James Forger
College of Music
James Forger’s 24 continuous years of extraordinary service to MSU and the College of Music as school director and, since 2007, dean, reflects the strong support of the college’s faculty and the university leadership. His vision for the college is to advance its national and international recognition for excellence, quality and diversity. Much of this vision has been achieved, advanced by Dean Forger’s energy and commitment.
In 2007, Forger led the smooth transition of the School of Music to the independent College of Music. Motivations for the status change included advancing excellence in the academic and performance arts and a streamlined ability to collaborate with other units across campus. Many of these goals have been achieved and continue to develop. Collaborations are in place with the Center for African Studies, James Madison College, the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.
Under Dean Forger’s leadership, new college programs have recently been added, including ethnomusicology, collaborative piano, vocal coach, music theory pedagogy, early childhood music, a performance diploma, and jazz studies, the latter now a nationally recognized program. Student quality and enrollment numbers have also increased. College outreach has expanded, with the renovation and establishment of Community Schools in East Lansing and Detroit serving more than 2,500 adults and children weekly.
Through Dean Forger’s leadership, the profile of the faculty has increased, with the retention of 13 key faculty and the addition of 12 tenure system/fulltime fixed term appointments. These additions have improved capacity and competence in conducting, musicology, piano, percussion, jazz, strings, music theory, and voice.
Diversity and inclusiveness have also improved significantly under Forger’s administration, with increased numbers of underrepresented minority faculty appointments leading to an increase in underrepresented minority student enrollment. These expansions in the student body have added tremendously to the college’s performance ensembles, with new performers and groups emphasizing a repertoire by composers from such historically underrepresented groups as African Americans, Latin Americans, and women.
Marsha Rappley
College of Human Medicine
Marsha Rappley, dean of the College of Human Medicine, is the embodiment of transformational leadership and commitment to the vision of a land grant university. For the past decade she has been a leading member of the university community, demonstrating vision and leadership in partnerships, innovation and service.
Amidst a sea of changes, including reduction in medical educational funding, an impending shortage of physicians, an imperative to increase NIH-funded research and consolidate health care, Rappley has overseen some of the most significant changes in the college’s history: a doubling of the class size, an expansion to Grand Rapids, construction of a medical education facility and the doubling of NIH-funded research.
Rappley has expanded commitment to community partnerships by leveraging the uniqueness of each community. In Grand Rapids, the emphasis is translational research, simulation and advances in medical education that have been made possible by more than a $150 million infusion from the community. Collaboration with the Colleges of Engineering and Natural Science have led to the construction of a $42 million bioengineering research building in Lansing. Her unique sensitivity to the Flint community provided the college with insight on how to out compete other universities for a $9 million grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation to create community-centered research programs in Flint. In Traverse City, Midland and Marquette, she is enhancing the rural medicine program and linking to community-based researchers to set the standards for population health research.
Rappley is widely renowned for her dedication to improving the student experience. She led a national work group that developed a powerful statement on the Optimal Learning Environment for Medical Education. Her thoughtfulness earned the respect of her peers on the AAMC Council of Deans Administrative Board; and they recognized her as “dean of deans” by electing her Chair of the COD. This unique platform allows her to continue 30 years of inspiring others to dream and equipping them with the tools to succeed.