccinated and people are following the rules about indoor masking.I'm optimistic about our football team. I'm optimistic about our basketball team. I think we're going to see great things from the Spartans as we approach the end of the year. Everybody be safe, particularly this weekend. We're going to have a lot of folks here. We're going to be the center of the athletic universe on Saturday. So everybody be careful. Please take care of yourself and watch out for cars and pedestrians. Be careful and let's practice moderation in everything we do.MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Klemet recounts his career climbing the ladder in radio after graduating from MSU in 2007 to now returning home to lead the MAB. Before returning to Michigan, Klemet was the number two guy at the Indiana Broadcasters Association.What attracted you to the MAB?“At my core, I'm a broadcaster,” Klemet says. “I've loved it since I was five years old. I was listening to Ernie Harwell and George Blaha growing up. And those were my guys and I just fell in love with it. Being on air was great, but I got to see another side of it, which is fighting for broadcaster rights and helping the next generation and making sure that they're equipped in terms of support and connections that they can make. Associations play a huge part in doing that. “Michigan does it about as well as you can do it in the country. There are 50 broadcaster associations across the country, and Michigan is one of the best. I give Karole White and her staff, I'm replacing Karole, a lot of credit for that. She's been doing this for a very long time and has been very innovative in how she's done things. So, to have that infrastructure in place and to build on a place that's already successful was incredibly attractive. Karole's been great in helping me in that transition.”What is the Michigan Association of Broadcasters? What's the mission? What are some of the key issues you're working on?“It's a 501 C (6), non-profit. And the mission of the MAB is to promote broadcasting and to work for our members. There are more than 300 TV and radio stations that are members of the MAB. The goal is to support the next generation, to get ahead of what is coming, and to be an advocate for our industry. There are a lot of challenges. We want to make sure that our members feel supported, that they have someone who's there to help them stay ahead of the trends, and to be a voice for them on a legislative level. And that's where the MAB really has its strength.”What are some of the challenges and opportunities facing Michigan broadcasters and are they different for radio and TV? “The main issues are retention and recruitment. There are many more media options for consumers even from when I was in school 15 or 16 years ago. And that landscape has changed. There are so many more options. When I was a freshman, I think is when Facebook started. And so, to think of just how that has completely shifted the entire dynamic of media is incredible.“Attracting people to our industry is a challenge. We have a lot of opportunity there. But it's harder and harder to get younger people into broadcasting because they do have so many options, and I completely understand that. But I think there is real opportunity for us to connect with a new generation who may not have grown up changing the dial on a radio in their car. It's very conceivable that they're consuming radio in a very different way. Or they may not think to turn on Channel 7 to watch the nightly news. They are consuming news differently. And that's okay; that's completely fine. Things change, and the way we consume content evolves. That's fine. But I think it's very important for our industry to connect with those people and meet them where they are to keep our industry alive and strong.”Do television and radio stations care how consumers get their content, or would they prefer it get consumed over the air? Should the MAB be called the Michigan Association of Content Deliverers?“A couple weeks ago, I met with a young woman who's in sales for a radio station. And I asked her if she listens to radio. She flat out said no. So, I asked her how she sells it then. She said, ‘I'm not selling radio, I'm selling content.' I understand that, and that makes sense to me. You don't have to sell necessarily 95.5 on the FM dial. That's okay, but you can sell personalities. You can connect what we do as broadcasters in a very different way.“It's important that we are flexible on meeting them there, while again, still maintaining our core. And just because we're trying to attract young people doesn't mean that we still don't have an audience base who did grow up with radio. We need to ensure that the content is strong and to ensure that the accessibility of radio and TV is easy. If that means that you're tuning it to your smart device, we need to be very adaptable in making sure that we're meeting people where they are.”What are some short- and long-term goals you have as you get going at the MAB?“In the short term, I really do want to make sure that we're making connections with the college students here at Michigan State's campus and across the state of college and universities because that's where the talent is. Ultimately, we're going to have to pass the torch. And so I want to make sure that they feel equipped and that they have the skills coming in. I'm not just talking about from an on-air standpoint. A huge gap and a huge priority for me is on the engineering side. If you go into any radio station or TV station, the average age is probably in the mid to upper fifties. And these are traditionally men that have been doing this for 30 years. And when you ask them, ‘How do you fix this?' It's not in a handbook. It's in their brains because they just know how to do it.“We need to find and train the next generation so when the current group of engineers retires and moves on, there has to be someone that they can help or that can step in for them. They need to think differently but still make sure that they're doing what is necessary to keep us on air. That is a real challenge but also a humongous opportunity. And these are very stable jobs. These are jobs where you can start and you can grow and you can be in this position for 10, 15, or 20 years. You can make a complete career out of. I think sharing that and sharing the opportunities with young people is very important. So, a short-term goal is to continue to make connections and recruit the next generation, but also to make sure that our members feel like they know what's coming.”Klemet talks about the exciting ATSC 3.0 television technology and talks about why he chose MSU to attend college. And he describes how his time at MSU prepared him for where he is today. And he shares the names on his personal Mount Rushmore of Broadcasting. Ernie Harwell and George Blaha top the list. He also talks about Spartans in the media across the country who inspire him, some of whom were classmates. And he shares his advice for students who want to get into careers in broadcasting and communications.“Don't be afraid to take the job that you're unsure of. I think it's better just to get your foot in the door and then figure it out. The plan that you have right now as a student is not what is likely going to happen. If you are the one percent for whom it all goes perfectly then good for you. But it likely won't. Be flexible and open to new opportunities. My former boss in Indiana, Dave Arland, gave me some great advice. He said, ‘Never turn down a job that you weren't offered.' So, take some interviews and have that meeting with someone that you might have no idea what they're about or what they could do for you. Take the meeting and have conversations, meet people, extend your network as much as you possibly can because you don't know in 10 to 15 years where you may cross pass again.“It's important that people challenge themselves a little bit in stepping outside of a comfort zone. So again, you might have that plan that you want to be that young reporter who goes to ESPN, but you're not going to get that after your first year. But the steps that you take and the new things you try can ultimately get you there. Be patient as well. These things take time; careers take time. Be patient in getting to where you ultimately want to go.”Klemet explains what “localism” is as a focus for radio and television broadcasters. “You can pretty much get the national news from your pocket every day on your phone. You can find news content everywhere. A local perspective for broadcasters allows community voices to be heard. That is really where TV and radio are going. It's always been local, but I think hyper local is the future of our industry.“The biggest focus for us is to create opportunities for students, whether it's through a scholarship program or career fairs or simply putting on events that connect students to broadcasters. That's where our opportunity lies. I know over the last five years we've given away about $150,000 worth of college scholarships to students at colleges and high schools. We're going to continue that and really put a focus on that because we want to make sure that the students who are coming out feel supported. And a financial burden is always a concern, especially from a broadcaster.“The other thing is just to make sure that our industry feels strong and that it has a future. And it does. I am a huge proponent of TV and radio on a local level. We need to stay ahead of the trends and create programs that allow our members to feel like, ‘Okay, we can step into that next generation of whatever broadcasting looks like because we're hearing from the people who are making that happen.' It's our job as the MAB to help connect our members to those trends and those decision makers.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get yours shows.

What is vascular disease?“Most people are familiar with heart disease and with the consequences of blockages in the vessels that carry blood to and from the heart,” says Lin. “One of the most recognized vascular diseases is abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is an enlargement of a bulge that develops in a weakened area within the aorta in the abdomen. These pressures then generate with each heartbeat that pushes against the aneurysm and it tends to enlarge. If the aneurysm weakens it can rupture. Typically, we want to monitor it and repair it with surgery if it becomes large enough before it bursts.“We also take care of carotid artery disease, which can cause stroke. Carotid disease occurs when the main blood vessels to the brain develop plaque or hardening of the artery. These build up then can become very severe and lead to stroke, which damages part of the brain. In fact, 80 percent of strokes are ischemic strokes where parts of the circulation to the brain are cut off, usually due to blockage in the carotid artery. It is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.“Another very common vascular disease is peripheral arterial disease. This happens when there's hardening of the artery in the legs. Essentially, there's blood flow that's reduced to the limbs and it can cause complete blockage in the legs. Early on, people may have difficulty walking. They get cramping pain, and eventually if it gets really bad they may get foot ulcers, infections, and even gangrene that can lead to amputation. People with PADs are more likely to get heart attacks and strokes.“Another vascular disease is varicose veins, which a lot of patients have. You can notice the bulging veins in the leg, which then returns the blood back to the heart and it causes heavy aching, throbbing, and itching. Some of the more serious vascular diseases are blood clots or deep vein thrombosis. Deep thrombosis can cause leg swelling and pain. DVT in the blood clot in the leg can travel into the lungs causing pulmonary embolus, and that can kill somebody. Most people present with shortness of breath. Those are the main issues that vascular surgeons treat.”What are some of the symptoms, and what causes vascular disease?“Usually, it's age. As we age, we tend to develop hardening of the arteries. Smokers can get it as well. Smoking damages the inside lining of the blood vessels. Diabetes is also a common cause. Hypercholesterolemia, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels. Usually, we want to make sure we control risk factors and make sure that you take aspirin, quit smoking, and exercise.”Give us an overview of the vascular surgery services you offer in your practice.“Vascular surgeons are specialists who are highly trained to treat diseases of the vascular system, which include arteries, veins, and blood vessels comprised of arterial blood that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The veins then return the blood back to the heart. I think of myself as a plumber for the body. We can do ballooning. We can do angioplasty and stenting. We can also do surgery to bypass the blockage. We can fix aneurysms. If they bulge out, we can replace them either through a stent graft or by sewing blood vessels. Then we also take care of patients with medication; medical therapy is also very big.”Share with me your practice philosophy.“I believe in patient autonomy. I think it's important in an initial visit to identify a patient's specific concern and what bothers them to really customize a comprehensive treatment plan for their vascular condition. I strive to provide the patient with accurate information about their diagnosis and then provide them with evidence-based vascular care. There are many options. Some patients don't want any surgery or more aggressive intervention. So, then we start with medical therapy. “When their condition gets severe enough, they may need minimally invasive procedures. That's usually the next side of therapy, like arteriogram or venogram or stenting to open blood vessels. Eventually, if they get severe enough they may need something bigger like an operation, and that's something we also offer.”What are some of the challenges you encounter in treating vascular disease?“A lot of it is the initial recognition. We have to be able to recognize the problem. If you get leg pain and leg cramps, you really want to see a vascular surgeon. Maybe see your primary care doctor first and discuss your situation with your doctor you trust to see if you do have vascular disease. Then they can refer to the vascular surgeon.“Sometimes it's family history. Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm tend to be smokers and have a family history of aneurysms; it's a silent killer. A lot of patients may not know to be screened for aneurysms so that's something that we also want patients to be aware of. If you have family history of that, we want to make a note of it and get it checked out. I usually tell patients that we can't cure atherosclerosis, but we can manage it. We can manage it so you can live a longer, healthier life.”Are there either some facts you'd like to reinforce or some myths you'd like to dispel about vascular disease?“Yes. People think that when they hear surgery you're going for intervention. That's not necessarily true. When you see a vascular specialist or a vascular surgeon, you're really discussing options. Not every vascular disease needs surgery and making the right diagnosis is a good start. We must make sure that leg symptoms aren't from a pinched nerve or from sciatica or musculoskeletal issues rather than an arterial or vein problem. We have to make sure we make the correct diagnosis and come up with a good treatment plan.”Is there some current or exciting research or are there some advancements in treatments of vascular disease that have you hopeful about the future of treating these diseases?“Absolutely. There is an explosion of technology in diagnosing and treating vascular disease, especially in the last 20 years. We switched our focus to being minimally invasive, so we no longer really must open someone's belly or abdomen or make big incisions. A lot of it is catheter-based procedures. Instead of doing a heart catheter, we're doing leg catheterizations and some procedures that correct the blockage or improve the flow without having to make big incisions, and that may correct a lot of the problem.“The other thing is we've had a lot of medical advancements and therapies. Sometimes you can't dissolve the clot, and you must go in and remove the clots. But a lot of times we can perform therapies that can improve the longevity of our stents and our bypasses.“We have digitized a lot of what we do in terms of imaging. Vascular imaging has gotten so much better that we can see things that we weren't able to see before. In the past, we may not have even known a patient had a vascular disease. From an x-ray somebody was getting or through CAT scan imaging an aneurysm may have been discovered. Then it's more of a discussion of whether or not to monitor that aneurysm or to treat it. It really depends on a patient's symptoms and the size of it. There are certainly a lot of things that we can do.”What attracted you to MSU Health Care?“MSU has a great name and a great program. I was recruited here to build the vascular surgery program in the Lansing area, and I took up that challenge. I'm very excited about that opportunity. I think there are a lot of under-recognized and under-treated vascular diseases, and I'm hoping to help patients with vascular disease live healthy, long lives.”What motivated you to get an MBA in 2017?“I've always wanted to be a doctor and I love what I do taking care of patients, doing operations, and managing vascular disease. That's what I'm trained to do. In the last 15 years, medicine has changed a lot. I wasn't as familiar with the business side of medicine, and I felt like getting a master's in business administration would help in terms of looking at the flow of medical care and how to improve it because a lot of what we do in medicine is teamwork.“It takes a whole team to get things done, and medicine has really become a group of people working together. We were taught in medical school to do everything ourselves. In business it's very different. We worked a lot in teams. You can't graduate with your MBA if you don't know how to work with a team. The other thing I learned was leadership. One of the things I really wanted to learn is about how to become a better leader and to grow more personally and professionally so hopefully I can manage patients and my team better.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

How does technology help us live our best life, and how does it hold us back? How can we harness the power of tech for good, and how does it hurt us? Life, Meet Tech explores these questions and more! The podcast is hosted by social scientist and technology enthusiast Prabu David, who is dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.Each episode features lively and provocative conversations with an array of notable experts, authors, journalists, and industry leaders on all things tech life. MSU alumna Melanie Paul is executive producer of Life, Meet Tech.David and Paul talk about how they connected to work on this project and about how the pandemic hastened the development of the podcast.“I was a little nervous about the subject,” admits Paul. “Honestly, I'm not a technical person. I'm a storyteller. When technology in my household breaks, I turn it off, I turn it back on, I unplug it, I plug it back in and that's usually the extent of it. I was a little hesitant to dive into something where I'm not an expert, but Prabu said, ‘no, no, no, we're going to make this super relatable and interesting, and it's going to be great.' And he started talking about these ideas and themes that were fascinating. And I have to say, that's my favorite part of the podcast. It takes these very top-line sort of big ideas and makes them relatable and informative and entertaining.”What is it about the podcast medium you like for getting your message out?“I personally consume a lot of podcasts,” continues Paul. “I love them! In fact, during the pandemic, I would have to say that podcasts were sort of companions in a way. You can turn them on anywhere. You can take them with you. You can have them playing in the background while you do other things. It's one of my favorite ways to consume media. Podcasts are so accessible and portable, and you can listen to them anywhere. You can take them anywhere. They're convenient. There's no destination viewing with a podcast. That's what makes the podcast medium so cool!”“What I find most attractive about a podcast personally is that I love a good story,” says David. “I genuinely love to listen to people if you have the right people with the right insights on important topics like the intersection of technology and life. Every aspect of life is driven by technology these days. And we need to find ways in which we can make sense of it. Some of it is good. Some of it is neutral. And some of it is bad. We need to be savvy, aware customers who can make a difference.”“I hope the audience finds each episode as entertaining as it is informative,” Paul adds. “I think we've really carefully curated some outstanding guests who are experts in these topics. And it's so relatable. We want the convenience that technology provides, but it comes at a cost. And that cost sometimes is our information and our data. So, I hope that listeners walk away thinking about this with some more practical understanding on how our day to day life interacts with technology. And what we need to be aware of. And I also hope they're entertained. We've got some really lively speakers and guests who join us on the show.”“I want people to be entertained because technology is fun and all of us love technology,” David adds. “I want them to be informed and to understand what is going on but also to be critical and thoughtful about how we consume technology.“There are so many benefits from it but lurking in every one of these junctions where life and technology intersect are interesting dilemmas that we should sort out as a society. You cannot take it for granted. We have a role to play. It's our data. It's our lives that are intersecting with technology. We have to coexist with technology and find the right balance for how we and robots and other kinds of technologies co-exist. That is fascinating to me.”“I hope that the podcast makes people think,” says Paul. “I hope it's thought provoking. Because for me personally working on the project, that was something that happened every single interview and every single episode we were working on. I would walk away from it and be thinking about these topics in a way that I'd never really considered before. And that, I think, is really exciting because a podcast that not only entertains you and informs you but also gets you thinking about things will keep you coming back for more. And I hope that the audience does.”Episodes of Life, Meet Tech publish weekly on Wednesdays through December 1st. The podcast can be found wherever you get your shows. And at WKAR.org. Life, Meet Tech is a co-production of WKAR Public Media, and the College of Communication, Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University.MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The reorganization took effect July 1st and places greater emphasis on community engagement; diversity, equity and inclusion; relationship violence and sexual misconduct; professional standards and public integrity; and behavioral support services.Many of the changes directly align with the recommendations made by the Task Force on Racial Equity police working group, and the initiatives outlined in the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Strategic Plan.Deputy Chief Andrea Munford will lead the Community Support Bureau, including the Special Victims Unit, Center for Trauma-Informed Investigative Excellence, and the Community Care Unit. Munford will continue her role as special adviser to the president and RVSM issues.Chief Lynch will be bringing members of his leadership team with him to talk about their areas of focus in the department in a regular podcast series on MSU Today we're affectionately calling Chopping It Up with the Chief. Deputy Chief Munford is Chief Lynch's guest on this episode.“It is a fantastic opportunity to serve my alma mater in this capacity,” says Chief Lynch in referring to his first six months on the job leading public safety at MSU. “Having the ability to make positive contributions and have direct impact on our community is a great opportunity.”On the reasons for the restructuring, Lynch says “I felt it was important that we align to the mission of the university. We still provide our traditional police services, and we're emphasizing direct community engagement and community support, meaning everything from behavioral support to relationship violence and sexual misconduct. What we do every day is engage with our community, and so having diversity, equity, and inclusion be a part of everything that we do is going to be important. The structure was built with that in mind.”