MSU President Lou Anna Simon made an unscheduled, but not unexpected, appearance at the Executive Committee of Academic Council meeting on Tuesday.
"I am trying very hard not to be provost, but I still had 3:15 open on Tuesday," Simon said.
She said she wanted to see the executive committee have conversations about the bigger issues the university faces.
"I see ECAC as an important group that works with specific proposals, but that hasn't been the case with broader policy issues," Simon said.
The office is continuing to work with the MSU College of Human Medicine Oversight Committee on the relocation of the college to Grand Rapids, she said.
MSU has joined a group of stakeholders in the move based in Grand Rapids.
"MSU decided - while the decision-making process is unique to each institution - it is best to be part of the dialogue," Simon said. "It doesn't preclude the decision-making of each institution."
Simon also discussed the ramifications of the Cherry report, issued by a statewide commission charged with developing a plan to double the number of college graduates in Michigan.
"It requires us to be responsive to a project with higher education at a time with a $400 million issue," Simon said. "The good news is, it identifies the role of a research university in economic change."
Simon said she is planning to hold informal "listening sessions," both internally and externally to synchronize the university's message and to position MSU as the "go to" place.
"I know really well our glass might be half empty in some areas," Simon said. "I also know - for the state to invest - it has to be half full and growing."
Jon Sticklen, executive committee chairperson, said he thought members need to see how task force reports on items such as the possibility of a new residential unit or the possibility of changing the Tier I writing requirements, relate to each other.
"We need to see not only how they connect, but how one feeds off of another," Sticklen said. "We need to see how one could affect the whole of undergraduate education."
The executive committee also discussed formalizing the position of a University Committee on Academic Policy liaison representative to Athletic Council. The liaison would carry information from the athletic council to the policy committee and would not have voting privileges.
Ann Larabee, University Committee on Academic Governance chairperson, raised the question of whether or not the liaison should receive the "perks" other members of Athletic Council enjoy.
After inquiry, the motion was sent back to Academic Governance for clarification.
