During its first public meeting of the new academic year held on Friday, Sept. 11, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees took action on several agenda items including approval of university leadership appointments and moving forward with several construction projects.
Trustees approved Dan Bartholomae as MSU’s next vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics. Bartholomae served as Western Michigan University’s athletic director since 2022. Bartholomae has guided Bronco Athletics to significant success, including multiple record-setting years in academic performance and community engagement, winning conference and national championships, and exceptional fundraising and external revenue growth.
“The future of college athletics will belong to institutions that embrace innovation while remaining grounded in their mission,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “At Michigan State, that mission is clear: to provide our student-athletes with an experience that prepares them to compete at the highest levels, earn a world-class education and become leaders who make a difference long after their playing days are over. Dan shares that commitment and has the experience, vision and values to lead Spartan Athletics into its next era. We are excited to start this next chapter with him as our leader.”
Vice president for Government Relations
The board also approved Katie John as MSU’s vice president for Government Relations. John, a proud Spartan alum, has served Michigan State for the past four years as associate vice president for state relations and previously served as interim vice president for Government Relations in 2024.
“Katie’s years of experience and her deep commitment to the transformative power of higher education make her uniquely qualified to lead Government Relations at Michigan State University,” said Guskiewicz. “With more than 20 years in public service, Katie has earned widespread respect as a steady, collaborative leader who understands our land-grant mission and is deeply invested in maintaining and expanding relationships at the local, state and national level to the benefit of the MSU community.”
Campus construction
Trustees also approved the university to begin construction on the second phase of the Packaging Building and the Campus Transportation Services Building.
The new addition and renovations to the Packaging Building will support the long-term growth and evolving needs of the School of Packaging, including increased capacity and quality of research space for research and industry collaboration along with offices for faculty and graduate students. Approximately 16,000 square feet of the facility will be constructed as white-box space to accommodate future research needs. The School of Packaging produces approximately 40% of packaging engineers entering the workforce and is the only doctoral program in the U.S. This investment positions the School of Packaging to continue its leadership role as a top-ranked program.
The new Campus Transportation Services Building will provide a permanent location for Transportation Services’ administrative, maintenance and garage operations, consolidating functions previously housed in the now demolished Central Services Building and in Spartan Stadium’s east concourse. The project requires demolition of the Residential and Hospitality Services and University Services buildings on Service Road. The new facility aligns with MSU’s Vision 2050 plan by relocating service operations to the campus service district, while improving safety, operational efficiency and service delivery. The project will also free space for the potential Spartan Stadium Modernization project.
“Michigan State University has been around for more than 170 years,” said Board Chair Brianna Scott. “In that time, our beautiful campus landscape has evolved to reflect the needs of our students, faculty, staff and members of our surrounding communities. These continued investments in new facilities that support groundbreaking research, make campus operations more efficient and improve the overall student experience reflect the board’s commitment to responsible stewardship and to ensuring our vibrant and storied campus supports today’s Spartans and generations of Spartans to come.”
Joseph R. and Sarah L. Williams Scholarship Fund
During Friday’s meeting, the Board of Trustees took action to establish the Joseph R. and Sarah L. Williams Scholarship Fund endowment. The scholarship, one of President Guskiewicz’s signature initiatives launched in 2024, is named after MSU’s first president, Joseph R. Williams and first lady Sarah L. Williams. It is the university’s first full-ride, merit-based scholarship to provide an experiential learning opportunity for awardees. The endowment will enhance MSU’s global competitiveness by increasing the number of scholarships available to prospective students.
Research presentation
Trustees received a research presentation titled “Latest Innovations from MSU's Apple Picking Robot” from Zhaojian Li, a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering. Li is developing robotic technology that uses artificial intelligence to help address labor shortages and rising costs facing the apple industry. Working with USDA researchers, Li and his team have developed an advanced robotic apple picker that uses cameras and AI to identify ripe apples and guide robotic arms to harvest them while minimizing damage to the crop. The technology has continued to improve since the team developed its first prototype in 2021, with the current system capable of picking an apple in about 3.6 seconds. Supported by a new $3.5 million USDA project, Li and his collaborators are working to further improve the robot’s speed, accuracy and precision, with the goal of bringing the technology to commercial orchards.
Other agenda items
The board approved one other request during the meeting:
- Revision of the Board of Trustees bylaws
The next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting will be held Oct. 30.