“I graduated from MSU in 1996 with a bachelor's in criminal justice, and I started with the department in 1997,” says Munford. “I started out on patrol working in our community engagement unit. I spent five years on a cold case homicide task force with Ingham County and State Police and learned a lot about what survivors of lost family members go through and how traumatic that situation can be. In 2014, we started our Special Victims Unit within the Investigative Bureau, and we really framed that around being trauma-informed, victim-centered, and offender-focused. We based our foundation on the work of Dr. Rebecca Campbell and the research she's done on the neurobiology of trauma.“Trauma-informed looks at the social and behavioral impact, and what it's like for someone to go through a traumatic experience. It affects everybody differently. We need to be aware of what happens to folks as they go through trauma so that we can understand how to do our investigations working with people on an individual basis. In the past, a lot of the guidelines on how to do an investigation focused solely on getting the facts and the evidence. But if you're not factoring in someone's experience going through trauma, then you're really missing a lot of the micro corroborations of what they're experiencing because of the traumatic event. It's really important to work with each person that goes through a traumatic event on an individual basis so that you're really understanding what they're going through.“Victim-centered means meeting people where they are and looking at what their needs are. We do investigative services; however, it may not be best for every person to go through a full investigation. The way we framed our unit is leading with support. For special victims' cases, we're connecting survivors with support services and resources so that they can make really informed decisions about what processes they want to participate in. Then when we look at our community care unit, there's a lot of intersectionality between RVSM issues and folks who go through some behavioral mental health issues. We look at that intersectionality, and we look at that side through a trauma-informed lens.”What are some short and long-term goals?“Like I mentioned, we really want our unit to lead by support,” Munford continues. “So as folks come into our process, whether they initiate it themselves or somebody on their behalf reports something to us, we want to provide support services first. That really involves a lot of collaboration with our community and campus partners so that we're really working as a team to provide support to students, faculty, staff, and visitors that come here too. The short-term goal is to get our unit trained in best practices. Again, that's a collaboration that we need to do with the whole community. Long-term is sustaining those relationships. We now have a social work intern on our team. We're making that part of our unit more robust so that we can enhance the services that we provide to our community.”What about both some challenges and opportunities to achieving some of your goals?“One of the biggest challenges right now is building trust with the community,” Munford says. “A lot of events historically and more recently have given people doubts about the police department and that's understandable. We want folks to know we're here to support them. We're really focused on being a big piece of the university's mission to enhance student success and to make the culture healthy and respectful and sustain that through the work that we do in collaboration with our partners.”“I would agree the challenge is the community trust,” adds Lynch. “It's a national narrative in regard to police reform. We definitely heard the concerns from our community. We saw the recommendations from the task force. We've reallocated our funds, and we redirected where our emphasis is. Andrea's comments about leading with support, that's what it's about. It's providing the support for our community and being a trusted, reliable resource for our community. That will be a challenge, but I think the opportunity is that there's a lot of willingness to do it. It's very well supported by university leadership. There are members of the community who have already reached out with support. There are opportunities as well that they will have through our police and public safety advisory committee to where there's a monthly opportunity to meet and help us with our strategic planning and initiatives. This is all day every day, Russ. It's not just sort of thinking about it one and done. We're moving on. It's time.“The structure of our department will be built on community need, engagement, and support. Traditional police services will remain, but it may not necessarily be the emphasis. Again, the structure is based on the feedback that we've received. The structure needs to be nimble. If things change, we change with it, and we'll continue to do that.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“One thing is unequivocal,” says Andresen. “That's the word that's used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); the world's getting warmer. Michigan and the Great Lakes are also getting warmer. And perhaps more significant is it's getting wetter here locally. That's a regional trend; there are regional differences around the world. But globally, temperatures have warmed up a little over one degree Celsius. So a couple degrees Fahrenheit over the last century or so. It's a rapid increase relative to what we know about the Earth's geologic history.“The last decade is the warmest that we've seen over at least 100,000 years. The world is getting warmer. There are all sorts of other variables-related to that. The ice is melting. The sea levels are increasing, and all of these things are consistent with a warmer world. That's true here in the Upper Midwest and in the Great Lakes region too.”Andresen says Michigan has gained about a two degrees Fahrenheit over the last 30 to 40 years. “There've been some seasonal differences and there's been more warming in the cool season, especially during the winter season and that's warmed more than the summer. The other interesting thing is that our nighttime temperatures have warmed more quickly than our daytime temperatures. So, the difference between the two, the diurnal range it's called, is shrinking or decreasing with time. And that's something we see in other parts of the world. It's the warmest we have been in basically our recorded history.”He talks about the rise in extreme events we're seeing.“Unfortunately, the extreme events are projected to continue. Projections that were made 10 years ago and even longer than that are pretty consistent with what we've observed. We're on a warmer and wetter trajectory. And unfortunately, most of these projections call for an increase in extremes.”Andresen talks about the latest climate assessment from the IPCC.“The projections for the future are a little bit warmer than they have been in the past. And the language in the report is more deterministic and certainly more concerning. And there's a link between human activity and the observed warming that's taken place here over the last century. Again, the word unequivocal is used. It's happening. And a significant portion and most of the warming is attributed to or associated with human activities, notably the greenhouse gas emissions. And something is going to have to be done, otherwise we risk major problems. The more the change, the more difficult the problems will be to deal with.”Andresen discusses climate change's impact on agriculture and the Great Lakes. He explains why some of the changes have been positive while others have been negative.“We just need to look around us. There's been ample evidence around us of extremes and challenges and impacts. And this whole issue of a changing climate hasn't been at the forefront or at the top of people's lists of issues. We have many issues that challenge us as a society. But climate change, unfortunately, I think is getting higher up on the list. And we really can't afford to wait much longer. Something is going to have to be done and we have to come up with some plans and some action. They're a lot of good intentions, but we really need to act on some of them.“The stakes are very, very high and time is as an important part of this. The good news and the glass-is-half-full view is that humans have been very good at coping and adapting with changes in the long-term throughout history. There's no question we can do it again. We have the right stuff to do this, but decisions have to be made and really have to be followed. That isn't so easy sometimes, but this issue is not going away. And as we've seen recently, it's actually becoming more visible. We have to think about those who come after us and come up with some strategies and solutions to change or to solve the problem.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:Russ, it's always great to be with you. As you say, it's a beautiful day right now in East Lansing, so wonderful we could spend it with everybody outside. That's great.Russ White:Homecoming week, sir, just a great time really once a year at a minimum for Spartans to reflect on how important this place was to them and continues to be, right?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:Yeah, Homecoming's a great description for it, isn't it? It's a chance for people to come to their Spartan home. I missed the last two. Rained out my first year and then the pandemic struck the second. So it's wonderful for me to be able to experience this for the first time. And I'm looking forward to the parade and all the wonderful things that are going to happen. Of course, our Homecoming champion, Barbara Ross-Lee, the famous member of the Spartan community who was the first Black woman to be a dean of a medical school. So, it's a great distinction to bring her back and it ties in so much for the sense of community and respect we have at MSU.Russ White:And one of the things that makes MSU great is the many academic programs. There are a lot of rankings that come up. How important are those ranking to you? They're indicative I'm sure, but never tell the whole story, right?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:I think you summarized it really well. They do matter. I would never say they don't matter because there are people who pay attention to them, and they are kind of an external benchmark of how you're doing compared to peers. On the other hand, it's very complex. You can go up and down for reasons that may not have completely to do with mission. So, I don't take them quite so serious, but I do think they matter. And they certainly matter to some students and parents I think who are very interested as well. So, it's a great achievement, I think. I look at our supply chain program and what they've done year after year to rank at the top is spectacular. I look at some of our other programs. Packaging continues to do very well. Our work in music continues to be a strong department. All across the board really we have strength, but it's nice when these programs get called out. And the Times is a stringent ranking and so to be number 35 among universities in the U.S. is a big deal.Russ White:A couple of ways to highlight our collaborative ethos at MSU is the partnership with Henry Ford Health System. As that evolves, what should we know right now about that?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:It continues to evolve towards closer collaboration. And we're finding many different ways to partner. They're such a powerful health system. Their reach is wide, their numbers are large, and they deliver quality care and quality research. So they have a research endeavor in human health that approximates ours. So together, coming together, we're finding so many different ways we can work together to improve health. And that improves right at the delivery of health to work on understanding disparities better, to work on more remote things such as diet and nutrition which are critical to human health, but which we don't always think about when we're thinking about healthcare.Russ White:And MSU has many partners in the automotive industry. We're working with Ford on some composite materials that are lighter and sustainably-based, Dr. Larry Drzal and his team. Our mobility future was highlighted too by our University Research Corridor collaboration with Wayne State and Michigan but talk a little bit about mobility and where it's going and how MSU research is fitting into our mobility future.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:So, Michigan of course has always been the home of mobility and in the United States and really must lead the way. And so I think we're looking for ways to continue that leadership. And I think we have a number of allies in trying to do that. So, as you said, we have about 50 researchers at MSU who are studying mobility. We've done work to turn this campus into a course where one can study autonomous vehicles and learn more about how to make them safe, efficient, and effective. And I think these are things that really help keep us in the lead. So, I met with the Business Leaders of Michigan a couple weeks ago and this was top on their list was ways we could collaborate. I heard Bill Ford talk about what he sees as the future of Ford and mobility obviously is very much a part of that.Russ White:And President Stanley, what about that beautiful STEM Teaching and Learning Facility you helped open a couple of weeks ago? Talk about the building, but also what's going to go on inside of it.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:It's a showcase for teaching STEM in the United States. And it makes total sense with our outstanding Natural Sciences group, our Engineering group, and our College of Education. We're well-positioned to lead in this area. And that building, that's a flagship building. And again, I think one of the participants in the dedication said, ‘This is the best teaching science facility in the world.' And I'm not going to argue with them. I think it's amazing. And the way it was built from the old power plant and incorporates some of the historical components of that, it looks towards the future and makes it all the more exciting for our students. So, this is a place where our students are going to be able to come together. They're going to be able to learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and do it with hands on experience that can't be replicated in other places. So, I couldn't be more excited about it. And of course it's an amazing building, but the people we're going to put in it are pretty amazing as well.Russ White:I think it was Senator Stabenow who so aptly described the building that way, sir. And if you add an A for arts to STEM and make STEAM, we're opening the Billman Music Pavilion, another really wonderful facility. And again, our generous donors play such a big role in that too.Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:That's so exciting and those listening carefully to this broadcast may be able to hear a little from the Billman because I think they're practicing right next door to us right now. And it's wonderful. It's one of the benefits of being in Cowles House is we get to hear them. But donors really made this happen. There was a significant contribution from the university as well, but really donors brought this program to completion. And if you haven't seen it, you have to tour the Billman Pavilion. It added about 40 percent of space to the music building, but that space is transformational space with the kind of studios, soundproofing and so on to really allow us to teach music to a great group of students in the best way possible. I'm so excited about it. Jim forger has done an incredible job of shepherding this and leading the fundraising for it as dean. And I know this is something he's very proud of and the faculty are very proud of. And all the students are going to benefit greatly and the community is going to benefit greatly because music is a great gift essentially to the community as a whole. We're very fortunate to have such an outstanding music program. And it's one of the ways in which people recognize MSU and the contributions we make not only directly on this campus, but to the community as well.Russ White:And President Stanley, you recently appointed a new athletic director for Spartan Athletics, Alan Haller is new to the position, but certainly not new to MSU. He's a Spartan through and through. Talk a little bit about Alan and what made you choose him to be the next AD?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:Well, first I've got to give a shout out to Bill Beekman who did such an outstanding job as athletic director and who really set a foundation for great work. I decided as everyone may know to bring Bill back into the senior administration in a role as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. He's going to help us in the implementation and supervision of our strategic plan, as well as doing special projects for me about the university. As far as Alan goes, this is someone who we use the phrase bleeds green. There's no question that he does. He's participated in service to MSU as a student, as an athlete, as a police officer and now as athletic director after his time in sports under Bill. He's doing great work already. I think he's bringing a lot of energy, but also a real commitment as Bill had as well to make sure we don't just focus on some sports. We're making sure that all the sports are going to compete and are funded in a way that will allow them to be successful and that's really important. I see that as a major issue for him. I see him as understanding what's going to be necessary to continue to have a football program that's doing the kind of things we've been doing the past few weeks. We want to continue that. A basketball program doing the same. We also want our track and field athletes to be competing at that level. We want our field hockey athletes to be competing at that level. We want our volleyball players competing at that level. There are so many different sports we want to see participating and succeeding, and we don't have the revenue as you know. We didn't have the revenue to do every sport, but we want the sports we have to do well.Russ White:And earlier this week, President Stanley, you also sent a letter to the campus community highlighting some of the financial issues with the university right now as we're sort of proceeding through the semester. What's the financial update for MSU?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:So I think we had some things happen that we've been waiting for and we're glad they occurred. So, we did receive a budget from the state now that has an increase about 1 percent to our base in it, which is good. It's always good to get an increase. We would've liked more. We always do, but it's always good to get an increase. And then it has about another $12 million or about 11 or so percent for increase for us as well. That's one-time dollars, and it's related to federal maintenance money, but we weren't guaranteed that was going to come, but it has come now out with this legislation. So we're very excited about that as well. So that improves our balance. We have a slight increase related to tuition that we got as well. So we did a little better on tuition revenue than we thought we would, although it's not huge, but it's helpful for us too going forward. And then of course we've been using that HEERF money to continue to defray expenses we had from COVID. And we had a great year in the markets as many universities did around the country. While that grows endowment, most endowment funds are restricted. There is a payout that comes and the payout will be slightly larger because the percentage it'll be coming from, the percentage will stay the same, but the dollars will be slightly up. So that gives us some income essentially to use as one-time dollars to do something we've wanted to do, and that's restore the extra 5 percent match that we had as part of our benefit package. And we made the very difficult decision as faculty and academic staff and executive management that we would take reduction of the two-to-one match and just have a one-to-one up to 5 percent for this past year. And we had planned to continue it for a second year, but now we're going to cut that six months short and restart it again in January. And I'm so pleased we can do this. And I really appreciate the patience of academic faculty and staff who have been so willing to make these kinds of sacrifices. And executive management who've been willing to make these sacrifices during this time. And we're going to continue to monitor our financial situation carefully and where we can do other things. We'll look to do other things, but that's where we stand at this point.Russ White:Well, President Stanley, as always, thank you for elaborating on the topics in your September 30th community letter. Just any final thoughts as we close for Spartans?Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.:Everybody stay safe during this fall. People have been doing such a great job masking and getting the vaccine. People have been complying with the vaccine mandate. We really are approaching 93 or 94 percent of the campus vaccinated. That's a pathway towards safety. That's a pathway towards keeping people safe. And I'm so pleased with how people have been abiding to the mask mandate. I've seen a little slippage sometime in our athletic events so I'm going to be talking more about that in the future because I think that's really important. When we're inside, we need to be masked. Those are the MSU rules. And I know everybody wants to come back and see sports and watch sports inside. I certainly do. We've got to do it in a safe way and that's really important for all of us. And so we'll continue to monitor that, but I'm so excited that people are back. And our cases of COVID are down on campus. And the number of students in isolation and quarantine has fallen. We're down about 40 percent from where we were two weeks ago so I think we're moving in the right direction.Russ White:That's Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. Keep up with him at president.msu.edu and follow on Instagram. His handle there msupresstanley. and I'm Russ White from the beautiful backyards at Cowles House for MSU Today.MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to MSU Today on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Mark Largent:Welcome. My name is Mark Largent. I'm the associate provost and dean for undergraduate education at Michigan State University. And it is my pleasure to be your host today. I want to start by thanking the Spartan Jazz Quintet for their talent and their time and their contribution to this really wonderful ceremony today. I am so happy to be here. I have to be honest with you. This is a very joyful time as we restart a school year. I am one of those people who started school when I was six and I've never stopped starting school every fall. And to have fallen out of that rhythm last year and the loss of that pattern I had really depended on and the people who I was close to was tremendously difficult. And I know that so many of you here are that way as well. And so many of you are so energized by this building and these people and our students. And so I'm just joyful to be here. So thank you for joining me for this. I think the joy we have in being here emphasizes for us the sense of place and what importance place holds for us, together, here, now, celebrating this new place. As a historian, I cannot help but see architecture as emblematic of a very particular time and place in which a building was created. Those buildings create spaces that reflect the intentions of the time in which they were built. Those spaces, then, in the years and years that follow, both empower and constrain what happens in those spaces. We call this architectural determinism and what it means is spaces allow for certain things, but not all things. Fifty some years ago, we built the last one of these kinds of buildings, that new classroom building, right on the other side of this, Wells Hall. And much has changed in 50 years. Who we teach, how we teach, what we teach, and who teaches even has changed in that last half century. And so a building that we build now must reflect who we are now and who we want to be next, both, and this building most certainly does that. Our dedicated world-class faculty have been formulating and reformulating answers the questions of what we should teach and how we should teach it. And this building opens the doors to an unimaginably wide landscape of opportunity to pursue those answers, but also for opportunity for our students themselves. And ultimately, that's why we're here, is for our students and their opportunity. This building is designed for both today and tomorrow's science education needs. It is incredibly flexible. Architectural determinism in this space has been constrained to limits we've never seen before in a classroom building on this campus, perhaps anywhere, because this is probably the best science education building on the planet. It is flexible. It is welcoming. It is open. And if you have not been inside of it yet, I'm excited for you to go in because you will leave with a sense of empowerment and excitement that our students have told us they feel when they walk in those doors.So, it is my pleasure now to introduce someone who