2025 State of the University address from Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz

MSU Today with Russ White

Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz delivered his 2025 State of the University address at the faculty investiture on September 30, 2025.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

State of the University, new professors, leadership initiatives, enrollment record, US News rankings, federal policy changes, Jennison fund, budget adjustments, comprehensive campaign, experiential learning, strategic plan, One Health, research innovation, community partnerships, athletics.

SPEAKERS

Speaker 1

00:00

State of the University.

Speaker 1 00:19

So good morning again, and congratulations once again. I think they deserve another round of applause to our 2025, newly endowed professors and chairs. Your excellence truly elevates the capacity of our university to drive our work toward achieving our aspirations as a leading global public research university, and thanks to all my Spartan colleagues for joining us today, including several of our Board of Trustees members one year ago, almost to the day at my presidential investiture here at Wharton Center, I shared a Vision for Michigan State University, not just my own, but one shaped by conversations and collaborations with so many people around our campus and around the community and many of you who are here today together, we outlined big, bold goals, making Michigan State University the most inclusive, welcoming and safe environment it can be tackling grand societal challenges head on, and transforming Michigan State University into a truly next generation University. We also launched several leadership initiatives aimed at achieving those goals, and today, I'm excited to share the progress that we've made and a glimpse of what's ahead. Let's start with some great news, and there's so much that we could talk about and celebrate today, but I want to touch on a few things. First, we entered the new academic year, enrolling more undergraduate students than ever before in our 170 year history of Michigan State University, it's clear that students and families place their trust in us to provide an education that is practical, exceptional and accessible. Students come to us from 139 countries, all 50 states, and all 83 counties across the state of Michigan, we remain the top choice for in state students, with over 8200 Michiganders as part of this new class. And that's why I say that we are Michigan's State University and over 600 highly achieving incoming students join the Honors College, 30 of whom represent our inaugural class of the Williams scholars.

02:52

Second, some good news from US News and World Report

Speaker 1 02:58

US News and World Report rankings just placed six of our undergraduate programs among the nation's top 25 two more than last year. Supply Chain Management ranked number one for 15 consecutive years. Service Learning and Education Abroad ranked number one among public universities, learning communities ranked number two nationally, and the list you could go on and on and on, but there's a lot to celebrate with regard to the incredible academic achievements and opportunities provided through our undergraduate and graduate students here at MSU. And I want to offer a huge congratulations to the faculty and staff who make these programs run, you know, on a daily basis, and, more importantly, to shine on a daily basis. So we're grateful for all that you do. However, not all developments this past year have been easy. Everyone here knows that federal policy changes have disrupted our operations and impacted our core mission of teaching, research and outreach.

04:05

But Spartans don't back down.

Speaker 1 04:09

We mobilize teams to respond swiftly, to protect our research, support our people and continue serving the public, a responsibility that we hold and take very seriously as a leading global public research university, as we always have and will continue to do, I've taken our message to Washington DC and invited lawmakers here to see firsthand the value we provide through research, education and outreach. We've also taken action here at home, through the Jennison fund, we're investing $5 million per year for three years to support affected research programs. Just last week, we notified 37 recipients of this funding, and their work is nothing short of inspiring agricultural economist kajil Galati will be able to pivot from her international work in food safety and security toward applications in the United States, including examining lead testing policies on children's health and educational outcomes. The history department's Professor Walter Hawthorne can complete data integration, supporting scholarly and public access to the names and stories of more than 33,000 historically enslaved individuals on the unique MSU based enslaved.org platform. And graduate student Melina Ortez can continue preparing for a research for a career in research, a cancer research. Jennison funding will support 24 graduate students and restore our fellowships, allowing our continued education of the next generation of scholars and leaders. This is what it means to live our mission, to invest in people, knowledge and purpose. I want to thank all those in the offices and on the rapid response teams analyzing each new mandate and recommending ways to mitigate the disruption to our operations and our people. We will stay true to our Spartan mission and our Spartan values. Not all of our challenges stem from external factors, and I acknowledge the anxiety around our internal budget adjustments, I want to salute the careful work our colleges and administrative units have done to help build a secure, sustainable future for MSU. Together, as one team, we've taken steps to ensure our financial health for the long term. And let me be clear, as I said several times this past year, MSU is not in a financial crisis, but we are navigating a complex landscape and making tough, proactive decisions right now to stay strong. Thanks to our community's hard work, we've maintained the lowest tuition increase among Michigan's public universities over the past decade. We've increased University funded financial aid, and we've protected essential programs while aligning resources with strategic initiatives.

07:33

And we're not slowing down.

Speaker 1 07:35

We're moving forward together as one team with a clearer understanding of who we are and who we can become.

07:46

So as I promised, let's talk apples.

Speaker 1 07:51

Yes, it's harvest season, and Michigan is the nation's second largest apple producer. And that matters because it connects directly to our roots and our role in supporting Michigan's economy and agriculture. I look back at our visit to the Martinez farm in Conklin during our inaugural Spartan bus tour last fall, and I'm proud to know that Michigan's 700 have a reliable partner in Michigan State University, and we saw that firsthand on that bus tour, the training in agricultural and management practices that we offer to farmers such as Paulina Martinez and his team provide the knowledge to Ensure Michigan needs

08:39

in apple production,

Speaker 1 08:42

the Spartan bus store was one of the leadership initiatives that I announced last year. In addition to traveling to Central and Western Michigan last October, we've traveled to Detroit in May to visit places our students call ...