MSU's Board of Trustees met Feb. 19 to discuss various items from Flint involvement to faculty appointments.
Here are four takeaways from the meeting which show what's to come in the MSU administration:
Four takeaways from the Board of Trustees meeting include construction projects, involvement with Flint
1. The board spoke in detail about MSU's involvement in Flint.
Dr. Rick Sadler, an urban geographer and partner of Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, gave a presentation about how Flint residents do not have access to healthy foods.
MSU is also involved in launching a nutrition for Flint residents. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, headed by Dr. Joan Ilardo, the program is meant to help reduce hunger in the city in addition to promoting healthy eating.
"We've been in Flint for a very long time," MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said. "MSU Extension has been there for over hundred years."
Vice President of Student Affairs and Services Denise Maybank gave a presentation about students' involvement with Flint. Maybank referenced MSU's Give Gab page that displays the total hours, members and money involved in all MSU student volunteering.
Both Flint City Council President Kerry Nelson and a representative for Flint Mayor, Karen Weaver, attended the meeting.
2. The board approved various construction projects.
MSU purchased Gruber property in Tuscola County for the expansion of the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center.
The board also a approved of projects to expand a sheep barn for the Sheep Lambing and Research Facility, replace windows of the Music Building and repairing the exterior masonry of Hubbard Hall.
Commuter Parking Lot 89 will see repairs in the southeast section of the lot. At the September 2015 meeting, the board voted on the construction of solar arrays above MSU parking lots.
3. The board voted to appoint two researchers and a new dean to the MSU faculty.
MSU alumnus Ronald Hendrick serves as interim vice president for agricultural administration and interim dean for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Science at Ohio State University. Hendrick has been with Ohio State since 2013.
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“I have had the pleasure of serving at a lot of land grant universities,” Hendrick said.
He will begin his appointment on July 1.
Two C.S. Mott professors were appointed by the board, Harold Neighbors and Carolyn Holden.
Neighbors will serve in the College of Human Medicine in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Holden will serve in the College of Human Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine. Both professors will serve in Flint.
4. Chemistry professor Gary Blanchard presented his research on image sensing in relation to concussions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates there are 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions per year.
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“The problem, in a word, is concussions,” Blanchard said.
Blanchard said concussions are not obvious like a cut or break, making it more complicated to diagnose, and said his research team has developed a sensor to aid professionals. He said if utilized the technology would assist nearly 4.9 million football players.