has pursued answers to some of medicine's most urgent problems throughout his entire professional life, an infectious disease expert, a researcher, patent holder, former technology transfer executive. Our first speaker is a leader who knows the value of collaborative research and multi-disciplinary pedagogy firsthand. It's also a person who has done wonders over the last year and a half helping lead us through a time none of us could have imagined. So I want to thank and introduce MSU president Samuel L Stanley.Samuel L Stanley:Well, thank you, associate provost Largent, or I should say, thank you, Mark, for that extraordinarily kind introduction. And I almost am ready to throw away my comments because I think Mark summarized everything I'm going to say in one sentence, which is, the best science education building in the world at Michigan State University. Is there really anything else to add to that statement? I'm not sure there is, but you know what I'm going to anyway. So we'll just move ahead. So I wanted to begin by acknowledging the state of Michigan and particularly the legislature for its partnership in helping to fund this facility. It was the first time in nearly 50 years. I'm going to say this again, it's the first time in nearly 50 years that MSU added exclusive classroom space with state funding. So thank you for the vision of those who helped make this possible. Thank you. This is an important day for Michigan State University and all of our students. This impressive facility represents the commitment of MSU and the state of Michigan to prepare our students to thrive in a dynamic and complex world. Understanding scientific principles, mathematical concepts, physical and biological processes is increasingly important for many reasons. We know that jobs requiring STEM knowledge are the fastest growing in the country. And among the most secure. STEM occupations will grow by more than twice the rate of non-STEM jobs in this decade. And STEM occupations, on average, pay about twice as much. We also know that on the whole, STEM occupations do not, and the person who are among them, represent the diversity of our society. Since data indicate that women make up nearly half of the workforce, but a little more than a quarter of STEM workers today. Black and Hispanic participation in STEM occupations also trails their representation in the workforce. Because of its importance, supporting diversity in STEM is a priority for the nation, as well as Michigan State University. More broadly, STEM skills and qualifications are valuable for everyone. An NSF, National Science Foundation, report concluded last year that whether or not they become scientists or engineers, all Americans should have access, opportunity, encouragement, and tools to participate in the innovation economy and to succeed amid technological progress and change. Understanding STEM principles is increasingly necessary to assess information, weigh choices, and even manage your health. And it's important for also being a contributing member of society. Science-based issues confront the world today with some of its greatest challenges, medical, environmental, and technological. Society needs citizens who are able to understand those issues, make informed choices and lead our communities. This new facility is a 21st century response, the newest evolution of MSU's land grant commitment to connect people with such vital knowledge. It represents our innovative spirit and transformative mission. We see these qualities in the facility's creative design and repurposing of the power plant. And we see these qualities inside where learning spaces will accommodate some 7,000 students every week. Among other programs, this facility will host introductory STEM courses, including in biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, and physics. We work with faculty members and others to consider how our curriculum is delivered and how spaces are used, to design a building based on learning and the student experience. There are about 1,200 seats and common areas and gathering spaces to facilitate collaboration. We know those kinds of productive collisions are absolutely central to learning. And this building helps make them possible. The arts features will also connect the STEM disciplines to imagination and creativity, critical forces as we go forward. The innovation represented by this building extended to its construction as well. Parts of the new wings were constructed with sustainable cross-laminated timber for example. It's the first time this mass timber has been used for a laboratory and academic building in this country. Features such as that help integrate this facility into MSU sustainability goals. So in sum, the teaching and learning facility, our STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, connects key MSU values to how we support excellence and student success. It links the university's past to its future while prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion. I'm very pleased that all of you can join us today for this ribbon cutting as we celebrate the opening of our STEM building, and there'll be an opportunity to tour the building when this program begins. Thank you again so much for coming and thank you for all of you who helped make this day possible. Thank you.Mark Largent:Thank you, President Stanley. During the years that this building has been in development, the MSU Board of Trustees has been an integral part of supporting the process, guiding it, and providing both material and political support that we need to carry out this work. So it's now my honor to introduce a Lansing area luminary, who has spent a lifetime in public service, board of trustees chair, Dianne Byrum.Dianne Byrum:Thank you, Mark. What a great day for a ribbon cutting. It's wonderful to be able to represent the Board of Trustees at the grand opening of the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility. As President Stanley mentioned, the state of Michigan has been a valued partner in this project. The allocation of nearly $30 million in capital outlay funding was instrumental in the construction of this innovative teaching and learning space. When you invest in higher education, you are contributing to student success and investing in our future. I applaud the Michigan legislature for recognizing the value of the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility and what it will mean to MSU and our state. This project provided us a unique opportunity to work with the DNR. One of the experiences of the building's design is the use of cross laminated timber also known as mass timber. It was used for the load bearing structure, framing, floors, and ceiling. Among other benefits, this mass timber promotes forest health and a reduction in carbon emissions. I had the privilege of being here in August, 2018 for the groundbreaking. So it's an honor to stand here today, three years later, reflecting on the magnitude of changes and advancements of the project on campus. And more importantly, the thousands of students who will benefit from the experience that this building will support. The adaptive and innovative spaces will help our faculty provide even more exceptional and personalized learning that will help prepare our students to succeed and lead. I cannot wait to see how it will be used, but even more, I can't wait to see how it will empower our students to be world changers. Thank you.Mark Largent:Thank you, Chair Byrum.Our next speaker knows a few things about opening doors for millions of people for so many years now. She knows about building coalitions and getting things done. She knows that Michigan's future relies on our ability to build and to innovate. It is now my pleasure to introduce the honorable Debbie Stabenow, US Senator from Michigan.Debbie Stabenow:Okay. First, Go Green!Crowd:Go White!Debbie Stabenow:Okay. Now I know where I am. So it is really exciting for me to be here. I have to say. First of all, we all know Michigan State's the premier land grant university in the country. One of the world's top research institutions, right Mr. President? There's no question about that. And now home to this impressive new building that's going to create opportunities, first and foremost, for thousands of students. I've just met a few of them here today and told them we're expecting great things. And then also opportunities that go beyond that, I think, in terms of where we need to go in the world. This is the first mass timber building in our state. It's the first mass timber building, therefore it's the tallest mass building. At some point, there will be one taller, but I keep telling everyone, we have the tallest building in the state, which we do, and it is about cross laminated timber, which is about the economy. It's about jobs. It's about addressing the climate crisis. And I have to tell you personally, for me, this has really been an area of focus for me as chair of the Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Back in 2014, we put into the five-year farm bill timber innovation act research. We're going to do research on cross-laminated timber in a more aggressive way, how we could use timber in building buildings and other opportunities. And then in the 2018 bill, we expanded it with full funding. And when I look at the opportunities that we have to address the climate crisis, which is right in front of our face, the wildfires, the droughts, the floods, everything that is happening for us, how we use wood and how we manage forests in a sustainable way is very much a part of how we move forward. And it's an intimate part of what I'm working on right now in the Senate, frankly. And what I'm also excited about is this as an economic opportunity for us in Michigan. We have a lot of paper mills around Michigan, and we all know we're not using paper much anymore. But we are moving towards cross laminated timber as a building material and many of our folks in areas that desperately need jobs, as we retool, are part of that future, to be able to get there. Now, I was up at Michigan Tech bragging with them about Michigan State. I'm not sure that's good politics, but anyway, they are, I know, partnering with you and they're doing a ton of research as well and are very excited from the Upper Peninsula standpoint of what this means. So I see this as something that fundamentally is about students and it's about opportunity and innovation. It is also about how we move forward in a future that is more sustainable. And that Michigan State really is at the forefront of this and helping us to solve a whole range of problems we need to solve. Let me finally say I've had the opportunity twice now to be in the building, if you have not, it is so cool. I look forward to going back. When we talk about flexibility, the workstations literally move around the room. And so I've never seen so much flexibility on what can be done. And I was very proud to be able to brag about this and bring in the United States Secretary of Agriculture about a month ago, to be able to see the building and meet with many of our farm leaders, again, to talk about our role in agriculture and forestry being part of the solution as it relates to the climate crisis. So let me close with a quote from Gifford Pinchot, the very first Chief of the United States Forest Service. Once he said, "The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities, only if we make ourselves responsible for that future." As usual, Michigan state is in the front of the line being responsible for our future. And I'm so excited to see what comes next. Congratulations.Mark Largent:Thank you very much, Senator Stabenow for your words and your work and your support of our work. Such a mammoth undertaking could not be possible without the support of people who believe in the future of STEM in Michigan at every level. It's now my pleasure to introduce another of those supporters, Senator Curtis Hertel, an MSU alum. The senator is the perfect representative for East Lansing and MSU. His wide ranging experience includes serving as the minority vice chair on the appropriations committee, a member of the appropriation subcommittee on universities and community colleges, and he serves on the capital outlay committee. Welcome Senator Hertel. Thank you for joining us.Curtis Hertel:It's a pleasure to be here with Senator Stabenow. It's always nice to be after Senator Stabenow. That's always a difficult spot to be in. She is a real Senator. I'm a minor league Senator. President Stanley, Chairman Byrum, and the Board of Trustees, honored guests, the Spartan community. It's nice to be part of this momentous occasion. I also want to take a moment to recognize my former colleague in Darwin Booher. When you watch the cable news, oftentimes you see just the worst parts of politics. You see the anger, you see the name calling, but in reality, that's not all that's there. Darwin served on the opposite side of the aisle with me. He was always a consummate public servant. And you know, I was a freshman legislator when we got the funding for this project and I was a little loud sometimes. And Darwin didn't have to listen to me in his office over and over again, talking about this project. And he didn't have to make sure that this was part of the final deal. And I appreciate your willingness to work across the aisle and to get this done for the people in Michigan. Thank you, Darwin. As a proud Spartan myself, it's always good to be back on campus, but I'm especially happy to share in the special occasion for MSU and its students that have been in the making for several years. I am very pleased to be part of this project and part of the funding structure. As a member of the joint capital outlay committee, and now as the minority vice chair for the Senate appropriations committee, we don't always get to see the fruits of our labor. Oftentimes we vote on something that's a very large number and we know it exists, but we don't actually get to see what it's actually doing in our community. And so to be here, to be part of this building and to see it as part of our campus means a lot to me. It's always also inspiring to see the ingenuity of MSU's use of the space of this beautiful campus. So when you take a historic building that was formerly the power plant that powered this campus, and now it'll be a 40,000 square foot STEM building that will power, not only this campus, but our future and our nation's future. It is truly an honor to be part of it. Spartans will lead our state's workforce in science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science. Thank you again for letting us be part of this process and Go Green!Crowd:Go White!Mark Largent:Thank you, Senator Hertel. At the core of this exciting new venture is what we will do in the building. Educate. This exciting new venture is a commitment to our educators to help our students learn and thrive in the sciences and beyond. To help represent that and talk about some of it, I would like to introduce my colleague, Dr. Andrea Bierema. She is from the Center for Integrative Studies in general science and the Department of Integrative Biology. And she embodies the commitment that we have to undergraduate STEM education. Her award winning work at MSU includes teaching at the Kellogg Biological Station researching and putting into practice undergraduate biology education, and avian communication. Dr. Bierema.Andrea Bierema:Well, hi, everyone. I'd really like to say just how excited I am that we have this building and not just because of the beautiful building with a great theme, but because of how the rooms are actually created and what they can do. And so, as we've heard the beginning of the ceremony, we've learned a lot about teaching over these last 50 years. And with that then, part of that is thinking about how students can work in teams and how that can help with their learning and actually engage with material. So with my classes, this is what students do, they work in teams, but we're usually having to overcome the barriers of the classrooms we're in because they are made for students to simply sit there and watch me go on and on for an hour. And yeah, just hopefully they catch some of what I'm saying, but when they actually work together, it's so much better. And when we were in those lecture style rooms, they would have to be like maybe in a long line. And you just have to recognize that the person on this side is not going to have any idea what the person on this side is actually saying, but hey, let's hope this works. Or if they're actually sitting behind and in front of each other and just trying to make it work, overcome the barriers of the classroom. But now we have this building where room after room after room is actually designed for this kind of learning. And also on top of that. So it's just kind of, this might seem kind of simple, but having not only these tables with movable chairs, but actually having outlets at every one of them. I know that seems simple, but that's one of the things, that I just can't depend on students coming in with a charged laptop, whether their laptop doesn't hold a charge or it's dead by the time they come to my afternoon class, It used to be that those students would have to sit on the floor by a wall at an outlet, but no more with this building, which is totally awesome. Another thing too, in some of these rooms, with the tables, they actually have monitors that come up from the tables with just a simple push of a button. Totally amazing. What's nice about this is with team learning, it's really helpful if you can actually have different people, have different roles, including someone to actually be the recorder. And now we can do this where they can plug in their laptop. Everyone in the team can actually see what's going on in real time. And rather than just trying to crowd around somebody's little, tiny laptop. So totally amazing. I'm totally excited. And thank you.Mark Largent:The bad news is every single seat in her classes is full, so none of you are getting in this semester. Registration is still open for spring. Thank you, Dr. Bierema. It is easy to see how the work of educators like you engage our students in really amazing ways. It's also easy to see it when we talked to the students themselves. Students. Students are the reason that we're here. This is our purpose. Everything else is intended to support that, one way or another. The reason for this magnificent new structure, the reason that I'm here, the reason that we carry on the work that we do is because of the investments that we make in the people who come here in order to develop their purposes and their passions. They are our portals into the future. When I'm in need of a dose of hope, all have to do is walk outside and find it. Wandering this campus every day, I often stop to talk to the students who have decided to put their faith in us to give them that access to the future. And it reminds me that uncommon is not just part of our slogan. It really is who fills this campus, an uncommon energy, an uncommon optimism, and a really uncommon potential. You can feel it on this campus every day. So I want to thank the students who I've had the pleasure to be around for all of these years. One such student is Alyssa Fritz. She's a senior from Reese, Michigan. She's pursuing a bachelor of arts and communications with a concentration in communication science, analytics, and research methods, and a minor in communicative sciences and disorders. She's an active member of the campus community, where she works as a resident assistant and as a student office assistant in communication science, and disorders. She volunteers with the prevention, outreach, and engagement, and she serves as an undergraduate research ambassador. She is busy, but she's joining us today. Thank you, Alyssa.Alyssa Fritz:Interdisciplinary. Describing the relationship between multiple branches of knowledge. A word we have heard multiple times in reference to a goal we should have in our own educations. And an adjective that this university holds close to her heart. Some of you may be asking yourself why a communication major is giving this address. Don't worry. I asked myself the exact same question when I was asked to come up here to say a few words, but that's because for the past three years at MSU, I've danced this fine line of trying to find my own academic identity. I knew what I wanted to do. I just didn't find identity in the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, but also didn't find identity in the social sciences or the arts and humanities. I just was what I was, a communication major who loves data analytics and research methods. But I, like many of the students here, am someone who wants to make the world a better place, a more accessible place for all. In my case, I'll do it through helping the world to find a voice in topics of speech language pathology. But some of you may go on to study foodborne illnesses and work to implement policy to protect the everyday consumer. Others may go on to study personalized genetic medicine practices to help better target cancer in the body. These are all topics that people who visit this facility daily may study and may one day centralize their whole career around. I'm just one Spartan story of interdisciplinary identities, but there are thousands of us. Of course, the STEM acronym is, in itself, an integration of multiple disciplines. This building and everything it stands for culminates to the foundations of what it truly means to be interdisciplinary. And as a senior who's walked by in this construction site for the past three years, I'm excited to see what other Spartan stories begin here today. Thank you.Mark Largent:Thank you, Alyssa. Well, now I'd like to introduce our last presenter, last speaker. Certainly not least, she's my boss. I would like to introduce someone for whom excellence in STEM has been a lifelong pursuit, MSU's provost and vice president for academic affairs. Teresa K Woodruff stands at the nexus of excellence in research and education. Her many distinctions include receiving the presidential award for excellence in science mentoring under President Obama and earning the Endocrine Society's Laureate award in 2021, a top honor that recognizes the highest achievements in the field of endocrinology. Provost Woodruff's accomplishments in the sciences are matched by her passion for education. It's what makes getting to work for her truly a joy. It's my pleasure now to introduce provost Teresa K Woodruff.Teresa K Woodruff:Well, good afternoon, everyone. And thank you so very much, Mark. For all of the reasons noted before me, this new facility truly represents institutional investment being made in STEM here at MSU, in Michigan, and beyond. I want to add my thanks to President Stanley for his leadership, Trustee Byrum and our Board of Trustees, those who are here and those who are not, as well as to our great leadership, both in the state and at the federal level who represent us so well every day. And also to Glenn Granger and his team with whom I've spent many, multiple quality hours touring the building with multiple awestruck faculty and students. Thank you for our partnership. Infrastructure requires bricks and mortar entries. It requires intellectual planning and people. And bridging all of these requirements, our Nestor Deocampo who is here somewhere. Nestor? I hear some woots. He's way in the back. He's standing, but way in the back. And Barb Kranz who is here in the front. Both of whom are excellent partners to all of us in the provost office and Dan Bollman in Infrastructure Planning and Facilities. Dan, thank you to all of your members of that team. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said form follows function. That has been misunderstood. Form and function should be joined in a spiritual union. From its mass timber framing to the easy snap lab benches to the flipped inverse and other newly invented teaching modalities, form and function are truly unified in this MSU STEM Teaching and Learning Facility. Some of you have heard me talk about the ways in which I see MSU rising. In particular, through spirals of excellence that are beacons to the world, drawing in the best educators and teachers and lighting the pathway to a new generation of student learners. These instructional models create a union with the building itself and will move students from what I call horizontal learning, that which we already know, to vertical learning, that which we have yet to discover. Some of you have also heard me talk about the imprint that we wish to have every MSU student have. Areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, ethics and honor, quantitative and creative skills. This building is emblematic of each of these traits. This new building will be a place and space that fosters discovery and innovation, a site of opportunity and exponential intellectual expansion. There's also a place in a space that bridges the arts and the sciences with its fourth floor student project space that will feature cross-disciplinary projects along with a common area for performances and the display of public art. Here, both the creative and the quantitative will be nurtured and explored. Boundaries will be pushed, stretched, and even shattered. This is truly a facility that speaks to and encourages the whole student with opportunities to learn, and to know, and to discover, and to create. A building in which form and function are inherently one. An academic spiritual union right here at Michigan State University. We welcome all of the intellectual and creative energy and excitement it will bring to our community of scholars and we are grateful to every individual who played a role in getting us to this auspicious day. Thank you. And welcome.Mark Largent:Having the building is wonderful. It's nice and it's empowering, but it is not in and of itself sufficient. It needs to be filled with the right things. So having the best science education building and offering the world's best science education, are not necessarily guaranteed. That's why we're going to guarantee it. The first thing that we did is we hired two really talented colleagues and we brought them into the provost office as the assistant dean and associate dean for STEM education. I want to welcome and thank two of my colleagues, Stephen Thomas, and Julie Libarkin for filling those roles. They're right here. And I want you to buttonhole them and engage with them afterwards because you will find out immediately what a wealth of knowledge and experience and energy that they have. They are deeply collaborative colleagues, and I'm really excited that they're joining this effort to make this the world's best scientific education institution. They will do it based on disciplinary education research, based on scholarship of teaching and learning, and they will do it so that every one of our students is supported to develop their purposes and their passions. And so that every student we admit learns thrives and graduates. That that is our goal. So thank you for what all of you have done and for what all of you are going to do in this building. This is a really wonderful day. Thank you for joining us for it.MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find "MSU Today with Russ White" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

