This may be the MSU School of Music's final week of existence.

If approved at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting Friday, the school will become the College of Music.

"My hope would be that the board will view this as a positive move forward to celebrate the strength that the School of Music has accumulated over the last period of time," said Jim Forger, director of the school. "And that they would believe it would strengthen the college and also be a good thing for the university."

Forger will be the dean of the college if it's approved Friday.

Trustee Colleen McNamara said the initial reports the board received said there was little internal disagreement within the university about creating the college. The motion will probably pass, she said.

"It sounds like our School of Music is quite prominent nationally," she said. "And if this helps to give it even more of a boost in terms of its reputation and profile across the country, then that's terrific."

The School of Music currently ranks among the nation's top music schools and has 100 percent placement rate of both undergraduate and doctoral students, Forger said.

"All graduating undergraduates in the music education degree find employment in their field, and each graduating doctoral student has gotten a position on a university faculty," he said.

As a faculty member in the school, David Rayl said becoming a college would the program compete with other schools, some of which include University of Michigan, Indiana University and Florida State University. Those schools all have independent music colleges, he said.

"I think the fact that the upward administration and Board of Trustees are considering, and we hope approving this, recognizes the growth and quality of the recent past," said Rayl, associate director for graduate studies in music. "It enables us to more aggressively and successfully compete with institutions in our peer group."

If approved, the change in the school's title would be effective immediately.

Gradual changes within the infrastructure will continue during the next six months, Rayl said.

For now, however, Forger is taking things one day at a time.

"We don't want to prejudge what the board would do, so we will be prepared to move if we get approval," he said. "If the board passes this, we look forward to a new era of service and impact in the musical community, and we look forward to collaborating with many partners across campus."