MSU’s tradition of its president giving an annual State of the University Address is common among some other universities in the Big Ten.
But while an annual event, many students show little interest in attending.
Joyce Sandie, an elementary education senior, agrees such a speech is important to keep students informed of key issues on campus.
Yet she has no intention of attending.
“I wasn’t aware that he gave such a speech but I am going to listen to what he has to say,” Sandie said. “I am interested in his speech, but not enough to actually get up and attend.
“I will happily read about it the next day.”
MSU’s annual address, which is open to the public, is delivered in mid-February. And President M. Peter McPherson will give his eighth State of the University Address at 2:30 p.m. today in the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.
“This has been a long-standing tradition,” MSU Trustee Dee Cook said.
Cook, a Greenville Republican, said the president’s speech is important in letting students know what direction the university is heading.
“It is a time when the president gives his vision for the next year, tells where we’ve been, where we are now, and the goals of where we are headed,” she said, adding the forum allows an opportunity for McPherson to officially recognize outstanding faculty.
“I like the event partly because part of it is focused on honoring faculty, which to me is the heart and soul of the university - some think it’s the basketball team, but I know that it’s the teachers.”
The awards ceremony, which follows McPherson’s speech, honors 31 faculty members this year.
Indiana University, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Penn State University all host similar addresses each year, but their speeches take place in the fall semester.
Steve MacCarthy, a spokesman for Penn State, said the event usually draws about 2,000 visitors, and students clearly make up the smallest segment.
Less than 500 attended McPherson’s State of the University Address last year; many were not students.
Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Iowa and Illinois University don’t even have designated yearly addresses.
University of Michigan President Lee Bollinger also doesn’t have a designated yearly address, but rather many throughout the year, said Mary Jo Frank, a spokeswoman for U-M.
“He addresses the faculty Senate once or twice a year, and he also sends out a letter about the state of the university to alumni,” said Frank, who added there are no plans to install a yearly address at U-M.
And while most Big Ten schools feature State of the University addresses that are open to the public, one doesn’t.
At The Ohio State University, a yearly speech is given in October, but it is more selective of its audience.
The audience consists of a body of 136 members, including representatives from three constituencies: faculty, administration and students, said Lesley Deaderick, an Ohio State spokeswoman.
Yet despite MSU’s speech being open to the public, some students say they aren’t making plans to go.
Amy Jager, a secondary education freshman, has no interest - but likes that MSU administrators keep it open to the public.
“I am not interested,” Jager said. “I am sure there are a lot of people who do get into it though. I like knowing that if I wanted to watch it, I could.”
