Name and political party: Don Nugent, Republican

Age: 61

Political background: MSU trustee since 1995; chairman of the Board of Trustees since January

Hometown: Frankfort

Occupation: president and chief executive officer of Graceland Fruit Inc., owner of Nugent Farms

Family: married to Gail, two children

Education: MSU bachelor’s degree in agriculture

Web site: no personal Web site, but more information can be found at trustees.msu.edu

Overcoming the university’s budget difficulties: Supports closing the state funding gap among state universities and focusing on MSU’s $1.2 billion fund-raising campaign

Tuition increases: Supports increases, even those above the rate of inflation, if required.

Faculty salaries: Wants to raise faculty salaries to 1 percent over the Big Ten average, once Northwestern University’s salary figure is omitted

Affirmative action: supports current policy

Gay rights: Opposes gay rights and says the issue rests with the state, not MSU

Presidential searches: Agrees with closed-door meetings

Off-campus student conduct: Students should be held accountable for actions on and off campus