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.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page