Howard Gobstein lives in the same house and works in the same office, but things have changed.
After six years as assistant vice president and director of federal relations for MSU, he has been promoted to associate vice president for governmental affairs.
“I’m still the director of the Washington, D.C., office, but I’ve become increasingly busy,” Gobstein said. “We’re a full-service office, and there’s only three of us, so it’s in recognition of the fabulous people I get to work with.”
While the new job doesn’t include many new responsibilities, there is more than enough work to keep Gobstein and his associates busy.
MSU’s Washington office handles federal relations, including immigration, biomedical research, financial aid for students and work with the National Science Foundation.
This summer, the office handled the Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa conference, led by MSU President M. Peter McPherson.
“It’s a very exciting time to work for the university because there’s so much movement,” Gobstein said. “There are so many opportunities for research and education it’s hard to keep up sometimes.”
Steve Webster, vice president for governmental affairs, said Gobstein’s promotion is well-deserved - Gobstein opened the Washington office six years ago and has kept business going since then.
“He’s worked in big places with big jobs and he’s been very successful,” Webster said. “He’s among the best in maintaining relations. It can’t be treated as a part-time responsibility.”
