For the next eight years, Republican candidate Dan Kelly and Democratic incumbent Dianne Byrum will serve on MSU's Board of Trustees
Trustee Byrum has been elected to return after serving an eight-year term. She told The State News she's most proud of her work on the Energy Transition Plan at MSU, which cleared the university from burning coal last April. She said she wanted to continue fighting for accessible college for all students and being an advocate for student issues.
"My number one goal and priority at Michigan State University is to make sure that we keep the university accessible to students from all walks of life," Byrum said. "Part of accessibility is affordability. It means holding the line on tuition increases, and allowing other creative ways to look at accessibility."
Byrum said the campus has a lot of work to do with inclusion and relationship violence, and sexual abuse.
"I've been serving on municipal boards for a long time," Kelly said. "I think that the number one priority of any for any board is formulating a good, solid and fair budget. From the budget, everything else flows."
MSU's Board of Trustees ran a tight race this year, with all four major-party candidates clocking in at just above 20 percent of votes. Kelly and Byrum both finished with just one or two-percent margins over their fellow Republican, William Deary, and Democratic, Woodard, candidates.
"I want to thank (students) for their vote," Byrum said. "They turned out and they participated in this election."
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