President Stanley:So, good afternoon everyone. I love the energy we have in this room right now. It's incredible. We've had a great past few weeks of welcoming students, faculty and staff back to campus. For our student athletes, how pleased I am to see them have the opportunity to be back with their teams and coaches preparing for an exciting year. We have plenty to be excited about.The Haller era has begun with a bang. It's true. Our athletic teams have had great starts, highlighted by football opening the regular season of Big Ten play with a very, very impressive 38-21 win at Northwestern on Friday night. But the news gets better. That was just one of several wins by our Spartan teams over the weekend. Field hockey, women's cross country, volleyball, men's soccer and men's golf all posted victories. Congratulations. Our fall sports teams have combined to post a 14 two-and-two record so far. We're very proud of all they're accomplishing, both on and off their competitive fields of play. I'd like to recognize our Board of Trustees members who are here today. I know trustee Byrum will introduce them to you in a second, but please join me in acknowledging them. I also want to give my sincere thanks to Big Ten Commissioner, Kevin Warren, for joining us and for his partnership and leadership of our conference. Kevin Warren, thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. And certainly to members of the search advisory committee who gave their time and effort to assist the university with this search. I'm so very grateful to you for your involvement and passion about MSU Athletics. Some of them are here today. I'd like to acknowledge them. Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson, Coach Mark Dantonio, Lauren H. Grant, there she is, Brooke Bogan. I'm not sure they're here today, but if you are please signal to me, Craig Brown. We can applaud anyway. Gene Washington, Steve Smith, Bob Skandalaris and Board of Trustee member Kelly Tebay. As I mentioned last week at our special board meeting, I felt it was important that we conduct a national search for our next athletic director, to look at all options and find the best fit for our current needs and future opportunities. The process worked the way it should. It led us to the best and new leader for our athletics department. I'm pleased. Our selection is already a Spartan, already a part of our community. The values that Alan Haller lives, integrity, compassion, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to public service makes him a natural leader. I have confidence that a strong dedication to the department, its students and our community are essential characteristics to position us well for the future. You're going to hear these words to describe Alan many times today, and I'm very proud of that. I'm proud that we have a strong leader to continue our commitment to student success, to all students' wellbeing and to growing into the best version of themselves. Again, as I said last week, Alan understands that our athletes are students first and we will not lose sight of that priority. His perspective as a former athlete is important and his background as a police officer and in public service, these experiences have shaped him as a leader and influenced the vision he has for moving MSU Athletics forward now. Alan also understands the financial and operational aspects of leading a Division I athletics department with 21 sports programs and more than a thousand athletes and staff, as well as hundreds and thousands, dare I say, millions of fans and supporters and donors throughout the globe. I'm excited to already have started working with Alan on his plans for keeping MSU at the forefront of college athletics. Let's face it. It's a challenging space right now, but I have confidence Alan can handle those challenges. I appreciate the board support throughout our search process. Last week, we had a unanimous vote of the board for Alan as our next AD. Thank you all for supporting this important process. Thank you. We're going to hear from some outstanding coaches today. I appreciate that we have so many here to celebrate this new era. Our coaches and their staff are critical to our student success in providing the types of support needed to help all of our athletes excel. Before I introduce our next speaker, I'd also like to recognize Bill Beekman and thank him for his leadership these past three years. We're grateful for the role he's stepped into and we look forward to having him back in our central administrative team, helping with our strategic planning implementation. Now I'd like to introduce the chair of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, the honorable Dianne Byrum.Dianne Byrum:Thank you, President Stanley. I'd like to start by recognizing my colleagues on the MSU Board of Trustees. Would you please stand so we could recognize you, Trustee Melanie Foster, Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson. On behalf of the MSU Board of Trustees, I want to congratulate you, Alan, on your new role as athletic director. We are excited to see how you will continue to move MSU Athletics forward. I want to thank President Stanley and members of the search committee for successfully leading a national search process and landing us a qualified leader for the 20th athletic director for Michigan State University and for keeping the board informed along the way. As many of you know, Alan is no stranger to the Spartan family or the greater Lansing community. A former two sport MSU student athlete himself, Alan understands and can relate to student athletes and the student athletic experience. It is that transformational experience that will help him succeed in this new role. As I shared last week, Alan is a remarkable leader and well-rounded administrator who has been so very instrumental in positioning MSU Athletics for continued success. He is a leader steadfastly committed to the success of MSU and our student athletes. I have full confidence that he will continue to move our department forward with a vision that focuses on student success, competitive excellence, and integrity in all things we do. I believe I speak for us all on the Board of Trustees when I say we are so excited to see what is in store for MSU Athletics under your leadership. Alan, congratulations again. It is now my great pleasure to introduce Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren.Kevin Warren:It truly is a pleasure to be here today. I'd like to thank my wife, Greta, who made the trip from Chicago here with us today to honor Alan and your family and Michigan State University. Today's special. When I was thinking this morning what would be appropriate to discuss with you for a few minutes, one thing came to mind, and that's the importance of dreams, of dreaming big. Alan who grew up here in Lansing, he was probably told from the time that he was a young man that he'd never be able to get a scholarship and play at Michigan State. What did he do? He kept dreaming. He kept praying, but most of all, he kept working. He got an opportunity to play here, not only football, but also to compete in track and field. Then he was told the odds of making it to the National Football League are very small. What did he do? He kept dreaming. He kept working. He kept praying. He got his opportunity in the NFL. And because of his servant leadership, he came back here to join the police force, which many people probably told him was either too dangerous or not worth his time. He embraced it for 13 years. Then when this opportunity arrived to join this incredible athletic department, what did he do? He came in here. He worked hard. He kept dreaming. He kept praying. There were many people along the way that said he would never have an opportunity to be sitting in this seat today. Why that is important is because for student athletes, like we have here today, we as leaders in the Big Ten Conference and on our incredible institutions, we need to encourage our young people to dream, to believe, to work hard. But most of all, we need to encourage them to develop the attributes that Alan Haller has. Those of intelligence, hard work, dedication, commitment to excellence, integrity, honesty, honor. Those are important. So, every morning that I wake up and I have an opportunity to lead this conference, I ask for the strength to do all that I can do to make sure we create an environment here to allow our 10,000 student athletes the opportunity to dream big, to support them. Who's the next Alan Haller right now at Michigan State who one day will be the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, the president, the board chair, head coaches? They're here. They may be president of the United States, ambassadors, doctors, lawyers, school teachers, police officers. So, I am so grateful to have this opportunity to lead this incredible conference. I'm grateful to so many people who put their arms around Alan during his journey to get to this seat today. There are two gentlemen here that I'd like to point out, Joel Ferguson and Greg Eaton. I just want to thank you all for being strong Black men, to be able to lead men like Alan to say it's okay to be honorable, to work hard and to dream. For him to sit here today, there's so much credit that goes around this room. I also would like to thank President Stanley. This is not an easy time to be a college president, but I appreciate his commitment to excellence, to doing things the right way and his support of me on a daily basis. So with that again, Alan, congratulations. It's been an incredible pleasure to watch you. I've noticed one thing about you. You'll make a great leader because you're a great supporter and the way you supported Bill Beekman is really special. I'd like to thank Bill for welcoming me into the Big Ten. So with that, on behalf of our 10,000 student athletes, our 6.4 million alumni, our 14 incredible institutions, I just want to congratulate you for all your hard work and to let you know to keep dreaming, keep working, keep praying, keep believing. You'll always have my unwavering support. I look forward to working with you as we're welcoming you into the room of athletic directors at the Big Ten Conference. So with that, I'd like to introduce head football coach, another spectacular human being, Coach Mel Tucker.Mel Tucker:Excuse my voice, we had practice this morning. I only raise my voice in enthusiasm. Thank you, Commissioner Warren. We appreciate you joining us today. It's great to see everyone here this afternoon to welcome Alan as our new athletics director. As many of you know, Alan has been associated with Michigan State for more than 30 years. He wore the green and white for Coach Perles as a defensive back and was a member of the track team as well. He is a Spartan for life and has rightfully earned deep respect and credibility from players, peers, coaches, and the community. I work with Alan on a daily basis, and I watched him in action interacting with our current and former players. Alan is a tremendous leader. He brings people together. He connects the dots. He listens to others and he cares deeply about Michigan State.He will elevate our student athletes, the success of our department and our university as a whole. Alan understands what it takes to be successful at the highest level, and that's exactly what we need. To build a championship culture, we need the right people in the right seats at the right time. It's the same for our players. They not only have to want it, have to believe it, but they have to live it as well, and Alan does this each and every day. Alan has the vision and progressive mindset that I admire in a leader. Alan will be a visible, vocal, innovative proactive leader for MSU, the Big Ten, and nationally. The Spartan family is strong. We have a solid foundation. Now's the time to build the future. Alan is that leader. This past Friday was a great night for Spartans everywhere. I was especially proud to celebrate the victory by presenting Alan with the number 20 Jersey for having been named the 20th athletics director in school history. It was a special moment to share with our players. They went crazy and I know they were excited for Alan as well. As soon as I called Alan up, they started saying, "AD, AD, AD, AD," going crazy on there. Alan, I look forward to working with you for many years. This is just the beginning and a sign of great things to come and Michigan State. Thank you again everyone for joining us today. I want to introduce our next speaker, one of our longest serving coaches, softball head coach Jacquie Joseph.Jacquie Joseph:I never thought I'd see so many people come out for the first day of practice. You guys didn't know that, did you? This is really a treat for me as I've known Alan since the day he joined our athletic department. Alan is a man of character and integrity. He is fiercely loyal to Michigan State. He truly cares about all our teams and our student athletes. He always has. He understands as well as we all do that fair does not mean the same and that everyone deserves an opportunity at excellence. This is not an easy job. He'll need the support of everyone who cares about MSU Athletics, but he has the vision and toughness to lead us. He will have that support from our coaches. We've got the best coaches here at Michigan State. I just want to shout out to them. I know they're all here supporting you Alan, and we've got your back. I'm just super pleased to do this for him and to be here in front of you guys. Now I'm happy to introduce our women's golf coach entering her 26th season and by any measure one of the greatest coaches in the country, Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll.Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll:Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for this opportunity to be here. It's a great, great pleasure. So excited. Our number one job as coaches is to recruit the greatest players, the next greatest players for our teams year in and year out. Every player that we recruit is introduced to the Spartan family. We don't have to talk a lot about it. We just let the recruit and their family feel and see it when they're in their 48 hours on our campus. It truly is a feeling and a sense from the people that make up our teams. Many of you that are here today, our current players, our coaches, our string trainers, academic coordinators, fundraisers, and the list goes on, they all care. They will all go above and beyond what is expected from each of them. That is the Spartan family. I know that Alan Haller, our new athletic director, clearly knows all about the Spartan family. He has been a part of it for many years now. He is as passionate about our family as I am. The family changes us and molds us as young people, and it allows us to be who we are today. It is an honor to be here to welcome Alan and his family as the next leader of our department. It is exciting to know that we have an athletic director who understands our culture and our family. I was fortunate to have Alan as a supervisor for two years recently. In that time, I saw his dedication to our athletic department, to my student athletes and all of our student athletes and the staff. He listened, he cared. He asked questions. I knew that when I needed help, he was going to be there to help me in any way possible as any family member would do. Alan will be a great leader because he wants Michigan State to be number one. We want to be the best in the business. That's what we're all here for today. He has been around long enough to see where we were at our best and where we were at our worst. He is passionate about Michigan State and his experience as a student athlete, both revenue and non-revenue, gives him perspective for the direction that we need to go next. Alan is a true Spartan, and I know he will embrace all of us as our families do to help us move forward, to get to that place that we know this department can be. We're all behind you, Alan, and we cannot wait for a new era in Spartan athletics. It is now my pleasure to introduce our men's basketball coach, Tom Izzo.Tom Izzo:Well you guys are in my building, so this is a good place to start, but I'm looking in the back. Commissioner Warren, where in the hell is the teleprompter because you're the only guy that got up here and spoke so eloquently without any notes. I mean, Coach Tuck had a book that somebody wrote for him. The first thing I'm going to tell Alan is I need a raise. I got all these football guys and the president, Coach D walked in my office in his Armani suit, Tucker, Warren, Haller, you guys all got ties. I had to go find a sport coat. I couldn't afford a tie. So I'd like that to be your first bit of duty. Thank God for Rick Lash. Somebody out there dresses like me, but getting to serious business. Jacquie and Stacy got to see Alan as a player and I got to see him unfortunately sometimes as a police officer. I got to know him as an administrator and a friend. Now I get to see him with arguably one of the most important jobs because what goes on at the top usually filters down to the bottom. We are all servants of this university, then at the athletic department, and then hopefully of our teams. I know I got my players back there because I always said I wanted to be a part of hirings and sometimes firings because I've learned a lot as I've watched different people go through different things. For Alan, to be everything you said, I could just say ditto because everybody talked about the same things, his integrity, his honesty. But I thought, since I came up kind of the same way he did, he played football, I worked for Jud. We both had our problems, but in doing that, you learn a lot. You go through your ups and downs. You've had success. You've had failure. There's no doubt that we've been through a lot here in the last four or five, six years, and I think understanding that is going to make it easier to move forward. I want you to know that the dream big that everybody talked about has been my motto since I came here and you got to dream it to achieve it. You've proven that you've lived the dreams that Commissioner Warren said. You've walked the talk. I know you've been involved. You don't have to have somebody pave the way for that because you've done it. I think that's very, very important. So being homegrown as we looked through and Mel and I talked a lot, I talked to a lot of the other coaches, I talked to President Stanley, I talked to the board, there's always things that we don't have. I was never a head coach and things semi worked out. I could never win another championship fellows, national that is fellows, but we've all been through it. But when you've grown up through the process, and remember I think that's a word that we don't use enough anymore, there is a process and you have shown that you've stayed fast to the process. For that, I think you're going to be an incredible athletic director. I'm looking forward to working for you. I'm looking forward to working with you. I appreciate what you've done for all of our student athletes and excited to see what the future is going to be. We've got championships to win. It doesn't matter which sport, the support that all these coaches give me, give each other is incredible. So, you are part of a special place here. I know that we have all of our pros coming back this weekend, not to put any pressure on you. I think Magic's coming back, not to put any pressure on you, but I think getting people back is a key and having one of our own, bringing them back is going to be a big key. So congratulations, congratulations to your family. I hope everybody has a great day. With that being said, we've all talked about student athletes and Brooke Bogan is a sprinter. She is a big time athlete here, but as important she's a leader in our campus. So when you can do both, as you are doing, are going to be doing, you are doing now, I just want to say thank you for what you've done for our university. Thank you for the leadership you're giving. I think you'll enjoy working with Alan too. So with that, Brooke Bogan, you're the next speaker.Brooke Bogan: Thank you. Thank you, Coach Izzo. I want to say that I'm very grateful to be given the opportunity to be able to speak in front of all of you today at such a monumental and important event. As previously stated, my name is Brooke Bogan. I am a fifth year senior on the track and field team. In my five years, I've learned a lot about this university, being that especially in the athletic department, it takes a community in order to be able to run efficiently. When I heard that MSU would be on the search for a new athletic director, I had hoped that Alan would be brought into the conversation. I think because of not only his leadership within the athletic department prior, but also his experience as a Spartan athlete. It really speaks volumes both with football and track and field. So that definitely was something that stood out to me. Since I know that you have a track and field background, I have made it my personal goal to get him on the track at some point and see if he's still got it. But on a more serious note, one thing I'll forever be grateful for is Alan's genuine care for student athletes. He is somebody who, when our team was at our high and low points, I could definitely count on seeing him on our zoom calls. A couple of summers ago when things got a little bit rocky with things surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion, he was somebody who was there to offer support. That also spoke a lot of volumes to me because it showed that he cared about us, not only on the track on the field, on the court, but also off. Without further ado, I have the greatest honor of introducing MSU's new athletic director, Mr. Alan Haller.Alan Haller:Wow. Emily Guerrant, Matt Larson, Tiffany Clark, you all told me this was going to be just a little small gathering. This is incredible. I mean, how many people are going to be able to be introduced by coaches Tucker, Izzo, Joseph and Slobodnik-Stoll and President Stanley and chair Dianne Byrum and Brooke, I'll get to you in just a second. This is incredible. Good afternoon. My pastor in one of his sermons recently mentioned that God had a sense of humor and ever since last week, I've been thinking about that sermon. Wednesday, when I was appointed, I was like, "How big of a sense of humor does God have? Is this really real?" Yes, it is. I'm your athletic director and I'm excited. Bill Beekman, if you're here, I'm not sure if you're here. Thank you. Thank you for your leadership. Bill took us through some very challenging times and brought us through to the point where we could do a national search and give me the opportunity to be the athletic director. So thank you, Bill and Cindy, your wife. Thank you. Thank you, Brooke Bogan for that incredible introduction. You're amazing. I appreciate you. I was intentional. I wanted a student athlete to introduce me and I wanted you to do it. So thank you. As far as me getting on the track with you, you're a sprinter. So, all I do is jog really slow now. But I'm going to go through some thank yous and this might take a little bit, but this is a big deal for me. A lot of people have helped me throughout this time. Wow, a former principal, Dr. Clyde Carnegie is here. Well, thank you. Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Eaton, my guy, Coach D, thank you for all your support. You all have helped me to get to this point. I would like to thank President Stanley for your leadership and offering me this opportunity. I'm really excited about working with you and being a part of your vision for Michigan State University. I'm excited to work with you. Thank you. To our board of trustees and chair, Dianne Byrum, thank you for your leadership. I'm excited to work with you as well. To our advisory committee who put a lot of work and effort in the search process, thank you for your efforts. I also would like to thank the MSU community for your outpouring of support. I promise, I promise I will answer every single text message, every email and every voice message at some point, but there were a lot and I really appreciate your support. To all the current and former student athletes, the outpouring of congratulations and support and excitement has been incredible. Coach Tucker, what you did in the locker room and that chant, I can't describe what that did for me. So thank you to all of our student athletes. I promise you this, I promise you this current and former student athletes, we will work extremely hard to make sure you are proud of your athletic department. Thank you.Thank you to my former teammates, some of them are here today, my family, you were amazing. You all picked me up, literally, and carried me and dropped me off at this point. So thank you to all of my Spartan teammates, my brothers. Thank you. I'll also like to thank all of my friends and coworkers at the MSU police department for your support. You've been incredible through this as well. All of my coaches, coaches that had a big impact on my life, and I'd like to go back and say thank you to my Little League coaches, Coach Lockhart and Coach Smith, Coach Tom and James Taylor, my high school coaches, coach Bob Myers and the legendary Paul Pozega, my guy. Thank you. Also, my college coaches, my track coach, Coach Bibbs. You've been incredible. Oh my goodness. I talked to you last the other night and you weren't sure if you could make it. Thank you. Oh my goodness. You've meant so much to my life. So thank you for all your support and you're still there for me, and Coach Perles. I learned a lot of lessons from Coach Perles. Work hard, be on time, carry a flashlight because it's going to be a long day. My freshman year I learned the value of forgiveness. My freshman year I was on the punt block team and we were playing at Michigan and we have a punt block on. We blocked it. John Miller picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown and I was off sides. So it was called back, but he forgave me. To this day, that's one of the traits and values that I learned from my time under Coach Perles, so thank you. To Jennifer Smith, deputy athletic director, you and I went through a lot this past couple of years in trying to lead a department. I'm thankful for your leadership and dedication to MSU and our student athletes. So thank you Jennifer Smith. To our coaches and staff for coming together these last couple of years and making sure that our student athletes had what they needed to be successful. So thank you to our coaches and staff. I'd like to say, thank you to my family. My sister Audrey is here, my nephew Desmond, my other sister Sherry's in Denver. She couldn't make it, and my sons, Devin and Blake. Blake is excited because he gets to miss a little bit of school to be here today. But I promise you, son, we'll get you back in time for practice. DeWitt has a big game against East Lansing this week. So, I'll get you back. My daughter, Alison, she's a junior at Michigan State right now and she has been my rock. I came home about four or five weeks ago and Alison was in the kitchen and she said, "So I saw on social media the athletic director's position is open." I said, "Yeah," and I started talking about the process and it's a national search and it's going to be competitive. She stopped me right there and she said, "Dad, why can't you be the athletic director? You should be the athletic director." I said, "You know what, honey, I'm going to compete and go after it." So thank you, honey. To my parents, my dad is at home watching. He couldn't be here, but my parents went to every single one of my events as a kid. Even as a young adult being out here at MSU and in the NFL, they were at every event, every football game, every track meet. My dad is an incredible person. I learned my servant leadership from my dad, how to treat people and make an impact on people across their paths. So thank you dad. Then my mom, my mom is not with us anymore. I used to get really, really nervous before events, before my football games and track meets. I come out in the stadium and on the track and I look up and I'd find my mom and she would be looking at me and that would calm me down. So, mom, I know you're here today. I feel your presence. I'm calm. I'm ready to go. Thank you, mom, for everything you've done for me. We've experienced some tough times in Athletics the last couple of years. Recently, we lost two very valued members of our family in Jim Pignataro and Olivia Long. Jim and Olivia, we will honor your legacy and memory by being examples of who you were, which was caring, loving people who had an impact on our young people. So Jim and Olivia, you will be missed, but we will honor your legacy. I grew up in this great community. I'm a product of Lansing Public Schools, a proud graduate of Lansing J.W. Sexton class of 1988. My principal is here today. Thank you. I started coming to this great campus as a little kid, attending art camp and MSU football camps. As you know, I was a student athlete here. I played football and ran track, and I've been coming to this great campus for the last 40 years. I love this community and I also played four years in the NFL. I was cut eight different times. That's probably, if you think about it, not even possible, but I learned the skill of being resilient and persevering through tough times through my time in the NFL. Last week, Fred Heumann, I think Fred is here and Jack Ebling asked me, has this always been your dream job? And yes, yes. You want to know why, that person is here as well. I didn't know he was going to be here, but he's here. Dr. Clarence Underwood was an athletic director when I was a student athlete here. Dr. Underwood kind of took me under his wing and made me feel special and always was there as a person that gave me advice and guided me much like a Jedi. I'm a big Star Wars fan. I know my kids know that. So, I was his young apprentice. I learned during that time how to treat people and how to conduct yourself and how to look for the future. Dr. Underwood went on to be the 16th athletic director at Michigan State. I said, you know what, I'm going to go through this life and I'm going to have an impact or at least try to have an impact on young people the way Dr. Clarence Underwood had an impact on me. And here I stand in front of you as the 20th athletic director, in large part because of your leadership and your guidance in my life. So thank you, Dr. Underwood. You taught me well, which is another Jedi phrase. So this is my dream responsibility. This is not a job. This is my dream responsibility. To our department staff and coaches, I promise to listen, learn and be engaged. Together, we will create a culture of excellence with a foundation of integrity, honesty, transparency, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Together we will celebrate our successes, and together we will support each other during challenging times. We are going to do some incredible things together, and we're going to have a little fun while doing it. To the MSU community and this great university, we will be a valued partner and member of this institution. Spartan athletics exist to add value to this great community, so we will be an extension of MSU. We will be an extension of MSU values, purpose, and mission, and our alumni fans and supporters, we will make all of you proud to be affiliated with MSU. I guarantee that. Last week at Northwestern, before the game, we got there a little early and I went out and I walked through all of the MSU tailgates. I was surprised that a lot of people recognized me. I thought I could just kind of walk around, but it was a really cool experience getting to know some of the fans and just listening to them. We have the most passionate fan base out there. I was so energized being out there, walking through the tailgates. So, I'm going to bring that to this year. I'm going to walk every home football game. I'll be outside walking the tailgates, getting close to the community and learning from our community because this is about all of us together. This is going to be a community effort in terms of what we do moving forward. I will listen to our fans and supporters and community members. Our student athletes, we have a representative from each team that is here. Student athletes, please stand. I am not the athletic director. I'm your athletic director. I work for you. There won't be any barriers or layers in between us. You will have direct access to me at all times. Like I mentioned before, my student athlete experience was transformational. It provided just about everything that has happened in my life. I want all of you to have that same experience. People have asked me what's different about your experience compared to the current student athletes, but no one's asked me what's the same. What's the same? It's that look in your eyes. It's that desire to be great. It's wearing your varsity jacket across campus. It's being with your teammates and going after a goal. It's being a part of this great university. That's what's the same. And you know what, our department staff, your coaches, your athletic director will do everything possible to make sure each of you have the resources and support to maximize your potential and go after your dreams. In closing, Michigan State Athletics, thank you. Michigan State Athletics is positioned to do something really special. We are. That's why I took this responsibility, President Stanley. We are positioned to do something special, but it's not just my responsibility. I can't do it alone. I need all of the student athletes, all of the staff, all of the coaches, university leaders, the community, donors, letter winners, everyone. We have to do this together. I love this great university. We are going to do great things together. Thank you and Go Green!Audience:Go White!MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find "MSU Today with Russ White" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

How much funding do we receive and what areas of MSU receive funds in this process?“The number changes a little bit every year, so the number I'm giving right now, which is $287 million is a number that we're getting this year,” says Bertram. “Now that's just in one line for one purpose. That's general operating dollars from the state of Michigan. In addition to that $287 million, AgBioResearch gets about $35 million and MSU Extension gets about $30 million. There are other smaller programs like Project Greeen, which is an annual program that does plant-based agriculture research. There are a number of other programs as well. “When you add it all up, it's about $400 million a year, maybe a little under that for all of MSU. This is money that goes into our general fund, but not for Athletics. I would distinguish that no money from the state goes to Athletics. I'd also qualify that no money from student tuition goes into Athletics. Athletics is a completely standalone program; they're self-sustaining. They receive gifts from donors as well.”“What I would add in there is that for the $287 million of general operations, that works out to be about 20 percent of our operating fund today,” adds Reuter. “Historically that number was much higher. And another point on Athletics is that the scholarships that students receive are funded by Athletics. The scholarships are for full tuition rates that Athletics has to cover. So as the cost of tuition rises, that's an increased cost for Athletics to have to be able to cover in their operating budget and in their revenue stream. So, while there are no direct dollars coming from the state going there, there is a correlation in terms of cost of operations for Athletics based on what the university's tuition is.”With a need for a more educated workforce to meet the employment needs of today and in the future, Bertram and Reuter tell why then there isn't more state funding for higher education. “Once upon a time there was more it; unfortunately, it's not as high now as where we believe it should be,” Bertram says. “What's happened is a real transformation over a period of decades. From our perspective, we just need to raise the importance of higher education funding within the state budget. And that's not just an MSU thing; it's everybody.”There are 15 public universities in Michigan, and they say investment in not only Michigan State University but higher education in the state of Michigan is an investment in our state. They also compare and contrast the funding history of higher education to other education funding in Michigan, like funding for K-12.“We really don't want it to be about higher education versus K-12 or higher education versus community colleges because really we all work hand in hand, and, quite frankly, we've always said that if a student isn't taught well at the K-12 level, MSU is going to spend a lot of resources and dollars when they arrive on our campus to get them to where they need to be, to graduate them, and to have them be successful,” says Bertram. “We have a lot of student success programs in place, and we've been ramping up our percentage of students who are graduating. The last thing you want is to have someone spend thousands of dollars and then not get a degree. “It's not a competition, but K-12 has been funded better. I will also say that community colleges have been funded on a similar scale approach and are maybe doing a little better than our four-year institutions in the state.”The duo talks more about the current budget process and the dynamics at play. And they talk about the challenge of the declining demographic of college-aged students in Michigan that is facing MSU and all the state's 15 public universities. One thing that has helped the overall state budget is collecting taxes on internet sales. They also analyze some of the current budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year coming from the House and Senate.Reuter says Spartans and higher education supporters can engage in the budget process and keep up with what's taking place by becoming a Spartan Advocate and supporting MI Spartan Impact.“While the site is a huge source for our Spartan Advocates and our Spartan friends out there across the state, the country, and the world, it also serves as a great tool for legislators to understand the impact of MSU. Those decision-makers we've been talking about can see the same data and look at it from their district and see how much of an impact MSU's land grant mission has in their area.”Reuter shares some examples of advocacy work so potential advocates know what to expect when asked to engage. And Bertram adds that advocating for MSU and higher education “is not like a second job. It doesn't take that kind of a time commitment. It might be a couple of times a year that we ask for help. We would love to not have to do it. It would be nice if we were only sending out thank you notes. It's only a few times a year and everyone is welcome to participate.”“I would just encourage anybody listening that even if you don't sign up as a Spartan Advocate to engage with your state legislator about higher ed funding and the importance of it. We really think the conversation needs to flip a little bit. In the past six or eight years, there's been a trend of people saying ‘Well, do I really need to go to college? Do I need to get a degree?' We really need to change that conversation to understand that roughly three quarters of the jobs that are out there are going to require a degree. While you might have a good paying job for a few years, to sustain a career you do need to have a degree. That hasn't changed, and job providers are still asking for degrees.“So, it really is in people's best interest to get a degree. And the only way to make that affordable is to have the state commit to funding higher education. It's really that conversation we need to have. It needs to be casual, and it needs to be in the district at home when one sees their legislator in church, in the grocery store, or walking on the street. Those are the types of conversations we need to have, not just for MSU, but for all our institutions in Michigan.”“When you speak with your representatives, make it as localized as possible. Talk not only of your personal experience here at Michigan State University but help them understand what we're doing in your backyard and across the state. Between AgBioResearch and MSU Extension, we've got research stations all across the state. MSU Extension operates in all 83 counties. MSU is across the state. That is part of our mission. It goes beyond just your personal experience here on campus. "Help them understand what we're doing in their backyard and make it as personal as possible. Because that investment in MSU really does go a long way, not only for degree attainment, but for the delivery of extension services and our agriculture community across the state. We play a very wide role and understanding what we do as a university here in the state of Michigan is really important for Spartans and for folks who may not affiliate as a Spartan but who understand that we are still in your backyard and we're there and we're helping in the community.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

What are some tips for adjusting from working from home back to a nine-to five-schedule in the office?First of all, be easy on yourself,” advises Hall. “We've been living in a weird state of reality for the past several months, and so practice some grace and show yourself some grace. We're so used to just rolling out of bed in our sweats and then jumping into a Zoom call, but when you have to get ready for a commute, you have to pack a lunch and you have to let your dog out. Start doing that so that the first day back and the first week back, you won't be so stressed that by the time you get to work, you are panting and sweating and just overly anxious. Another thing that I think is really important for people to do, whether you're working at home or in the office or in a hybrid model, is that you need to create a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule.“It's an important way to keep yourself accountable, keep yourself on track, and give yourself a roadmap. But also you can see where your time drains are. A lot of us have those times sucks and you're like, ‘Wow, I should have done this by the end of the day on Wednesday, and I haven't even gotten started.' It can let you look back and see where you're having those types of bottlenecks. “Another thing that I think that a lot of us, including myself, need to remind ourselves is to be generous when scheduling your meetings and assigning yourself tasks. If you're going to do a meeting from 9:00 to 10:00, don't necessarily schedule the next meeting at 10:00. You have to factor in some time because it might run over. You have to take breaks. You have to check your emails. Giving yourself that cushion is very important.“Another thing I want to really emphasize is that a lot of things that we did before the pandemic we did them that way because we always did them that way. And we didn't really question our routines or our processes. Now is an opportunity to hit the reset button. We realized during this pandemic and working from home that we could be creative and streamline processes and be very innovative. As you go back to work, don't necessarily go back to the same old same old. Think of some ways you can make jobs more efficient. Now is a really good opportunity to hit the reset button.”What are some tangible ways that employees can practice self-care during the workday if they feel anxious or overwhelmed?“It is normal that people are feeling stressed out right now. I'm feeling stressed out right now. We are dealing with the Delta variant, and we haven't been in the office for a long period of time. Things are very new, and things are constantly changing. Realize that it's normal to feel stressed out and out of sorts. I think practicing grace is an important first step.“Another thing on self-care is to take five minutes for yourself. Practice meditation. Listen to music. Go for a walk. Hang out with your pets. Do things like that and block out time to reset. We're still living in a pandemic, and it's going to be even more difficult as people transition back and as people who have children transition back to the school year. A lot of kids are going back to school; how do you negotiate that? Know that you need to take that time out for yourself. “The other thing that I think is very important is to solicit social support, whether that means leaning on your coworkers or commiserating with them. Be transparent with your boss about what kind of needs or apprehensions you may have.  Join some type of employee resource group or support group where you have other people who you can talk to. Lean on people who are in your professional network. I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have a great network of people I can lean on, bounce questions off, and ask for help. If it's to the point that you're depressed, because a lot of people are depressed, reach out to your employee assistance plan and try to find some type of counseling and do things that support your mental health.”What about for employees who may be asked to come to the office more than they may be comfortable? What are some good tactics for addressing those concerns with their supervisors?“This really resonates with me because I have a child who is immunocompromised and is on immunosuppressants. I had a very frank conversation with my boss, and I said, ‘I don't feel comfortable coming in right now because she's very, very sick.' And he was so cool about it. He was like, ‘No, no, we want to help you.' This past year and a half, people have become more empathetic. They realize that times are tough. Be transparent about what you're going through rather than try to come back and be resentful because you should've said something that you didn't.“But there are situations where you just can't work remotely. You are a nurse or you're with an organization which is just not allowing people to work remotely. There are still some things that you could try to do. You could try to have a schedule where you are coming in only a couple of days a week, or you could try to ask for a certain type of space where you could be more socially distant from people. You could ask those around you, ‘I've got some problems. I have some concerns. Do you mind masking?' Be transparent and proactive. Also, if you feel that you cannot come back for whatever reason, arm yourself with data.“You can tell your boss, ‘Hey, for the past year and a half, I've been working at home and things are working out okay. I've been able to do my work. I have been able to be proficient. I haven't had complaints from customers, clients, or coworkers. And I'm productive. Let me show you how I'll hold myself accountable in the future.' Try to negotiate and say, ‘Hey, why don't you let me continue to work remotely from home until you see a problem, and then we can try to revisit that. But if things aren't broken, why try to fix them?' And that all goes part and parcel with explaining why you want to work from home; be able to address the concerns that your boss may have.“A big concern for a lot of bosses is that they're afraid about the office culture. They feel things may not be as cohesive when people aren't in the office seeing each other face to face. But you can talk about having Zoom meetings on a regular basis - one-on-one or in groups - or meeting people socially distanced for short periods of time so that you can see their faces. Hopefully, you can reach some type of compromise or happy medium where you allay your boss's concerns, and you've also allayed some of your own.”From the employer's perspective, what are some things they can do to help their employees transition smoothly back into the office?“Don't expect things to be perfect when you come back. For example, I haven't worked the photocopier in my office for a year and a half. Trust me, Russ, I won't know what to do if paper gets stuck in there. I'm going to be calling someone for help. So imagine there are going to be hiccups. Things are going to take a little bit longer. For example, my husband just went back to work. He's an attorney with the state of Michigan, and he works on the eighth floor. He has to budget more time to get up to his office because either he has to walk up the stairs, or only one or two people can go in the elevator. Can you imagine eight o'clock when everyone's going in? So, you have to expect that things are not going to be like they were before.