Moving Our Momentum Forward

Jun. 25, 2026

Dear colleagues,

The last two years under President Guskiewicz’s leadership have set the university on a positive trajectory that will continue for years to come. Several recent initiatives have placed MSU on strong paths related to research, student success, and improved engagement with partners across the state. Four significant projects within my portfolio of responsibilities – the Modernization of General Education, the establishment of MSU Medicine, AI-Ready Spartans, and Career-Connected Spartans – are well underway, and continue to move forward following their established timelines. In all instances, I am grateful for those leading these initiatives, and for everyone engaged in advancing their progress.

As President Guskiewicz has shared, it is the people, partnerships, and initiatives underway at Michigan State University that have made his time here as president so meaningful. He has also expressed his gratitude for the leadership, partnership, and willingness of the MSU community to invest their time and expertise in shaping the future of the university. This is a gratitude that I, as provost, share.

At a moment such as this, it is important to remember – and to remind ourselves – that MSU’s strength has never depended on any single individual. The university’s mission, talent, and momentum persist, irrespective of leadership transitions. As we have in the past, our Spartan community will continue demonstrating resilience and progress. Below is a review of several initiatives that are being advanced by the Office of the Provost.

Modernization of General Education

The Modernization of General Education initiative is an Office of the Provost priority that has been approved through shared governance. It focuses on redesigning general education as a coherent program that helps students connect ideas, experiences, and disciplines through shared learning outcomes and intentional points of integration throughout their undergraduate education. Our existing general education structure was designed more than 30 years ago, and fewer than 5% of current faculty participated in its original design. Modernization efforts align with the university’s broader strategic priorities for student success and educational excellence. They also provide us with an opportunity to reimagine the curriculum that defines an MSU undergraduate education.

Work on this initiative is being driven by a faculty-led design process through the General Education Council (GEC), as well as extensive engagement with faculty, students, staff, and academic leaders. The work of the GEC is guided by the project’s charge, the GEC’s original time commitment, Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation timelines, and the substantial lead time required for curricular review and implementation. One of the tasks before the GEC is articulating a broader educational framework that includes shared student learning outcomes, opportunities for curation and reflection, and a more intentionally designed student experience across the curriculum. This work is informed by general education better practices and articulated in HLC expectations.

Future Phases

• Summer 2026 to Summer 2028: MGE Operational Implementation Planning
• Aug. 16 to Sept. 21: Campus Review and Feedback
• Sept. 25 and Oct. 2: Co-designer Work: Revision
• Oct. to Nov. 2026: Academic Governance Review and Vote
• Spring 2027 to Fall 2027: Submission and Review of Courses
• Fall 2028: Begin New General Education Program for Incoming Cohort
   

AI-Ready Spartans

One of several recent initiatives supporting MSU’s broader AI educational efforts, the AI-Ready Spartans: Education Innovation Grants Challenge invited faculty and academic partners to design transformative learning experiences to prepare every Spartan to lead confidently in an AI-driven world. A total of 38 proposals were submitted across three funding categories. Over 20 faculty and staff reviewers from across campus were identified to ensure a minimum of four independent reviews per proposal, with more than 15 academic and administrative units represented. Eighteen projects were awarded, totaling $506,224, and are currently in the design and implementation phase. Visit the MSU AI website to explore the full list of awarded projects.

The strategic impact of these projects spans three areas: AI Literacy, expanding opportunities for Spartans to graduate with the confidence and fundamental understanding to work responsibly and effectively with AI; Workforce Readiness, enabling students to gain in-demand, hands-on AI skills; and Disciplinary Innovation, with faculty transforming teaching, learning, and research across every discipline and field.

Career-Connected Spartans

Career-Connected Spartans aims to provide 100% of undergraduates with meaningful opportunities to explore careers and gain practical experience while developing the skills, confidence, and clarity needed to launch successfully into the workforce. A career readiness survey of MSU students, faculty, staff, and leadership as well as a review of data have been completed. Results confirm that while we are operating from a position of strength, there are opportunities to improve access and coherence. We are now looking to build a stronger foundation across our academic and co-curricular systems, to help increase access and foster greater coherence.

Summer and fall milestones for this initiative include the first large-scale instructor and student pilot of digital experiential learning tools in the classroom, the launch of an enhanced in-person New Student Orientation pilot, the kick-off of Work+ Pilot supervisor training, and the initial rollout of the Spartan Experience Record 2.0.

Next Step: Build Ecosystem and Evaluation Framework

• Develop a collective understanding of an MSU career ecosystem.
• Stand up communities of practice to help co-create the ecosystem.
• Define shared expectations for work-based learning.
• Implement monitoring, evaluation, and shared learning systems.
   

MSU Medicine

Work to unify the College of Human Medicine and the College of Osteopathic Medicine is empowering our medical enterprise to expand impact across education, research, and patient care. These efforts represent a move from informal collaboration to intentional, shared accountability, systems, and decision-making, positioning MSU as a unified academic medical enterprise.

The Board of Trustees approved the creation of MSU Medicine in April, and implementation is actively underway. The MSU Medicine Implementation Committee (IC), which was charged by me on May 19, serves as the central group to keep overall efforts aligned, moving forward, and connected across all areas of work. The committee is focused on helping to ensure that the process is thoughtful and inclusive, while making steady progress in ways that are mission-aligned, operationally sound, and respectful of the distinct strengths and identities of both medical programs.

The IC will be reaching out in July to launch a working group nomination process, during which members of the university community may self-nominate to serve. A diverse range of working groups will work in a coordinated and collaborative fashion to help define the deliverables and timelines to move MSU Medicine forward. Continued engagement from the entire university community (especially from our two medical colleges) remains necessary and intentional as the implementation process continues. I encourage all who are interested to participate.

Critical decisions will continue to define the long-term structure and pace of the work related to MSU Medicine, and there will be a sequence of initiative priorities to help ensure continuity of operations, accreditation, mission delivery, and alignment on success metrics. The search for MSU Medicine leadership will launch in fall 2026.

Moving Our Momentum Forward

It is a time of great momentum and opportunity for MSU. Faculty, staff, and leaders from across the university have already invested a great deal of time, thought, and dedicated effort to advance each of the above university-wide efforts. I am grateful for everyone’s input and forward-thinking energy that continues to drive our shared progress in these critical areas. And I look forward to continuing to work alongside all of you as we strengthen our great university, its impact, and its aspirations.

Warm regards,

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