I cannot refute that to the common student paying upwards of $20,000 a year to study at MSU, these expenses would seem excessive. Still, these expenditures need to be contextualized. Coverage from The State News and WXYZ both noted that the funds to support trustee outreach are not supported with tuition dollars. It’s important to not overlook this point; trips are funded by capital revenues, or in other words, return on fundraising investments.

At MSU, the athletic fund is separate from the general fund, meaning revenue forgone for trustees only affects athletics, not educational or student services.

As for Wharton Center performances, the revenue for those shows make the department completely self-sustaining. Those funds are not used to subsidize or offset the cost of tuition and fees. Not to belabor the point, but short of redesigning the MSU budget to reallocate athletic revenues and hospitality services revenues to subsidize tuition, these expenditures are not related to undergraduate education costs at MSU. Redistributing funds to help lower the cost of tuition is an interesting concept, but it isn’t related to trustee expenses.

Two imperatives of President Lou Anna K. Simon’s Bolder by Design plan includes expanding international reach and increasing research opportunities. The entire university community was invited to give input and feedback on this plan. Trips overseas by trustees contribute directly to those imperatives, which in turn help to raise money and establish new international relationships for the university. All of these efforts enhance the prestige of this university, and thus the degrees awarded.

On a related note, have any of the journalists or public commentators delved into the specific goals of each trip, and the outcomes associated with them? Isn’t it likely that the trip to Germany created new fundraising opportunities in Europe and began partnerships with universities in Germany? What monetary figure would the public put on those international partnerships? Did any of the journalists mention that Trustee Faylene Owen has to travel by wheelchair due to health issues, and might that have something to do with the limo service?

The trustees are involved in so many fundraising events, it’s difficult to track how much money they bring in to the university. They are connected to politicians on the state, federal and international level, and influence state funding for programs such as MSU Extension and other research partnerships.

Understand that political outcomes are shaped by relationships, and political relationships are built and fostered at fundraisers, athletic events and social functions. Make no mistake, the return to MSU from cultivating relationships and fundraising far outweigh the list of trustee expenses identified by the press.