Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment of several deans and interim deans, expansions to a chip testing facility and renovations to the Spartan Stadium, among other things, at its meeting this morning in Flint.
New deans
David Souder was appointed dean of the Eli Broad College of Business, effective July 8. His salary will be $440,000.
Kimberly Dodd, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, was appointed dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, effective August 1. Her salary will be $355,000.
Glenn Chambers, currently the interim dean of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, was appointed interim dean of the Honors College effective June 10. He will be paid $279,663.
Matthew Daum, director of the School of Packaging, was appointed interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, effective July 1. His salary will be $350,000.
Yen-Hwei Lin, chairperson of the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, was appointed interim dean of the College of Arts and Letters, effective July 1. Her salary will be $310,000.
The board also approved an amendment to the contract of Athletic Director Alan Haller, though it was unclear what it entailed.
Expanded chip testing facility
The board approved a $17 million expansion to the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams’ Chip Testing Facility.
As one of only three chip testing facilities based on heavy-ion accelerators, the facility is currently fully booked. The addition of two more “testing endstations” will triple its current capacity to test circuitry against cosmic rays, according to the proposal.
“Additionally, the building addition will provide student opportunities through SPARTE, the Space Electronics Center started by FRIB and the College of Engineering, to educate students in chip design and testing,” according to the proposal. “SPARTE and the FRIB Chip Testing Facility will position Michigan State University as a national leader in chip design and testing.”
Renovated donor engagement space in Spartan Stadium
The board approved $1 million renovations to the second and third floors of the Spartan Stadium office tower. University Advancement, which currently is housed in the space, would consolidate to make room for a space for donor engagement.
“The space is not conducive for hosting alumni and donors,” according to the proposal. “Renovations … will maximize the use of space and support ever-increasing demand on fundraising, by allowing flexible meeting and donor engagement space to host alumni, donor functions, and community events.”
Endowment for a College of Education program
The board approved a $400,000 fund to support the College of Education’s Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program. The endowment is named after Dr. Betty Z. Del Din, a former PhD student and Student Affairs and Services employee.
The initial funds for the endowment will be provided by the discretionary gift account of the college’s Department of Educational Administration.
Endowments for a Detroit music school
The board approved a $250,000 endowment to support a “Community Music School” in Detroit, operated by the College of Music.
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“The Community Music School-Detroit is an outreach division of the College of Music that cultivates a diverse and connected community by providing opportunities for lifelong education, college and career readiness, mentorship and belonging,” according to the proposal.
New heat and power unit, water plant
The board approved the construction of a new “Combined Heat & Power Unit” in the campus’s current power plant and a “Chilled Water Plant” directly west of the Communication Arts and Sciences building.
The water plant will cool the nearby Engineering and Digital Innovation Center and send chilled water to several facilities with unsupported cooling systems.
The power unit will “add electric generation capacity, restore lost steam generation capacity, and provide utility services” for the new water plant.
The projects will increase energy efficiency and improve infrastructure reliability, according to the proposal.
