Through research, access and academics, the university is obligated to make a difference in Michigan and around the globe, MSU President M. Peter McPherson said Tuesday during his last State of the University address.
During the address at Kellogg Center, McPherson discussed the heritage and traditions of MSU before outlining his vision and hopes for the university's future after he steps down from the position Jan. 1.
"Surely, the land-grant university stands today, as it did 150 years ago, as a symbol of a uniquely American commitment to access," McPherson said at his 10th State of the University address. "But access is not an end, but a beginning. Our commitment to access is matched by our commitment to quality. At Michigan State, we are elite, but we are not elitist."
Before MSU was founded through land-grant legislation, higher education was not available to everyone, McPherson said. Now, 150 years later, he said MSU remains committed to the idea of access of opportunity.
"At its sesquicentennial, the nation's pioneer land-grant college stands among the most prestigious universities in the land," McPherson said. "Even after 'arriving,' though, we have never forgotten our roots. The principles we celebrate today are built upon the values that guided us in 1855."
MSU not only provides opportunity to its students, but through research and outreach, the university's contributions are globally accessible, McPherson said.
"Today, in part because of our technology and always because of our commitment, the democratization of MSU generated knowledge extends around the globe," he said.
McPherson went on to outline 10 challenges he said higher education will face in the upcoming years. Many of the predictions were calls to action - imperatives he hopes the university will continue, and ideas he wants to see MSU officials implement.
For instance, the president said he wants admission officials to consider aspects other than a student's grade-point average when reviewing applications.
"Our success in attracting top-level students with top GPAs and test scores must be matched by our success in remaining accessible to 'winners' who might not have the quantitative credentials at application time," McPherson said.
In addition, McPherson said he hopes university officials will manage money wisely, by continuing to make no commitments to new, recurring projects without identifying a future cash flow that would cover them.
He also wants MSU to remain committed to securing private funding, while looking for new and "revolutionary" sources of investment.
Finding different ways to finance university programs is an idea President-designate Lou Anna Simon shares and is a McPherson legacy she said she hopes to continue.
"Finding new partnerships and diversifying sources of support is critical to our future," Simon said. "I argue, as President McPherson did, that type of investment sustains us."
Simon said she also agreed with another challenge McPherson brought up - MSU's international role. McPherson said the university has an obligation to maintain a global presence.
"His call to international action is something I am very supportive of," Simon said.
In addition to finances and global outreach, McPherson said he hopes university officials will continue to take risks rather than play it safe.
Risk-taking, he said, is what helped MSU secure the cyclotron, enter into the Big Ten and created room to build the biggest on-campus residence hall system.
When moving the medical school and vying for the rare isotope accelerator, McPherson said taking a gamble can only help MSU thrive.
"We did not obtain prominence by playing it safe," he said. "We will not maintain prominence by avoiding risk."
McPherson said he also hopes MSU will recommit itself to educating students beyond professional preparation - through integrating and changing the university's areas of study and encouraging students to go abroad.
After his last address, McPherson said he is leaving the university in good hands.
"Let me say I am particularly pleased (Simon) has succeeded me," he said. "She is especially equipped to handle the challenges ahead."
Some of the 50 people in attendance said McPherson's address was all inclusive - recognizing the past 150 years, his own time at MSU and what he hopes for the future.
The speech was characteristic of McPherson's career at MSU, said Jon Sticklen, chairman of the Executive Committee of Academic Council.
"It touched on and highlighted the last 11 years," Sticklen said.
"In many ways, the thrust of his address was what McPherson hopes we will become. It was appropriate because he has never lacked vision."
President M. Peter McPherson's State of the University addresses
The Land Grant University: Where the Revolution Stands at 150 - Keeping Faith with our Heritage in the State, Nation, and World
2003: No speech as McPherson returned from Iraq
2002: Keeping the Drive Alive
2001: MSU: The Challenge to Change
2000: MSU: An Engaged University at the Millennium
1999: On the Leading Edge of Change - MSU: A Pioneer University for the 21st Century
1998: Celebrating Five Years for Future
1997: Framework for a Practical Vision
1996: Integrated Excellence: The MSU Distinction
1995: MSU: Five Years Before the Millennium
1994: Framework for a Practical Vision
Sources: MSU spokesman Terry Denbow and president.msu.edu.