“You've got to also practice regular check-ins with your employees to make sure that you discuss their concerns and help them feel validated and heard. Even if you can't change things for them, just the notion of employees being able to engage in what we call voice and being able to air their concerns goes very far in terms of employee wellbeing, mental health, and productivity. Another practical idea is to schedule meetings for midday rather than early morning. At the end of the day, we all get Zoom fatigue, and so you don't want to have these meetings necessarily at the end of the day. And people have to get used to their commute, finding a parking space, and walking in. And be open to feedback from your employees.”How do you see the rise and acceptance of more remote work playing out in the years ahead where people seem to want more work-life balance and some of the power dynamic seems to be shifting more in the employee direction?“I see this as the next wave of the labor movement because there has been a shifting of power. And it's not because employees just want a free ride, but they'd rather get a job where they're treated like a human being rather than go someplace and make 12 bucks an hour and go through hell every time they go to work. Employers have to think about treating their employees better. They have to see employees as a resource instead of as an expense. They're not an expense you're trying to minimize, they're a resource or an asset that you're investing in. You need to empower employees, hear their voices, solicit feedback from them, and make sure you have good two-way communication, like having transparency about what you're doing. Even if the communication from the employer is, ‘We don't know. We're living in uncertain times, we'll keep you posted, but as of this moment, we really don't know.'“And you don't want to create a big chasm between the frontline workers going to work and the higher paid or mid-management executives who work from home safely away from all the drama. As a manager, even if you are working remotely some of the time, you need to come in on a regular basis to check in with your employees to see how they're doing and to hear their voice.”What are some issues, challenges, and opportunities in the fields of human resources and labor relations?“The biggest challenge is the notion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am a person of color. I am an Afro-Latina first-generation from Panama; my parents came from Panama in the 1960s. The DEI movement in the academic field of human resource management got very little love for many generations. In fact, my advisor when I was at Florida State told me to stay away from those issues because he didn't want me to be looked at as an angry Black woman. And that was good advice at the time because it would've been career suicide. But now, people are really interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We need to make sure that this is not just a moment. This is a movement for anybody who wants to feel included and valued in the workplace, whether it's because of your gender identity or orientation, whether it's because you have a disability, you're a veteran, or you're a low-income worker. It's an issue that needs to be ingrained within the field of human resources. Another thing that is very important is the notion of artificial intelligence and technology, their place in the workplace, and the fact that once again, we don't want there to be a chasm created. We don't want those employees left behind because they're not trained or because they're being replaced by technology. Find a way for them to have a place in the workplace.“Another trend that you're going to see in human resources that we began to see even before the pandemic but that you're going to see even more is something called job crafting. More and more employers are allowing people to craft their job into a job that fits their skills. For example, you may be better at creating reports, and your co-worker may be better at analyzing the data. You may have the same role, but you do more of the report generation and that person does more of the data analysis. Job crafting and finding ways that employees can thrive in their roles is something you're going to see more and more of in the future.”What first attracted you to MSU? And what are some of your own research interests?“What attracted me to MSU is that I'm in the multidisciplinary School of Human Resources and Labor Relations; it is one of the few schools of HR and LR in the country. The fact that I could do multi-disciplinary research at a top ranked program really attracted me, and the fact that I could learn from people from other disciplines. It's really cool being able to work with a psychologist, for example, and the great thing about MSU is that we're able to work with people so easily from other disciplines. I'm currently working with some faculty and students in the College of Engineering, particularly Andrew Mason, who is also a real dear friend of mine.“The main thing that I am known for if you were to Google me is that I study employee accountability. Accountability means the belief or expectation that you'll be called to account for your actions. Because we feel like we're going to have to account for things, we adapt certain types of behaviors. It might be covering your behind in a situation, or it could be a situation where you think ‘I better think about this long and hard because my boss is going to ask me why I did that, so I better have some good explanations.' I'm looking at how employers can promote accountability and how people react to accountability. The other accountability research that I'm really excited about is how people from historically marginalized groups manage their accountability.”Tell me about your podcast, what you focus on, and why you think this medium is a good way to get your message out.“I have a podcast series called People Talk with Angela Hall. It is available on Apple and Spotify or anywhere you get your podcasts. I talk about how you engage and motivate your employees and also discuss issues about career leadership, career management, diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's fun, and I get to talk about timely topical things related to HR.”Summarize some of your tips for making a smooth transition back to working in the office. “As an employee or as an employer, you need to practice grace with yourself and others. You need to be open and transparent about what you're feeling, and you need to solicit feedback from others. You need to lean on others and seek social support. Don't seek social support once you start flailing. Seek that kind of support from the beginning. Employers need to think about having things like town halls and open communications, and employees should feel empowered to talk to their employers about what's happening. We all realize, too, that we're in a time where things are pretty ambiguous right now and that we have to realize that what is okay today may be very different tomorrow. And remember that we're going to have to practice some flexibility.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“It's great to be back,” Akmon says. “I did work here at the MSU Museum as an undergrad. I did what I like to affectionately refer to as grunt work, painting a lot of walls, helping with a lot of exhibitions, and putting the vinyl on the walls. I was an art history and museum studies student at the time. It's interesting to look back. I really think those were the first steps that actually launched my career. It exposed me to museums in a new way, and I got some theoretical training with some practical hands on experience. And when I left MSU, I ended up going to grad school and studying something completely different. And as luck would have it, instead of actually going into that field, I ended up in a museum as I finished my graduate studies and then began my journey. It's brought me back here almost 20 years later. I would have never imagined that I'd be back here at MSU working for the museum, but it's a bit of a homecoming. It's great to be back.”Akmon describes the mission of Science Gallery Detroit and tells why he was excited to add director of the MSU Museum to his responsibilities. And he shares some of his short- and long-term goals for the Museum.“The very first thing we're going to do is put our heads down and actually put together a strong strategic plan and think about, in that planning process, what are the types of resources we need? What does our programming look like over the next five years? In general, and especially coming out of consulting, I've learned that one of the number one barriers that prohibits organizations from truly flourishing in the arts sector is not planning out far enough. You don't have enough time to think creatively, to fundraise, to market, and to educate your audiences. We're going to put our heads down and really build a strong roadmap. And in that process, we'll really understand and figure out what we're going to do. But I think there are some overarching things we can already assume.“One of the things we realize is we've got this beautiful building. It's an old building, and it's geographically in the heart of the campus. But it's also limited. We already know that we're going to have to find a way of doing a little bit of what I call the push pull model. We want to pull people into the museum, but we're also going to have to push activities out into the campus community. Even this fall, we're already thinking about that with the first exhibition we're going to open when the museum reopens in September. We have some exhibits that we'll probably be embedding in the STEM building, and we'll be partnering with the Greater Lansing Arts Council to do some things up and down Grand River. And we're putting all the programming out over campus, like the workshops and performances. None of that will actually happen in the Museum.“We'll be thinking broadly about how we embed things across the campus community. We know we're competing for time and attention. We have to meet people where they are. We have to be relevant. We have to be creative and innovative in that programming. So, it's really top of mind to think critically about the partnerships we have in student success and academic success and how we support that. We want to be truly relevant in the life of students. Nothing would please me more than to just even see students studying in this building. People think you have to go to a museum only to see exhibitions, but I like to think of this as a third space on campus where people can just come sit and relax. We all had those experiences when we were undergrads, right? There were different places around campus that we went to. So, it's my heart's desire that the Museum will be that for our undergrads today.”Akmon says collaboration with campus partners will be one of his key goals.“I feel so fortunate that I have such great peers that I've already met across campus. My colleague Monica at the Broad Art Museum is just absolutely phenomenal. So are our friends over at the Residential College and our friends over at the Museum Studies Program. Everybody's really keen to collaborate. There's a shared focus on impact on the community. And we all know that we can go farther together than alone. We're already in so many ways coming to the table and thinking together. In fact, the MSU Museum, the Broad Art Museum, and WKAR are going to program an art event shortly after we open. And that just kind of materialized over the course of a week. People just say, ‘Hey, we've got this idea, do you want to be part of it?' You'll see a lot of that at the MSU Museum going forward.”What are some challenges to reaching those goals and some opportunities, too?“There are all kinds of challenges. We know that our campus community is busy. We're competing for time and attention, and we need to be relevant. And that's always a challenge, right? We're in a very loud and noisy world with so many activities happening. We're very pragmatic about the institution we're in. The physical building, as I mentioned, is very old. It has some really wonderful assets to it, but it also has some challenges.“We don't have a lot of gallery space. We don't have a lot of workshop space. Part of the reason that we don't do programming here is we don't have a lot of programming space. So, there are certainly plenty of challenges for not just our museum, but I think museums in general, especially as we navigate COVID. The whole industry and the traditional business model have been disrupted. Figuring even that out is really hard, but I always like to look for the silver linings. I have an entrepreneurial mindset. I like these challenges and it enables us to think boldly and creatively about what a new future can be and how a museum like this can serve its community for that next chapter. We're just going to tackle each challenge in that manner going forward.”What are some of the challenges and opportunities for museums in general and arts and culture in general?“One of the big things right now for museums as I keep alluding to is a very competitive landscape out there. We see attendance declining nationally in museums, which is interesting because museums remain among the absolute most trusted institutions in our country. There are a lot of things that people are pessimistic about, but museums and cultural centers seem to be still rated as trusted institutions. We face these weird challenges where we're trusted and celebrated but attendance is declining. That goes back to this idea of how we compete for time and attention. How do we make sure we're relevant? How are we responding to the needs of the communities we seek to serve? That has to be top of mind. We also really have to think about experience design.“That's what we refer to as the experience economy. And that's really critical. What does it mean to come and visit the museum? What does the experience feel like from the minute you walk into the door to the minute you leave?” When you were coming out of high school, why was MSU the place for you?“I grew up in Metro Detroit, but my dad worked in government. He got transferred up to Flint and we lived in a small town. And one of the first things right away that I fell in love with at Michigan State was the beauty of the campus. I came out here in the summer. And as we all know, summer on the MSU campus is a postcard. So that kind of coupled with the sheer size of it. Some people get intimidated by large schools. For me, it just felt so wonderful to be around so many like-minded and similar aged people. That's what kind of brought me here. My best friends to this day came from here.“I met my wife here as an undergrad. I feel really lucky that I chose MSU. And I often think I just don't feel like it was as competitive as when I was applying to college like it is today. I felt a little bit more free to choose a university that really fit me as opposed to the competitive nature of it. So I just feel really blessed in that regard. And MSU was just an incredibly good experience for me.“As an undergrad, I really began to blend some of my interests, one of which was the City of Detroit. I was doing a lot of photography and lithography work at the time. I was also studying studio art and I was going back and forth between Detroit and East Lansing. And I think that exposure was really critical in my development. I began much more to explore my identity. I'm a third generation Lebanese American, which opened up all kinds of doors for my professional work and museums later in life. I had a rich array of experiences. Not only did I work at the MSU Museum, but I worked for the State News and actually pursued a journalism career for a while before I figured out that wasn't really for me.“There are so many amazing assets here. If you truly embrace those and you explore these opportunities, all kinds of doors open. We grow as individuals, and we begin to see the opportunities out there in the world. I just kind of followed my heart with that. That's why the Science Gallery aspect of our work is still so critical. That really speaks to me. I keep thinking about how important it is for that age group and those experiences as undergrads to think that we can have a role in shaping that in the same way the university helped shape my life. There's an amazing power in that and I hope we can pay that forward.”Summarize what you'd like those joining in on our conversation to know about you and where you want to take the MSU Museum.“People should expect new ideas coming out of the MSU Museum, things they haven't experienced before in the past. This fall, we're going to open a whole new exhibition that explores surveillance and the way it permeates all aspects of our lives. It's going to be a very tech heavy show and probably a little bit unsettling because these are things that we tend to push out of our mind. You're going to see new things in the space programmatically with the exhibitions and certainly the way we engage faculty and students to provide richer experiences for them. Stay tuned.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get yours shows.

Christine So (she/her) is ASMSU's Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Senior Advisor to APASO, that's the Asian Pacific American Student Organization.  Kelly High McCord (she/her) is Director of Human Resources for Residential Hospitality Services. Dr. Ashley Green (she/her) is Assistant Dean of Administration and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for International Studies and Programs. And Dr. Jim Lucas (he him) is Assistant Dean of Global Education and Curriculum at the Office of Undergraduate Education.What's the relationship between DEI and the COVID-19 pandemic? In what ways are people differentially affected based on their identities?“We know that some people are at a higher risk because of their race or ethnicity due to underlying conditions, or more so because of lack of access to regular healthcare and preventions. But there could also be differentials in the impacts of dealing with the trauma or the aftermath,” says Green. “So if you come from an area where numerous loved ones have died from the disease, you now have an added layer of trauma or grief that impacts your mental and physical health due to the actual COVID-19 disease.“And I have to also mention the differential impacts on our workforce, such as differences in salary adjustments, furloughs, possible inequities in work assignments, power dynamics, and from a personal perspective, women who are juggling heightened full-time work and additional duties at home while managing children being schooled from home. And then more specifically, as it relates to some of the international population, they have had to navigate a number of issues such as border closings disabling them from entering their home countries or leaving to come to the U.S., navigating time zone challenges when trying to participate in courses and meetings virtually, less than ideal internet in various parts of the world, and fears of being unable to obtain a visa for educational or professional traveling thereby resulting in decreased opportunities to travel, which impacts international research and global experiences for our faculty and students. And then lastly, other issues of DEI that are exacerbated in virtual spaces include lack of connection and hands-on physical support. There are some language barriers that are heightened in virtual spaces or while wearing a mask as well.”“In Residential and Hospitality Services and beyond on campus, many of our frontline team members are people of color and women,” High McCord says. “And so they have been affected in having to make really difficult decisions regarding whether to come to campus. Do I feel safe? Am I going to bring something home to my parents that I care for? Some healthcare institutions may have been closed or compromised in various ways. If you have childcare issues, where can you put your child when you still need to work? There have been a number of challenges.“We've had staff members who've lost people due to COVID-19, and they're dealing with the loss. The workforce is very thin right now, and so they're putting in a lot of hours to help us cover and take care of the campus that's still here and operating during the pandemic.”“In addition to childcare issues, we're hearing about people who have family responsibilities in terms of elder care, and then also students who may be helping to support their families,” Lucas adds. “And so for them, maybe their parents or guardians are out of work and they need to work more. And then of course, we have to look at the jobs sometimes, as Kelly alluded to. If you have a position as a frontline worker or in the hospitality industry, you're being put at the forefront of being exposed to COVID.“And I just want to also stress something we haven't talked about enough. We're seeing internet access issues for our low-income students and our rural students. We've actually had students who've been driving to McDonald's or to Starbucks to sit outside to take tests or to do their homework. And we know that people from certain cultural backgrounds may not feel comfortable accessing medical care or mental health care. And so they may be suffering in silence. And then of course we have to think globally about who has access to what vaccines and who's able to obtain them easily, but also what is the United States' role in supporting COVID vaccination globally?”We know that vaccine and mask wearing policies have caused some controversial conversation. Can you explain some of the bias or apprehensions around mask wearing and vaccinations?“To be candid, there were some African American men who were initially hesitant to wear masks in public spaces for fear of being targeted or profiled due to negative stereotypes,” Green says. “As it relates to the vaccine, we also have to acknowledge that there are some in the African American community who are not trusting of the medical professionals or political figures, given the systematic oppression that the community has felt. Some have even cited the Tuskegee Airmen syphilis experiment where black men were intentionally and secretively injected with syphilis as a reason to not trust the vaccine. Ultimately, there are some concerns. They think that there's some ulterior motive or hidden agenda for the government to gain more power and control or for the medical industry to make profit off of them as Guinea pigs.“I'm supportive of the science, but whether you agree or disagree, it is a reality for some that needs to be acknowledged. Then some people are just simply pro-choice in every way and are against being forced to do anything.“There's also some concern on the other side where people still want to continue wearing masks, even when and if a mask mandate is lifted and they're just concerned about being teased or looked at like they're odd when they're still wearing their masks. So we are really seeing the concerns on both sides. And again, whether you agree or disagree, I think it's important to acknowledge everyone's feelings when trying to deal with this.”Christine, what do you think students are most worried about in general coming back to in-person this year?“A lot of students are still concerned about their own safety in the classroom,” So says. “There have been things going around about how people are creating fake vaccination cards or fake COVID tests. So even though a student may submit a vaccination card, what's to say it's real or not real?“A lot of students, including myself, really want empathy. I know some professors were more empathetic than others. I feel like some professors were very accommodating and others were not. So I'm kind of interested to see and concerned about how professors will treat students this fall because we all know the transition back to a somewhat normal year will be very challenging for not just students, but the faculty and staff in our institution. So I'm just really hoping for some empathy and mental health. And transitioning of two basically new freshmen classes will be a big learning curve for not just those students, but for the faculty and staff supporting those students with resources and teaching them. And something I want to emphasize too is the pandemic still exists. It's still going.”“Faculty, staff, and students with sensory issues are also affected by masks,” adds Lucas. “It may inhibit their ability to read lips and it can be harder to hear sometimes. We're thinking through how we'll be doing fall welcome events and the scope and the scale of those events. We're basically going to be repeating some of the events that this year's second year students went through virtually because we know from talking to students that the virtual year, although they benefited and they had a great education, it wasn't the same. It wasn't the same as meeting people.“We're hearing a lot about social anxiety issues as students transition to a place that they know a little bit but not a lot about. And they are going to want to be with friends and engage in clubs and do all the things that first year students do. And so there is a campus reorientation effort that's looking at how we can do that and how we can basically transition all of our students back.”