Dean's Update
August 30, 2024 - Aron Sousa, MD
Friends,
In East Lansing, the surest harbinger of fall is the return of students to campus. There is no way to know fall is coming via the weather – we just escaped a heat dome with temps in the mid-nineties and high humidity. This particular fall season also brings the final runup to the election – a heat dome of a more metaphorical kind. By all means, be sure you are registered to vote.
Every election cycle is emotional and consequential, and this election season also coincides with a series of controversies about free speech and dissent on campuses across the country. We are proud of the advocacy of our faculty and students, but we want to be sure our folks treat each other well and follow the rules. Back on February 9 the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity sponsored a Town Hall on free speech and the rules and regulations around political activity on campus. With about ten weeks until the election, it is time to return to that topic. Our September 13 Town Hall will be on free speech, and I am delighted that the panel will include Professor Kristine Bowman, JD, PhD, associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Education, an international expert on free speech in higher education. The panel will also include Jerry Kooiman, assistant dean for external relations; Vic DiRita, PhD, chair of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology; and Lisa Lowery, our assistant dean for diversity and cultural initiatives.
Over the summer, the senior leaders in the university have put together resources to positively address free speech and dissent on campus. You might have caught President Guskiewicz’s excellent video on free speech and civil discourse on the MSUVote page I linked to above, but you can also find it with his community letter on civil discourse. The Office of the Provost has additional resources, as does an update of the MSU Freedom of Speech webpage with helpful FAQs on free speech, resources for students, political activity, protest, and social media.
Regardless of the how the election turns out, the college will retain its focus on engaging communities as partners and collaborators in the training of the next generation of scientists, physicians, and public health workers. That community focus is clearly on display this week in the “Mobilizers of Change.” Within those videos and stories you will find a lovely story and video from MSU Today about our founding Chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, Jennifer Johnson, PhD. It’s very much a story of the mutual dedication, commitment, and engagement between Jennifer and her community colleagues.
Jennifer and Carolina de Aguiar Ferreira, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Radiology and Pharmacology & Toxicology, are both “Spartans of Impact” in the university’s new brand campaign. Tune in to the Spartan Football game tonight on the Big Ten Network to see the first commercial. Kick off is at 7 pm.
Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to read the August MSU Med News I encourage you to watch the wonderful video recap of our White Coat Ceremony. You will see ABLE Graduate Bethany Russell (2:04), mother of five, who told us about her inspiring story at today’s Dean’s Town Hall.
Serving the people with you,
Aron
Aron Sousa, MD, FACP
Dean, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine