June 14, 2024
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Dear Spartans,
With the pending transition of Dr. Norman Beauchamp to Georgetown University as Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, I write today with updates on MSU’s structure to support our excellent and growing focus on our health sciences leadership. As the only Big Ten university home to two nationally recognized schools of medicine and one school of nursing, and as we continue to advance our commitment to excellence in education, research, and community engagement in healthcare, It is imperative that we have a strategic structure. that support our programs. This structure not only supports our academic and research objectives, but also strengthens our external partnerships and business strategies.
When the current Executive Vice President of Health Sciences was created in 2019, it unlocked important synergies between our three human health schools and provided, in part, a framework to pursue bold new partnerships like the one we now enjoy with Henry Ford Health, along with our continued relationships with Corewell Health, McLaren, Sparrow and many others across the state. At the same time, there are key academic and research components within our health schools that benefit from greater alignment with the university’s traditional academic structure. Times of transition provide an opportunity to evaluate our structures to ensure we maximize our strengths and the opportunities ahead.
Given the complexity of modern healthcare, both internally at the university and in relation to external partners, I also believe it is vital not to rush a final decision on long-term structures into a condensed time frame. Therefore, a modified Health Sciences structure will be followed for the next six months as detailed below.
Beginning July 1, 2024, the faculties of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, and Nursing will report through the Office of the Provost instead of the Office of Health Sciences. Norm Hubbard will be promoted to Senior Vice President of Health Sciences and will report directly to me. Norm will be responsible for our faculty-led clinical operations, MSU Health Care, external clinical partnerships and Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences. College of Human Medicine Dean Aron Sousa will assume the additional title of executive dean and will be responsible, under the direction of the provost, for overseeing and coordinating the three health colleges. Norm and Aron will collaborate and coordinate closely to ensure alignment between our academic mission and external relationships. They will jointly oversee the Health Sciences Office and work closely with College of Nursing Dean Leigh Small and College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Joyce deJong to establish a Health Sciences Council to explore , plan and develop opportunities to advance the university’s collective efforts in teaching. and research. The council will support collaboration on interprofessional curriculum and education and develop a strategy to improve our performance in biomedical and public health research.
The Board of Directors will review these positions at the June 28 public meeting. This multifaceted approach ensures that our students receive the highest quality education, preparing them for the dynamic demands of the healthcare industry. The role of the executive dean recognizes the value and synergy between the three health colleges in coordinating efforts and keeps all MSU academic programs aligned under the Office of the Provost. As Senior Vice President of Health Sciences, Norm will complement our academic work with a focus on strategic partners, enhancing the reach and impact of our programs. These partnerships are essential to providing students with internships, residency and job placement opportunities, as well as securing external funding and resources for research and development. By collaborating with external partners, we are maximizing opportunities for collaborative research, technological advances and innovative healthcare solutions. This ensures our MSU programs remain at the forefront of healthcare trends and technologies.
Collaboration between the Office of the Provost, the executive dean, and the senior vice president for Health Sciences will be critical to our collective success. This coordination ensures that our health sciences programs are academically sound as well as practically relevant and economically viable. Working together, we will leverage academic excellence and strategic partnerships to create a holistic and impactful healthcare educational ecosystem.
Our commitment to improving education and healthcare services is unwavering, and I know that both Senior Vice President Hubbard and Executive Dean Sousa share that mission and commitment and will continue the excellent work started by Norm Beauchamp. Although additional questions will surely arise as a different structure comes into effect during this interim period, I have every confidence that our faculty, staff, and deans of the schools of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, and Nursing will look to a bright future and work as partners. among ourselves and with myself and with Interim Chancellor Thomas Jeitschko to ensure the collective success of Health Sciences at MSU. At the same time, I will continue to work with each of them and continue to listen to feedback and input from a cross-section of stakeholders as final decisions are made on the most effective long-term structure within the next six months.
Thank you for your dedication and support as we embark on this exciting journey. I look forward to working closely with Norm Hubbard, Aron Sousa and the entire MSU Health Sciences team as we look to the future. And please join me again in thanking Dr. Beauchamp, a dedicated Spartan, for his commitment to MSU as he finishes his remaining weeks of college.
Sincerely,
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Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
President
Professor, Department of Kinesiology