“I would add that our staff is feeling similarly,” continues High McCord. “Many of them worked from home, and so they're reacclimating to campus and thinking about the thousands upon thousands of students who are going to descend on campus and they're very anxious. And like Christine said, this pandemic is still happening. And so there's some staff that are saying, ‘Why are we acting like this is not happening?' So we've been trying to encourage our team members to come back to campus now to ease their way into it. We have people who are very anxious coming from home where people were shopping online and having things delivered curbside who are now coming into an office even with 5-10 people, and that is very anxiety producing.“I really liked Christine's point about empathy and thinking about how to keep people physically and psychologically safe. And we're talking to our supervisors about how to do that. You know, don't take for granted that no one wants to wear masks. Some people do. And there are people who are worried about being bullied for wearing a mask, or people asking about vaccination status or health status because some choose to wear a mask. We want to protect people so we're telling people to not ask those questions. Let people make that choice for themselves.”“We've politicized COVID, unfortunately, and mask wearing,” Lucas continues. “Whether you're a faculty staff, employee, or a student, you have to remember that people are coming from different backgrounds with different beliefs, and you can't make an assumption about someone because they want to wear a mask, or they don't want to wear a mask. We have people who have immune compromised loved ones, and they want to be safe because they don't want to bring it home. And so we have to remember it's both ways and that's something I find that it's helpful to talk to people about. As much as some people are nervous about coming back, some people are really eager to come back. And there is no right answer other than what I hear us all trying to say is you have to have empathy and grace.”Ashley, can you talk about how xenophobia plays into our discussion?“That's been a big concern among the international population, particularly, but not solely from the Asian community,” says Green. “As many people know, there has been a rise in hate crimes against the Asian community. And some of this stems from the assertion that the coronavirus came from China, along with our former political figures, unfortunately, calling this the China virus and making other disparaging remarks. There are people who are now targeting members from the Asian community in a prejudiced or discriminatory way, and that's causing a lot of emotional and even physical harm.“As it relates to faculty, there is tension between the government compliance and sometimes unjust mistreatment of international faculty as they deal with additional layers of scrutiny and approvals and other protocols that not all faculty have to deal with. And so it's just a really big concern. As people come back to campus, they want to feel welcomed and they want to feel invited. It's not just purely an MSU campus culture issue, it is a U.S. national issue. And so it's prevalent among many groups. I just took the time to talk about the Asian community, but many populations are feeling this just as some Muslim populations felt this during the 9/11 crisis.”The university is focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. What are some of the ways in which your college or department is advancing to contribute to an inclusive environment?“International Studies and Programs advances programming related to global and cross-cultural initiatives,” Green says. “Working with academic colleges, we develop education abroad programming and other forms of student exchange. We offer a diversity of seminars, conferences, and workshops through our units related to global DEI. We also have a role in internationalizing teaching and learning and integrating diverse perspectives, cultures, and voices into the curriculum. And then externally, we facilitate equitable partnerships to transform lives and address global challenges through collaborative research and outreach.“And all of this is for our students to participate in and benefit from, and we have other initiatives through our units, such as the GenCen, serving as the hub for gender and sexuality research from a global perspective, Muslim studies programming, our area studies, creating cross-disciplinary research on a global scale, and then our Office of International Students and Scholars with all of their support for immigration regulations, intercultural communication workshops, and other DACA related issues. And then we're also proud to have partnered with the president's office and OI3 to develop a robust set of information and resources for our undocumented students, refugees, and DACA students.”Kelly, what about at RHS?“I'm glad you asked because I wanted to make sure we didn't jump from the xenophobia piece too soon because we really need to outwardly say and demonstrate that we want all of our students to be safe, including our Asian and Asian American community members,” High McCord says. “We need to be explicit about that. And so we're checking in appropriately to see how people are feeling and if they feel safe. What you can do to help them feel safe is really important. I know in our division, we're trying to do that. We've talked about our Hate Has No Home Here campaign. Students will see that right away when they move in to campus. We'll have a robust campaign going and a pledge signing piece as well. But as students have told us, if we are saying that hate has no home here, then we need to put some action behind that and show how we protect our students, staff, community, and faculty. We're looking forward to doing that.“We've been trying to stay on the pulse of what's happening for folks of color and our international students throughout this pandemic and talking with our colleagues across campus. Christine has been a part of a summit that we had in RHS and Student Affairs and Services to really talk about what we need to do to make students feel safe. And students have given us a number of demands related to safety that we're trying to respond to right away. And so maybe Christine wants to talk a little bit about that, but I think we're really trying to talk about action steps to do it. It's not verbal support, but actually supporting them in our policies, practices, and procedures.”“I want to thank Kelly for sharing the work that summit has been doing in that group,” says So. “It's been really good. As a student who participates in some of those organizations and those circles, it's really nice to see that demands are now receiving actions. Something I also want to emphasize is that because MSU is a PWI, a predominantly white institution, it's really important that these colleges are developing steps to promote their DEI initiatives. It is important to bring that sort of awareness to our university.“On the topic of xenophobia and being a Korean American woman myself and looking very East Asian, which Chinese people also fall under with that unfortunate stereotype that has been circulating because of the pandemic, I have not had an experience where somebody has blatantly come up to my face. But I remember at the peak of the pandemic when my brother and I would go to the grocery store or I'd assist my mom when I came home in March of 2020, the stares and people blatantly moving away from us in the grocery store. I don't think some people recognize how hurtful those small actions can be or be felt so it is really important to make sure that people are checking in with students and faculty and staff who are part of this community as well.” “Our office runs a lot of different programming that looks at DEI and its connection to student success,” says Lucas. “We know that creating a hospitable campus with a positive climate is essential for all of our students. And so whether it's the way we do orientation or the way we do first-year transition programming, we have been embedding DEI into all of the work that we do. And in relationship specifically to COVID, some of the efforts we've been doing is having specific global education and DEI related conversation so that faculty members who are most likely to be teaching our younger students have some context of what they're facing and how to address those issues in the classroom.“Sometimes faculty and staff may see each other or a student in distress or something might have happened like George Floyd, and then they don't say anything about it because they don't know what to say, or they don't know how to say it, or they don't feel prepared to deal with what might come out of launching into a conversation. I can say from my perspective that's something that we've been trying to do a lot during COVID is to give people the skills to be kind. I don't mean that people aren't kind, but give people the skills to be empathetic and to give them the confidence to reach out to other people.”We've been touching on it throughout the conversation, but what are we expecting to experience with our staff, students, and faculty this fall and how are we preparing for it?“We're doing our best to prepare for it,” High McCord continues. “Right now we are responding to the mask mandate and how students and staff are responding to that, and also the vaccination mandate that has been handed down. There are so many questions about what this means for me and the timelines. Getting information out to the MSU community will be very important in helping them make sense of it and what it means. There are a lot of people who are saying, ‘If I decide not to get it, does that mean that I'm terminated and I can no longer work for the university?' And what does that mean? What does that mean for them and their livelihood and their family, but then also for the institution?“We've been trying to hire a lot of people. Across the state and across the nation, there's an employment shortage. Losing individuals because of this mandate could be pretty detrimental, depending on what the volume is of people who decide to make that decision.“That's what we're focusing on right now. I appreciate what Jim said about there being a lot of people who are really excited to get back. I think our students are really excited to get back. We also have a lot of returning students who are coming into their sophomore year who are looking forward to living on campus because they missed that experience their first year. Being in RHS, it's great to see that people want to live on campus and have that experience and really value it because that's a part of diversity, equity, and inclusion as well, learning to live with other people who are not like you. And it puts the onus on us to create a welcoming environment to support the diverse people that we serve.“We try to encourage people to get to know people who are not like themselves. You're discovering who you are and what your values are. And so a lot of the kind of inclusion and equity pieces come from you knowing who you are and what you value, and then also then learning about other people. We're really excited to have students back on campus to talk with them more about how we can work together to make a safer environment on campus.”Jim, are there any resources to support faculty and students regarding mental health and wellbeing?“We have been posting a list of the available mental health and wellbeing resources on the Keep Teaching, Keep Learning, and Keep Working website. We have the support units, the counseling center, and the employee assistance program. But we've also launched a new program with the support of the provost called Kognito. And that program is an online discussion simulation where the AI responds to your comments and gives you feedback. It's designed to help people feel more comfortable having conversations about mental health and also to encourage them to seek out mental health support.“Kognito is available in an employee version and a student version, and all students and employees have access to it. And we've integrated that information into new employee, graduate student, and student orientation. And we're also developing some trauma-informed practice guides for faculty in the classrooms. On the student side, the counseling center, CAPS, has launched CAPS Connect, which is a program that's been going on for a few years. It sends the counselors out into diverse spaces. So into college offices, into international student offices, and into the multicultural center to put mental health resources where our students are. That's the one message that CAPS would like to get out to the community is, if you're having students who are experiencing mental health distress is to get them to the CAPS Connect professionals.”And how are we thinking, Jim, differently about student services and curriculum as we shift to in-person? Like, what's happening with reorientation?“Reorientation has been a real campus-wide activity to look at what it means for all of us to come back to campus,” continues Lucas. “And as my friends and colleagues have pointed out, in some cases it's not just the students who have never been on campus. For some, it's just who spent time away and who may not remember how to do certain things. Or their campus navigation skills have gotten a little rusty. So we have a series of initiatives. One is looking at, as I said before, the scope and scale of our activities. So things like Sparticipation and resource fairs, understanding that more people might be wanting to go to those events. And so maybe they need to be larger, they need to be more spaced out because of COVID. And maybe we need to think differently about the resources we're giving, because it's not just students looking for clubs, but students looking for education abroad and research and community engagement type of activities.“We're really thinking about that. And we're really trying to promote trauma-informed practice on our campus and encouraging people to have open dialogue with students and to give students the space to grieve, to give employees the space to grieve, to have learning communities within your workplace to talk about the transition back, as Kelly mentioned, but also to perhaps be doing that in the classroom.”“There is the new Global DEI Task Force,” Green adds. “That is a cross-university task force that has been created including representatives from key administrative offices. Many of the offices are represented by the speakers today. And we have some faculty with expertise in global engagement and intercultural competence. This task force is charged by the associate provost and dean of International Studies and Programs, and I'll be chairing it. The goal is to develop resources, programs, and potential policies to reinforce inclusive practices in a global context. We're discussing the needs and developing recommendations over the summer for implementation beginning in the fall semester. And this institutional-wide effort will build on existing programs and resources to result in educational materials, teaching resources, training options, and even a communications guide.“We also plan to increase diversity trainings and other initiatives and campus conversations geared toward global diversity, equity, and inclusion. And this is really important to us because scholars have noted that in many DEI strategies and conversations, the global dimension is sometimes an add on or an afterthought. We're really working hard to make sure that it's a natural integration into these discussions and efforts.”And Jim, can you define what trauma-informed is and why that's important in DEI?“Trauma-informed practice is being espoused by several different groups on campus,” says Lucas. “It was actually started in relationship to sexual assault and relationship violence, but also it relates to a communication tactic post any form of trauma, whether that be a recent trauma or a past trauma. We believe that after everything that we have gone through as a community, as a nation, and as a world related to COVID, that we have all experienced a trauma. And so the idea with a trauma-informed practice is kind of what you've heard my colleagues talking about. You know, not asking someone, ‘Why are you wearing a mask?' Or not asking someone to give you proof that they're upset, that you assume and give grace.“So instead of saying, ‘Well, prove to me that you need an extension on your paper and explain to me why you didn't get it done,' take that more critical, analytical approach, which I think sometimes we see happening in the classroom. Say, ‘I understand. I empathize with you. I'm here to support you. How can I support you? Where can we direct?' You're starting with this kind of openness, one of belief, and one of support, instead of asking, ‘Give me evidence. Give me proof that you had COVID. Give me proof that you need to be online.'”And Christine, as the chief diversity officer for ASMSU, are there any initiatives that student organizations and leaders are involved in?“I know a lot of students are excited, especially on the ASMSU side, to get back into academic governance and in places where student voices really need to be represented,” So says. “As a resident assistant, I've also had the opportunity to be a part of conversations about gender-inclusive housing and what that will look like in the fall since Wonders Hall, which is where I'm a resident assistant, is piloting that. I'm really excited for that. But I know a lot of students want to be a part of spaces and panels through OCAT, our Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions. And there have been a lot of conversations happening there as well in terms of campus safety and that transition coming back.”Why is DEI work everyone's responsibility?“Everyone should be mindful that DEI is broad and really should consider many populations,” says Green. “Specifically in my role, I like to promote that we have to recognize the immense value of having a truly global community, and then ensure that as we talk about DEI, we aren't just focusing simply on diversity, but also providing the support and resources needed to ensure equity and full inclusion.“We have international students, scholars, faculty, and staff in all areas and levels of the university, and these global Spartans bring invaluable cultural, intellectual, and experiential contributions. And so this is an area where MSU is well-positioned to be a diversity champion in alignment with our world grant identity to be inclusive of the globe, not just of the nation, particularly due to our long-term and continuing strengths in international engagement. Global DEI is an approach that we need to take at a top 100 globally ranked institution, and it's all of our jobs to ensure that all are welcome and supported on this campus.”“Diversity, equity, and inclusion is in everything that we do,” adds High McCord. “It's in every decision that we make and every interaction that we have, whether we recognize it or not. And so diversity is there, whether we recognize it or not. The inclusion piece is actually recognizing it and acting on it and the equity is making sure that everyone that is there and is a part of it has what they need to be successful and has the same types of opportunities for promotions, progress, and tenure. It's in everything how we utilize our resources and who has access to our resources.“MSU is a highly diverse institution. It could be more diverse, yes, but we need to definitely serve the diverse community that we have and it's in everything. And I think that people are asking for us to just stop celebrating diversity and actually take action to move towards inclusion and equity within our environment. It touches absolutely everything that we do.”Christine, from your student perspective, why is DEI all of our responsibility?“Coming to MSU was when I really started to become passionate about DEI work and recognizing the diversity and the equity and inclusion that needs to happen,” So says. “I think Ashley brought up a great point about how DEI is very broad. And the reason why it's so important for everyone to practice it is because it's so broad. And because it's so broad, there's so much opportunity to learn and to educate oneself. And I feel like that also intimidates a lot of people. So something my department in ASMSU, the DEI department, is trying to do is to have mandatory DEI goals where we are asking our staff to set a goal on a topic where they want to educate themselves more and ask them to reflect and read a book or watch a documentary. And then at the end, have a discussion or a survey about how they felt and also how I can better give them resources. “If someone comes and is like, ‘I want to learn more about the LGBTQA+ community,' that's kind of broad. It's my job in that position to steer them in a direction that's more specific. I know DEI in that sense is also very intimidating. So something I just want to put out there is that it's also very important to make sure people are allowing people to have that space to learn and grow and apologize and be sensitive and empathetic. Because I think a lot of the times people are very scared or they have bad experiences because someone corrected them without mercy and they weren't shown or given grace. So that's just something I also want to emphasize.“With DEI, I think it's just important when it's everyone's responsibility that you're very patient with yourself and you don't try to force it because it can be really tiring work. That's what I've learned in my position. I just want to remind everyone that it is everyone's responsibility but be patient with yourself and don't be so hard on yourself about it.”“Building off something that Kelly said, it's something that integrates into every aspect of our work and our lives,” Lucas adds. “I was hired to do internationalization of the curriculum. From a curricular perspective, some people always say, ‘Well, should I integrate it or should I make it its own class?' The challenge is when you make it its own class, or you put the responsibility on a certain person or a certain office, then it allows you to marginalize that office or that class, or it becomes a one-off. And really, DEI is a part of the ethic of our institution. It's part of our culture, and it needs to be living and breathing across all spaces.“When I'm working with faculty, I might have a faculty member say to me, ‘Well, I teach a genetics class, how can I teach diversity? That's not the content.' But the way I like to talk about DEI work in global education is it's not just about the content. It's about the climate that you create in your class. It's about having equitable policies that are transparent and fair for all of our students. It's about the pedagogy you use. It's about the books and the examples you use. And it really takes all of us working together because we all have expertise in different areas. It's only through collaboration that we'll ever achieve our DEI goals as a campus.”Final thoughts and key takeaways from our conversation?“The university has really been focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” High McCord says. “President Stanley from day one has been talking about how important that is to him and how he wants to see it integrated into the institution. He established the DEI Steering Committee where Dr. Wanda Lipscomb and Luis Garcia and Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Elmore led that charge. We're really excited about their report and the recommendations it issued. The report is on the president's page. Our Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Jabbar Bennett, will take the lead in orchestrating what needs to happen across campus. It doesn't just rest on his shoulders. As we just talked about, it's all of us being involved to help implement those recommendations and make this a better climate and environment for everyone in our community.”“It's really important and intense work, as Christine mentioned, but after this conversation, I'm energized because this is just another example of how we really need partnership, we need collaboration, and it's all of our responsibilities,” says Green. “I have much respect for everyone on this call in all of their hard work and valuable contributions to this conversation.”“Students are very eager, including myself, to get back to campus,” says So. “There's a mix of different stressors that come to mind with the pandemic, but we're very excited to be back hoping for a somewhat normal year to have those normal in-person club, e-board, and executive board meetings. Zoom, I think we all made it work and everybody adapted very well, but I do miss that in-person reaction, passing people in the hallway and saying hi. And I'll also be sitting on the Homecoming court, so I really want to enjoy that opportunity while trying to stay as safe as possible.”