EAST LANSING - EAST LANSING - At Michigan State University (MSU) a special meeting was held at the Hannah Administration Building on campus this morning and the Board of Trustees have selected their new President. Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. MD, a Seattle native with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Chicago. In 2009 Stanley was the President of Stony Brook University and has over 15 years experience of leadership with higher education.

Chairwomen of MSU Board Trustees Dianne Byrum said, "Dr. Stanley is an empowering, compassionate and thoughtful leader, who will work tirelessly alongside our students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and broader Spartan community to meet the challenges we face together and build our future."

Stanley spoke on what leadership means to him and told the press that were in attendance, "Leadership for someone that is accountable. That's very important so people can feel the administration is held accountable for their actions, and responsible for those actions and a safe campus and document the things together to make that safe campus. Earning trust from the community and that comes by aligning my words with my actions. I believe the campus culture changes in terms both the things I talked about with safety, but also in diversity inclusion inequity as well. I think those things are tied together in terms of when one thinks about respect. When one thinks of respecting other people in the community."

Dr. Stanley will be Michigan State University's 21st President and his term will officially begin on August 1, 2019.