At Friday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting, a new leader will be at the head of the board table for the first time in 11 years.
MSU President Lou Anna Simon will conduct the meeting.
"I eagerly await the meeting, because having worked with Dr. Simon for the last about seven years that I've been on the board, I am very confident that she knows and understands the many issues that we face at Michigan State," Trustee David Porteous said.
"She will be very comprehensive and very inclusive in her process."
The meeting will be the first for Trustee Melanie Foster, a Republican who replaces former Trustee Randall Pittman after winning November's election.
Foster said she is looking forward to her first meeting on the board and hopes to delve into budget issues during her term.
"I feel well apprised of the issues and challenges facing public higher education," Foster said. "I think a great deal of our focus and our retreat is going to be on the dilemma with the state budget and how it affects Michigan State."
Issues on the agenda include a memo introduced by acting Provost John Hudzik outlining initiatives on the vision of MSU's future.
"There are a lot of discussions on campus about reorganization and integrative studies and residential colleges and writing and quantitative literacy," Hudzik said. "Those discussions on campus are ongoing, and this is an opportunity for the board to publicly reaffirm its commitment to enhancing the quality of education at Michigan State."
These issues compose a liberal arts education and are all "intellectually connected," Hudzik said, adding that discussions are focusing on how to further enhance the programs.
Although the liberal arts proposal was originally introduced by Simon when she was provost, following through on the proposal has fallen onto Hudzik, the top academic official at MSU.
"The board has been very clear for quite awhile that it believes strongly in enhancing undergraduate education and experience on this campus," he said. "It reaffirms in large measure that this is what these discussions are about."
Discussions are ongoing, but no official action will be taken until further advice and counsel is provided by faculty members, Hudzik said.