“If I could say anything it's to reinforce the ideas of grace and empathy, both for ourselves and our colleagues and our students, allowing us the time and the space to be flexible and creative in how we're achieving our work and how we're working with those around us,” Lucas says. “And I think my main point that I'd like to leave you with is we need to be encouraging help-seeking behavior with all the people around us. Some people are really reticent to seek out especially mental health assistance because they may be stigmatized. Seeking help is a strength, not a weakness. And Spartans are here to help. They're here to help each other. They're here to help the world. And you can't do that if you're suffering. We need to be giving ourselves grace and encouraging people to get the help they need.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The DEI Steering Committee was formed by MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. in December 2019 and is co-chaired by Wanda D Lipscomb PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and College of Human Medicine senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion and Luis Alonzo Garcia, director of Migrant Student Services.The committee was charged with taking inventory of the university's efforts related to DEI across campus, identifying potential synergies, pinpointing existing gaps and establishing a framework for making MSU a national leader in DEI. The framework includes 27 recommendations categorized by four major themes; increase diversity, ensure equity, promote inclusion, and enhance outreach and engagement. Lipscomb and Garcia share the committee's definitions for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And they detail the process the committee used to compile the research and recommendations in the plan. They also discuss the four key themes in detail and some of the key recommendations in the plan.“President Stanley made it clear from the beginning of this process that he wants MSU to become a national leader in DEI,” says Garcia. “We cannot become a national leader if we just simply settle for what we historically have done.“We cannot be a national leader if we don't embrace different communities and bring them to the table. At the same time, we have to make sure that their voices are being heard. One of the things that was bought out of the report is that we began to look at the landscape of college aged students in Michigan; it's becoming quite flat. Where are all these state institutions in the state of Michigan going get their students? As we began to bring in new students, what will those students look like? What are their needs?“What diverse faculty do we need to make sure the institution is providing a situation where students, faculty, and staff say ‘Wow, they understand me. I feel good here. I can see myself here.' That's our core mission. It doesn't matter how diverse we are in the student body, though, if we don't graduate students. We looked at that, too.”“If there is one thing MSU must do it's that MSU must invest resources,” says Lipscomb. “We're talking financial resources, people resources, and programmatic resources. When you look at the institutions around the country who are distinguishing themselves, there is this embedding of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the day-to-day life of the university. So, if there's a take home message for us to become a national leader, it means we all have to be working towards it. It means we each have to be held accountable regardless of what your title is. It's very easy to think, oh, well, you got these diversity deans and this chief diversity officer to handle this. We're not superheroes. We're not super people. We're just people.“Your values are demonstrated based on where you put your resources, and MSU has the potential to become a national leader. But it does mean that MSU has to be willing to realign resources and clarify the use of resources. The other issue that was very clear from the benchmarking that was done, and we talk about this in the last section of the report, we have to align leadership. We want campus to understand that this was a presidential initiative. This was something that President Stanley said he wanted to do. The establishment of the DEI steering committee and the direction to us that our work had to feed into the strategic plan we took that very seriously. The thought that we can begin to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion as a priority across all the activities of the university is how we can become a national leader.“It won't be putting up a poster; it won't be saying, ‘Oh, this is what we're going to call this initiative.' It will take integration across the mission areas. We think there's great opportunity because we have wonderful, bright, intelligent folks who can do this. We just need to create the avenue for the conversation. I think that is what we hope this plan does. It gives us the avenue for the conversation.”“The one point that I want to amplify that Wanda pointed out was the issue of accountability,” Garcia adds. “The only way this plan will go forward is that the ministers and the leadership of the institution understand it, buy into it, and participate in moving it forward. Because if we simply say we're going to put a program together annually and that's it. That's not what we're talking about. If that's what you got out of this report, we did a miserable job. It's really looking at the full operations at the unit level, at the college level, and at the program level and really taking it in and digesting it. And some of it won't be fun. Let's be clear.“If we are going to become a national leader, it's going to take effort. It's going to take resources and it's going to take some grit. If we do things right, we're going to come out in a good position.”“This has to be a living document,” says Lipscomb. “This has to be a living process, and I think if you talk with people on the committee, I think we all learn things from each other. We certainly stumbled across lots of things as we went along and it's like Luis talks about, it's going to take some grit. It's a helpful endeavor if we have a positive attitude. In order for us to move forward, we have to take positive steps. We have to do something different tomorrow that we didn't do today and that's challenging for the university because the university is broad. Dr. Bennett talks about what he envisions with taking the report and actually going back through the recommendations, prioritizing them, and figuring out what's feasible. I've said this to the directors and in session that we're going to have to be the people who roll up our sleeves and get to work.“It's going to have to be us. We all have to step back and ask more difficult questions than we have before. I do believe that when we start to look at the executive VPs in place now at the university, I think each of them in their own way has talked about the importance of interfacing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the lines that they're responsible for. We have challenged the president to be thoughtful about what he's responsible for. “You make progress because you walked a lot of feet and then you got some yards and then eventually you got a mile. And sometimes it can be daunting because you want to be at the mile marker, but great athletes get to the mile marker by the little things they do every day. And that's what MSU is going to have to. That's what I'm hopeful for.“Some people will have positive comments. Some people will say we didn't go far enough. Well, if we can just start with what we have, we can grow and breathe life into the next stage. I think that's a responsibility that all of us have.”“As Wanda summed it up, this is really not the end of the DEI,” continues Garcia. “The plan is a process that is going forward and that's really where the energies need to be. But as I indicated, I think we have some wonderful opportunities to rethink our institution in ways that we have never done so before and to have different voices and different languages at the table as well.”What are some key takeaways you'd like people joining in on our conversation to take away about the plan?“Find a place in the plan where you're ready to start and get to work wherever you are in the institution, whether you're in a department or whether you're in a large unit,” Lipscomb says. “Begin the conversation as it relates to your level and as it relates to your unit and be a part of the conversation. Be a part of the work that has to be done.”“One of the takeaways, additionally, that is important to me is when you sit down with the people who you lead, look around,” Garcia says. “Who's missing? Who are we missing? We must begin that process. The different voices we bring in bring value to MSU. We really need to understand that. I think historically, we have not looked at it like that. That means that if we bring in other people who are different than us and who have other mindsets and other thoughts, what you're doing is bringing in new worlds to the institution.“These are worlds perhaps we don't understand. That's where the effort's going to be for us to take the time and to learn from others. It really speaks to the commitment that the people that the president has assembled are all truly and honestly committed to where he wants to take the institution.”“The steering committee was a large group because there were faculty members, there were administrators, there were staff, and there were students,” says Lipscomb. “Various populations were represented. Moving forward, we're going to have to do some population specific work. And we have to figure out how to do that. And it's not about this group over another group. But each of the groups needs something that may not be needed by another group. Luis throughout the whole process would challenge us to think about who is not at the table.“MSU is just such a large institution. It is so easy to get lost. Think about all the social identity groups. Think about those groups as you create search committees and advisory committees when you're pulling people together. Almost have a checklist and say, ‘How representative are we for real?' It's got to be representative of where we see ourselves in the future. “Some census data has recently been released. It wasn't surprising to any of us that the populations that are growing are the populations that are growing. What does that mean for MSU? How do we maintain a competitive edge? How do we say from a land grant standpoint that we want our graduates to go out and serve? Not only the state of Michigan, but the greater United States and the globe? We can't do that if we don't have representatives of those communities as a part of our community. It is probably one of the most important things we need to always reflect on because we have the opportunity to change.“We have the opportunity to be better, but as Luis said, if you never look at who isn't at the table, you won't ever get better. You'll just have the same people sitting there who have always been sitting there.”“And then constantly you're expecting different results, which is really odd because historically that's the way we've done it,” Garcia adds. “If we continue to do the same thing and just say, ‘Well, we tried but we still got the same results,' no, stop. Stop the machine. Do self-assessment. We'll probably mess up a few times and that's quite all right, but you're trying something different, it's okay. And even if you look at the future of MSU through a business model, this makes business sense at the same time. People want to sell their product to everybody. It's not an exclusionary market. And I think those who figure that out are the ones who are going to thrive as institutions.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

A diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer interrupted Judy's career as an author.“Like for everyone else, it came at the worst possible time. But cancer really doesn't have a great time,” says Pearson. “I was a newlywed. I had met the man of my dreams. My youngest son had launched into a great career as an electrical engineer. And my oldest son is just retired, but he was career Air Force and was about to deploy to Afghanistan. And then I found the lump two months after a clean mammogram and through it all discovered that there is a condition that's much more well-known now called dense breast tissue. I tell everyone to never stop being vigilant about your health anywhere, but especially your breasts. It doesn't matter if you get a clean mammogram, you can still have things that mammography can't see through if you have dense tissue.“The fortunate thing was after my mastectomy, they found three other tumors that by the time I would have gone around to the next mammogram, I would not have survived quite probably. It was triple negative breast cancer, which is rare and very aggressive. And so I made a deal with God and the universe. If I survive this, I'm going to do something with it. I don't know what that is, but just guide me and I will do something.”Pearson talks about why she chose to attend MSU and how the university has impacted her. While many of Judy's friends from her small hometown of South Haven thought MSU might be too big for them. Judy was attracted to the “hum” at MSU.“I had high school classmates who came to school here and found it too big. They felt lost. There were myriad issues, but always surrounding its size because South Haven then and now is only about 5,000 people. We had 200 kids in our graduating class. For me, there was a different feeling partially because I was familiar with the university, but partially because I just love the hum of it.”Recognizing that healing is helping, Judy founded A 2nd Act.“A Second Act celebrates and supports women survivors of all cancers who are giving back to the greater good using their experiences and their life span, whatever those days are, to give back to the greater good to the world around them.” Discovered at MSU, Cisplatin would become the backbone of combination chemotherapy. Pearson believes it saved her life.“My oncologist sat me down after my mastectomy and said, ‘Okay, this treatment is going to be really rough. And usually people have to have a three or a four week span in between treatments. You're very healthy other than that little bit of cancer. We're going to make that an every other week occurrence.' And even though I had no evidence of disease once the breast was removed, with triple negative cancer, I had had a 30 percent chance of it coming back without the chemotherapy. So I thought that was just too great of a chance. And she said, ‘We're going to hit you with three drugs' then told me the names of the drugs. One of was Cisplatin. “Then I go back home and two days later, the MSU alumni magazine arrives in my mailbox. And one of the featured articles was about Dr. Rosenberg, who invented Cisplatin here in 1965. And it wasn't until after my own treatment that I wrote an article talking about the fact that Dr. Rosenberg saved my life. When it was discovered, it was miraculous.“It was the first platinum-based chemotherapy drug. And it's not without side effects, severe side effects, like horrible nausea, hair loss, and joint damage afterwards. But I would take all of those in exchange for my life. It was well worth it. The other really interesting connection is in 1971, Richard Nixon was facing a very iffy reelection and his aides came to him and said, ‘There's a bill making its way through Congress called the National Cancer Act. If you sign that, we are quite certain you will be reelected. It's a bipartisan issue. Democrats and Republicans both fear it, and we'll even toss in that we'll cure the disease by the Bicentennial.' He signed it. It infused $1.8 billion, which is $8.4 billion today, into research. And at that time, Cisplatin was in final clinical trials. I don't know for certain, but I'm quite sure that some of that money went into the final trials for Cisplatin. Ironically in 1971 when Nixon signed that bill, I was an incoming freshman at Michigan State.”Pearson talks more about her cancer diagnosis and journey through treatment as a survivor and not a victim.“The diagnosis comes like a thunderbolt. It's like any catastrophic event. I read an article one time about the top 10 stressors in life. And besides the death of a loved one and a divorce, catastrophic illnesses is the next one. And so you get that kind of why me sort of thing. And I was actually talking to a pastor and asked why me? And he said, ‘When people ask that, I respond to them by saying, why not you? Should it be him? Should it be her? Why not you?' And I thought, well, that's a good answer. I'm a researcher by profession. I very carefully researched my disease, my treatment, and my reconstruction. At no time did it occur to me to research survivorship. I didn't even think it was a thing. And that surprises me because I thought myself fairly well read. On the other side of all the treatment I started having unexpected and really quite frightening issues like night sweats, severe joint pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and brain fog, which for a writer is a really bad thing.“When I went to my oncologist and asked why I hadn't been told, it wasn't like I wouldn't have taken the treatment. She said, which was very common 10 years ago, ‘It wasn't important to talk about. We were busy saving your life.' I now know. And all of the folks that I interviewed for From Shadows to Life who were the architects of the cancer survivorship movement, their whole focus has been on making sure that survivorship is considered part of the cancer continuum. There's diagnosis and there's treatment. There may be adjunctive types of treatments after the main treatment's over, but survivorship is every bit as much of the cancer continuum. It's the rest of your life. The treatment is really a year, maybe a little longer, to get you to the rest of your life. Why not spend as much time focusing on learning about these issues and learning how to move beyond them?“And that was why the survivorship movement launched and became so successful. Before the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship was founded by 23 people, all with a connection to cancer, and before they launched the cancer survivorship movement, we were called victims in the newspaper. And even after their 1986 founding, the newspaper articles all said victim. And even if the article was about them and the headline read survivors, not victims, the writer continued to call us victims in the article. It was hilarious. And so at first, the term survivor was a little foreign to me because I felt like I'd won the lottery by beating cancer. If you said to Vince Lombardi or George Patton ‘Wow, you survived that,' they would have punched you in the face. I don't want to just be a survivor. I want to be a winner.“And then I realized I was swimming upstream. Survivorship was already coined and I'm happy with that. I get it now. I totally get it. The other interesting thing about the idea of survivorship is if you experience a heart attack, boy, from the moment you have recovered or had whatever corrective surgery, they're starting to talk about rehab. They're starting to talk about you getting back to your life and what we're going to do to make sure that the rest of your life is quality of life. And they never did that for cancer, which I find so interesting. Now it's true cardiac issues kill more people every year, but there are more cancer survivors in the country, 17 million as of this year just in America. It's a much bigger population that absolutely should learn how to deal with their disease and its long-term effects.”Judy Pearson's latest book is titled From Shadows to Life, A Biography of the Cancer Survivorship Movement. It's part medical history and part inspirational biography. This is the story of a social movement that continues to improve life for millions.“I mentioned I'm a storyteller and after cancer, I just couldn't find the next great story to tell. I started asecondact.org, and through A Second Act was introduced to a woman called Susan Ley, who lives in Tucson, which is about two hours from Phoenix where I live. Susan is one of the founders of the cancer survivorship movement and became the inspiration for the book From Shadows to Life. And the shadows part of the title is that Nixon designated all that money and people actually started surviving. Before the Seventies, more than half of the people diagnosed died. So it was a grim diagnosis. Cancer was still thought to be contagious.“You couldn't tell people that you'd gone through cancer treatment because even though you might have no evidence of disease or been cured, like they used to say, people were terrified that you still had the germ. And so you could be fired. You couldn't join the military. You couldn't adopt children. College students couldn't get roommates because their parents feared that they would catch cancer. It was a horrible life. So you went through this God awful diagnosis and then were just left behind. One of the architects of the movement, Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, said it's as if we had invented sophisticated treatment to save people from drowning. But once we dragged them to the dock, we left them there to cough and splutter on their own. And that's exactly it. That was just it. We're done. You're saved. Now go be. So it was a really monumental task to bring cancer out of the shadows. And that's what this group did.”People really thought that cancer is contagious?“Isn't it crazy? It's nuts. It's just what they were fed. If you went to someone's house, you were fed on paper plates. It was really crazy. By the Eighties, that was pretty much dispelled. Like every other old wives' tale, it took longer in other parts of the country to dispel. But even in the Eighties after it was no longer thought to be contagious, employers could ask if you'd ever had cancer. Employers didn't want to hire survivors for fear that they would have a recurrence, that they would die, and that they would be a puny and sickly lot. And it was just a bizarre thought.“This was on the heels of the AIDS movement. And they took a page from that and started testifying before Congress and made sure that the Americans with Disabilities Act included cancer survivors.” Are you optimistic about a cure for cancer one day?“We don't use the word cure. The other part of survivorship is that you couldn't call yourself a survivor until you passed five years. And then it was 10 years, or maybe it was three years. There was some moving goal line and then you could be a cancer survivor. Well, what happened if you got diagnosed again the day after you hit the five-year mark? Are you no longer a survivor? So sort of the same thought is there with cure because we still don't know all there is to know about the disease. But what we do know is that it's not one disease. It's not like the polio vaccine. Polio had three or five cousins that they had to kind of deal with, but mainly it was one thing. Practically any cell in your body can become cancerous, any cell anywhere.“It's hundreds of diseases. What we have learned and what's so brilliant is we now much better understand cell structure and DNA and the human immune system. And in fact, the COVID vaccine research was based on the infectious disease research. The National Cancer Institute had a great deal of genetic research that they've been working on now for decades that really pitched in and helped with the COVID vaccine creation. So that word cure is not even in my vernacular. What I know is that if my cancer, for example, metastasized or I had another primary cancer, that I'm in a much better place today than I was even 10 years ago because they can use my immune system. “Ten years later, there have been massive leaps forward, and the research that's being done here at Michigan State that I just learned about in the lab, man, it's really wonderful. The hope is that someday we can actually prevent cancer cells from developing.”Pearson shares her three key takeaways from our conversation.“First of all, you are your own best advocate. Listen to your body. Don't be dissuaded by a doctor who says he or she has done everything and now doesn't know what to do. They say you're fine. That's just not good enough. Keep going until you have an answer. I did that. I'm about to do it again with a heart issue. Don't ever back away from that diagnosis you don't have, or that prognosis. You don't have to be rude. Just go get a second answer.“Secondly, for people who do have an illness, be it cancer or anything else, find someone to help advocate for you. You become your own advocate. In the throes of the diagnosis and the flurry of treatments and everything that comes along with that, you get pretty muddle brained. Find someone who can be your advocate, who can come to appointments with you, take notes, and ask the questions you may forget to ask. Do that. Ask for one if you're the patient. And do that for somebody if you're looking for some way to help. “And then the third thing is live every day. Get rid of toxic things, not only the chemicals in your house, but maybe the people in your life, too, and maybe your job. Don't waste a minute of life because it is so precious. As I tell my grandchildren, even if you're having a bad day, it's not forever. It's just for now. Look at tomorrow as a brand new day.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.