Letter of Invitation

To Our MSU Colleagues and Students:

Help shape MSU’s international strategic directions by participating in a landmark discussion with Provost Kim Wilcox, intended to engage all members of the MSU community—faculty, staff, students, administrators, and visiting international scholars and professionals. Join us at Global Encounter—whether for an hour or all day—to help identify international priorities (countries and regions, partners, and programmatic themes) where MSU can have transformational impacts in the decades ahead. At this event you will have the opportunity to think collectively about MSU’s future leadership in international research, education, and outreach. Our goal is to generate fresh and diverse perspectives to integrate with other MSU initiatives to position MSU to be the premier world-grant institution of the 21st Century.

We are justifiably proud of our history of international engagement and our markers of success—the scope and depth of our study abroad programs, our record of international research and outreach, and our internationally-focused centers, institutes, and academic programs. With success, however, comes the challenge to examine current directions against future trends and needs. This is critical to expand our international reach and create a sustainable presence in the world, as called for in President Simon’s strategic plan, Boldness by Design.

Your input is key to charting MSU’s new global directions. Global Encounter is flexibly structured to accommodate participant input into one or more countries/regions. Participation is free, and snacks will be provided throughout the event. Although walk-ins are welcome, we urge you to register on-line at the Global Encounter Web site, which includes the schedule and key discussion questions. Persons registering by April 16 will receive complimentary lunches. In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to shape and implement the ideas that emerge from our April 20 session through smaller, campus-wide group dialogues focused on individual countries and world regions.

We look forward to seeing you at this agenda-setting event.

Contact: Dr. Debra L. Peterson (peter181@msu.edu), Assistant to the Dean, International Studies and Programs, 209 International Center, Michigan State University; phone, 355-2350; fax, 353-7254