During its first public meeting of the 2025 calendar year, the MSU Board of Trustees received a research presentation about progress being made in pancreatic cancer research from Jennifer Klomp with the MSU College of Human Medicine and Howard Crawford with Henry Ford Health and the MSU College of Human Medicine. Their collective research exemplifies the collaborative work that is being done as part of the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences partnership to improve health outcomes.

Along with other pancreatic cancer researchers, Klomp and Crawford are focused on genetic indicators that play a crucial role in the ways cells communicate through the exchange of chemical signals. As pancreatic cancer cell behaviors are identified, researchers can start to create pharmaceutical drugs and work toward cures.

“When I started as a pancreatic cancer researcher in 2017, the goal was to get five-year survival rates into double digits,” Klomp said. “Now we’re at 13%, and I think that number is going to increase significantly, very quickly.”

Trustees also received a presentation on MSU’s Student Veterans Resource Center, or SVRC, from Director Patrick Forystek. The SVRC opened in January 2015 and supports over 2,400 military-connected students at MSU, more than 2,000 military dependents and over 800 GI Bill users. Programs such as the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education, the Warrior-Scholar Project and PsychArmor provide opportunities for Spartan veterans to build community and thrive at Michigan State.

Spartan Stadium office renovations

Renovations will soon be underway to a portion of Spartan Stadium where University Advancement offices are currently housed. Trustees today authorized the administration to proceed with renovations to floors two and three, which will include multi-use space for hosting alumni and donors and consolidating University Advancement’s operations to relinquish more space for other institutional needs. The updates will improve the overall usability of the space while also delivering on improved aesthetics, both of which are critical to fostering positive public engagement and building stronger relationships with donors and alumni.

Tennis courts

Trustees also approved a resolution allowing the administration to begin making improvements to the university’s outdoor tennis courts. Improvements include the rebuilding of the courts and viewing areas, benefiting athletes and the overall fan experience. This includes the construction of a new support building that will provide restrooms, locker rooms, team spaces and other amenities that will ensure the tennis program is meeting Big Ten standards. These improvements are made possible through the generous support of our alumni and donor community and their commitment to Spartan excellence.

“The project is only possible because of Joan Secchia’s generous gift to our men’s and women’s tennis programs,” said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller. “An avid tennis player herself, and a longtime supporter of Spartan Athletics with a history of transformational giving, Joan’s gift will positively impact the student-athletes in our tennis programs for years to come.”

Other agenda items

The board approved several other requests during the meeting, including:

• authorization to plan for Farm Lane road and utility reconstruction; and
• revisions to Board of Trustees policy 304, Course Courtesy Fee.

Last month, Board Chair Kelly Tebay appointed trustees to various board committees and liaison positions. Those assignments are in effect through Dec. 31, 2025.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting is April 11, 2025.