New Academic Year Welcome

Aug. 28, 2025

Dear MSU Faculty and Academic Staff,

Welcome to the start of the 2025-26 academic year! I arrived here in East Lansing earlier this month and am excited to join you in advancing academic excellence and student success here at MSU. Working alongside President Guskiewicz, our deans and vice provosts, and all of you, we will continue to advance the university’s commitments to access, opportunity, and excellence – and to make progress on achieving the goals of our recently refreshed and reaffirmed strategic plan.

It is no doubt a time of unique challenge for higher education, given the disruptions we are experiencing related to federal directives, executive orders, grant cancellations, and stop-work orders. The university continues to find ways to sustain our commitments and advance our aspirations, including the recent establishment of the Jenison Fund Career and Research Continuity Support, which is designed to provide strategic, targeted, time-limited assistance to graduate students nearing degree completion and to faculty experiencing disruptions in research funding. We also remain committed to reducing student loan burdens and promoting financial stability for graduates, with the FY 2025-26 budget allocating an incremental $9 million to student financial aid in addition to permanently funding $12.5 million in prior year commitments. Our Office of Government Relations continues to advocate for the university's priorities and keep leadership, faculty, staff, and students informed with the most current and accurate information related to federal policy shifts. Sponsored Programs Administration is also providing updates as new information and resources are identified, including internal MSU funding opportunities and Office of Foundation Relations funding opportunities.

As we navigate these challenges together, it is increasingly important that we work not only collaboratively, but also in the most coordinated ways possible. This will help ensure optimal outcomes and impacts while demonstrating operational excellence and our thoughtful and strategic use of limited resources. My research and scholarly work in identifying ways to best support children’s mental and behavioral health has consistently focused on the collaborative coordination of strengths and resources – with families, medical professionals, and schools aligning their collective strengths to yield optimal outcomes for the children receiving their care. This same kind of collaborative and coordinated approach should serve us well as we continue to navigate this fall semester and beyond.

To support a successful academic year and foster shared understanding across faculty and academic staff, I am sharing a few resources and updates below. I encourage you to reference them now, and to keep them in mind throughout the year.

Resources

MSU Policies for Faculty and Academic Staff 
The Important University Policies for Faculty and Academic Staff document provides information regarding university policies related to teaching, research, and employment at MSU. It is a helpful document pertaining to the ongoing work of faculty and academic staff and a useful resource to reference throughout the academic year.

MSU is home to a vibrant and multicultural community of students, faculty, and staff which we value and actively support to observe days set aside by their chosen religious faith, as reflected in our Religious Observance Policy. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling exams and presentations during the major religious holidays. Please also become familiar with the several options for accommodations outlined in the policy so you can support our students observing these major holidays.

Most Classes Will Not Meet on Feb. 13, 2026 
Most classes will not convene on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, as our campus continues to heal, reflect, and remember. Some classes, primarily for graduate and professional students, may still be in session. The university will remain open to support students and our community. 
 
Faculty and academic staff are expected to not hold classes or exams or have assignments due on Feb. 13, with some exceptions for graduate and professional programs that may need to meet for certification and graduation requirements.  
 
Additional information regarding classes that still need to meet on Feb. 13 will be shared with students in those classes well ahead of Feb. 13. 
   
Thank you for taking this information into account as you plan for the academic year.

Professional Development Opportunities for Educators, Fall 2025
For educator development focused on pedagogical practices, explore opportunities offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation, and visit iteach.msu.edu to share ideas, connect with educators, and discover additional resources created by educators, for educators. For other professional development opportunities to support you and your career at MSU, learn more about the programs and events taking place to help faculty and academic staff establish professional trajectories and move through various stages of review, promotion, and growth.

Throughout the semester, MSU IT provides no-cost training for all MSU students, faculty, and staff on collaborative tools like Zoom, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft apps like Teams, OneNote, OneDrive, and Forms. Live virtual-led training courses and on-demand course recordings are available, in addition to weekly office hours, for those who have questions or need help. Visit SpartansLearn for details, course dates, and registration. Additional learning opportunities from MSU IT about educational technology are also available – find out more here.

Syllabus Resources
Creating Your Syllabus: Strategies, Resources, and Best Practices provides a collection of resources from the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation and other contributors on iTeachMSU.

Multiple offices across campus recently collaborated on drafting optional inclusion statements that instructors may use on their syllabi, if they choose. Use of this language is optional.

Advancing AI at MSU
We recently announced new resources and opportunities to engage as a campus community around AI.

A new university resource hub for AI-related information, tools, and research, ai.msu.edu, will serve as a central location for our community to access MSU resources and guidelines, explore educational opportunities, and learn about the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field.

We also released updated Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools. These guidelines set clear expectations for ethical, responsible, and transparent use of AI across educational, research, scholarship, artistic endeavors, and administrative contexts. They reflect our commitment to innovation while safeguarding academic integrity, protecting sensitive data, and ensuring equitable access. These guidelines represent the first step in consolidating previous AI-related guidance issued across campus. They will be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect emerging technologies and evolving best practices.

Updates:

Progress continues on many presidential initiatives that the Office of the Provost plays a central role in supporting, along with additional efforts to advance student success. MSU’s commitments to expanding access, being responsive to the needs of the times, and demonstrating responsible stewardship of resources guide our work across these areas.

• You can learn more about Modernization of General Education efforts and follow progress via their web presence.
• Spartan One-Stop is now open to serve students virtually and in person on the first floor of the Hannah Administration Building.
• Transfer Student Success efforts continue to advance, thanks to funding from a MiLEAP grant.
• As part of MSU’s First-Generation College Student Initiative, planning for MSU’s First-Gen Center is underway, with an anticipated full opening in fall 2027 on the first floor of the Hannah Administration Building.
• MSU’s Ethics Institute continues work to establish MSU as a global hub for ethical thinking and decision-making, and to evaluate and address institutional ethics and practices beyond the classroom through research, study, pedagogy, and the advancement of community-engaged activities.

One Team:

As we begin the academic year together, I want to thank you for all you do to support the work of your departments, colleges, and academic support units, especially during these times of unique challenge and strain. The need to demonstrate the value proposition of higher education continues to become increasingly important. It is going to take all of us – working in collaborative, coordinated fashion and aligned with the work of President Guskiewicz – to navigate our way forward. We will need to continue to remain agile and responsive, and to demonstrate operational excellence at all levels. Your knowledge, expertise, and commitments will help keep us on course and true to MSU’s mission, values, and aspirations.

Again, thank you for all you do to advance academic excellence and student success here at MSU. I look forward to learning more about all that is going on in your colleges and units during my upcoming listening tour this fall. Best wishes for a productive and rewarding semester, and a wonderful academic year ahead.

Warmly,

Laura Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
MSU Research Foundation Professor, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education