Trustee Joel Ferguson was re-elected as chairperson and Trustee Melanie Foster was re-elected as vice chairperson.

Ferguson’s re-election marks the third consecutive term and fourth term overall he has served as chairperson of the board.

Trustee Dianne Byrum said Ferguson and Foster displayed similar priorities for the board in the coming two years of their term.

“Through their comments today, our No. 1 priority is the education of the students enrolled at MSU,” she said.

Other main priorities will include a commitment to research, outreach and the athletics programs, Byrum said.

Ferguson’s focus is on keeping tuition costs low at MSU, and he said he is confident Breslin’s impending appointment as the chair of the finance committee will bring more funds to the university.

“He’ll be able to go in there and do something,” Ferguson said. “He has the respect and the connections.”

Breslin and Lyons’ connections as Republicans also will give the board an advantage when dealing with the Michigan Legislature, Ferguson said.

“With the Republicans in control of the House, Senate and governor chair, I think it is really going to add some value to us,” Ferguson said. “We’ll have an even stronger rapport. … It gives us an edge.”

Since being elected in November 2010, Lyons said he has been getting up to speed on major university issues and attending a number of orientation meetings.

He also has been engaging with legislators at the state level.

“The biggest thing we all need to be concerned with is the funding issues that are ever so constant in the Michigan budget,” Lyons said.

Lyons said he hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the board.

He also wants to ensure agriculture remains an important aspect of MSU, Lyons said.

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will be facing leadership and organizational changes in the coming months as Dean Jeffrey Armstrong prepares to leave MSU at the end of
January to accept a university presidency position at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

“I’m a little younger than the rest of the crew, so I hope to be kind of a bridge at the student level in engaging the student population,” he said.