Petoskey - Full of expectations for the upcoming school year, the MSU Board of Trustees finished their three-day planning retreat after extensively examining budget difficulties and ongoing university projects.
"It certainly would come as no surprise to people that one of the significant challenges that the university faces is the budget cuts or the budget freezes from the state," Trustee David Porteous said. "That has had a very dramatic impact on us, both short term and long term."
In a small, windowed conference room at the end of the Bay Harbor Yacht Club in Petoskey, Porteous said the board heard a presentation about health care and ways to manage the rising costs. All meetings at the retreat were closed to the public and members of the media.
"Health care cost have skyrocketed over the past several years," Porteous said. "And as a result, it puts a greater strain (on MSU) financially."
The board listened to the many approaches members of the MSU community have used to deal with the problem, Porteous said, though he added no consensus was reached.
"You can't implement ideas from just the top down," Porteous said. "They have to be collaborative in nature."
Other presentations included the $1 billion Rare Isotope Accelerator project administrators are trying to bring to MSU and the relocation of the majority of the medical school to Grand Rapids. Porteous said the board did not take any action on these issues, but are waiting for more information to become available.
"For the student who is coming back to school here later this month, is there anything from this retreat they're going to see on day one?" Porteous said. "The answer is no, but at a retreat like this we believe over a period of time, you begin to see results of the planning."
Trustee Dorothy Gonzales also said budget concerns were the focus of the three days.
"We're working knowing that appropriations aren't those that meet Michigan State's needs," she said. "Regardless of the dollars, we can't give up the quality."
"I always want to work towards accessibility, availability and affordability of education for all students," she said.
Also in the meetings, Provost Lou Anna Simon listened in and offered comments as she prepares to become the next university president. Simon will start Jan. 1 in her new position.
Though Simon said she has not officially begun to transition into the top executive position, she recognizes many people will be looking to her for clues about MSU's future.
"What's happened with the announcement is that people have begun in their own mind to hear me and what I say to what it would mean after January instead of today," she said. "It's sort of having a foot in both worlds."
