Interim President Woodruff: MSU on 'upward trajectory'

Michigan State University is on an upward trajectory in many areas including an 82% graduation rate, increasing diversity and continuing work to prevent sexual misconduct and relationship violence, interim President Teresa Woodruff said Wednesday during the State of the University address.

MSU's overall graduation rate is the result of the community's commitment to student success and efforts have increased to help students graduate in all categories, Woodruff said. MSU admitted a record incoming class this past fall that was among the university's most diverse class of first-year students.

"Word has spread about MSU's commitment to helping all of our students thrive and succeed," said Woodruff, who began leading MSU as interim in November after former President Samuel Stanley said he lost confidence in the Board of Trustees and resigned.

"While I am pleased with this progress, there is always more work to be done."

Woodruff said the university's goal is working on an ambitious goal to increase MSU's 6-year graduation rate to 86%.

Programs have been added in the past year to help reach that goal including a new advising initiative and university advising unit; health and wellness improvements, including plans for a new recreation and wellness center; a one-stop shop for enrollment management and Envision Green, a partnership to support transfer students from Lansing Community College.

"We are evolving our academic services to catapult all of our students," Woodruff said.

Woodruff gave an overview of the university during a nearly hourlong speech about the state of the university, and its future, saying it is because of everyone's collective efforts.

Among the issues she highlighted as top priorities were to increase base appropriations from the state and the philanthropic community to meet the needs of students and the university community.

Instilling a sense of belonging is also a key priority, Woodruff said, and that is why MSU is building on the university's longstanding "albeit imperfect" commitment to increase diversity because it "is vital to the success of our staff, faculty, academic staff and students and is a key measure to providing a world-class university."

A culture of belonging is being fostered through several efforts including the university's multicultural center and first-generation college student initiative, she said. The university has also updated religious observance policies and expanded the diversity of its vendor network, reaching record levels of spending with diverse suppliers. MSU is also using the arts to engage diverse voices, she said.

"All this work of creating a more inclusive community requires daily attention from all of us," Woodrufff said, "and in so doing we will create a better world."

Fostering a university community of "support and care" is also a top priority, Woodruff said, as the university has been working to address how it handles sexual misconduct following the sexual abuse scandal that emerged in 2016 with the crimes of the now-incarcerated Larry Nassar, who preyed on women and girls for decades as a doctor.

MSU's ship has continued to be rocked by controversy and leadership changes since then. Woodruff is the fourth person to lead MSU since Lou Anna Simon's departure nearly five years ago. Besides interim President Satish Udpa, an MSU professor of electrical and computer engineering, the departures of MSU's last few presidents were linked to the fallout of the sexual misconduct of Nassar or the Title IX office, which investigates claims of sexual misconduct.

MSU has made important changes over the past five years to help prevent relationship violence and sexual misconduct, she said, by strengthening MSU's mandatory reporting policies and training and growing the university's prevention, outreach and education department. Investments have also been made in the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance and a campaign has been launched to show support for sexual misconduct survivors and promote campus resources and services.

"We are going above and beyond the simple legal compliance and support and equity services that we provide across campus," Woodruff said. "MSU is making its mark on how we respond to incidents of (relationship violence and sexual misconduct)."

She also highlighted the university's Center for Survivors, Safe Place and the sexual assault nurse education program.

She also noted the university's completion of 95 tasks mandated by the 2019 resolution agreement with the U.S. government following sexual assault scandals, including updating policies governing relationship violence, sexual misconduct and Title IX.

"I am committed to building trust with our university communities around relationship violence and sexual misconduct prevention work," Woodruff said.

Woodruff concluded her speech by attributing the success of MSU to the collective endeavors of the community.

"The state of the university is strong," said Woodruff. "As we sow our seeds of the future through the university's strategic plan, and as the sun rises and sets, our work will grow and create the harvest of our shared future: student success; faculty, academic staff and staff success; a sustainable, healthy, equitable and safe environment and research outcomes that affects lives. This, Spartans, is the future we are creating together."

kkozlowski@detroitnews.com