Kevin M. Guskiewicz began his tenure as Michigan State University’s 22nd president on Monday, March 4, by honoring and celebrating the accomplishments of some of the university’s most outstanding faculty at the 2024 MSU Investiture for Endowed Faculty.
On his first day at MSU, Guskiewicz and hundreds of guests attended the investiture of the 2024 class of endowed chairs, endowed professors and MSU Research Foundation Professors to honor those faculty and the donors who support the esteemed positions. These 38 faculty lead MSU in its commitment to academic excellence and innovation.
“At Michigan State, we are building a culture that celebrates and rewards faculty achievements and builds a community of bright minds, crossing disciplines and departments,” Guskiewicz said. “Our faculty are not only doing incredibly impactful work in areas of great need and opportunity but also providing mentorship and inspiration to the next generation.”
Faculty are recognized as endowed professors through their leadership in their classrooms and their respective field and for their growing body of research.
Through resources to help fund and build their research, these faculty grow collaborative networks and deliver to students a rich classroom experience in the topics they specialize in.
The honor of endowed and named chairs are awarded to faculty members with significant experience and accomplishments, a network of collaborators and an extensive body of research. Endowed chairs receive private funding, and named chairs receive grants allowing them to further their work, publish findings, travel to conferences and provide research experiences for promising students. The work of endowed chairs and named chairs helps MSU maintain its standing as a leader among other universities and research institutions around the world.
For more coverage of MSU Investiture, check out the story from MSUToday's website.
11 Engineering endowed faculty honored
There were 11 faculty members from the College of Engineering recognized at Investiture for their outstanding accomplishments. This elite group included Martin J. VanDerPloeg Professor Arun Ross of the college's Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Ross spoke at the event on behalf of all endowed faculty members and expressed his gratitude for the kindness of donors who believe in the advancement of higher education.
"On behalf of all endowed professors, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for this recognition and the opportunity to reflect on the significance of this moment," Ross said. "It's a moment that would not have been possible but for the generosity of the donors whose philanthropic gesture deserves acknowledgement and applause."
Other College of Engineering faculty members honored:
Michael Hickner
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Craig A. Rogerson Endowed Professor in Chemical Engineering
Zhaojian Li
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Red Cedar Distinguished Professor
Xiaoming Liu
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Anil K. and Nandita K. Jain Endowed Professor
Ranjan Mukherjee
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Martin J. VanDerPloeg Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering
Hayder Radha
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
MSU Research Foundation Professor
Sara Roccabianca
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Marvin L. VanDerPloeg Endowed Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
Jiliang Tang
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
MSU Foundation Professor
Minami Yoda
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Red Cedar Distinguished Professor
Alexandra Zevalkink
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
C. Robert and Kathryn M. Weir Endowed Professor
Kurt R. Zinn
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Human Medicine
Hickman Family Endowed Chair in Oncology
Story courtesy of Mark Johnson, University Communications, and Eric Lacy, lacyeric@msu.edu. See more at the Engineering Media and Public Relations page.