The first full week of 2008 saw the return of students for the semester and the first visit of the consultants assisting with the H&FS Strategic Planning Process.  A team of six consultants arrived the evening of January 7th to begin an intense two days of facility tours, town hall meetings and visioning sessions.  Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company CEO Jane Wright brought her team of Stephen Wright, Jean Sleeman, and Christopher Charles, as well as Rob White and Claudia Scotty from Envision Strategies.

Facilities toured included the Kellogg Center, the Breslin Center, the International Center and the resident halls of Yakeley, Brody, Rather, Butterfield, Snyder/Phillips and Owen.  The Town Hall Meetings and the majority of visioning sessions were held at the MSU Union.

Nearly 300 staff members attended the Town Hall Meetings on January 9th.  At the Town Hall Meetings, Jane Wright and Rob White presented national trends occurring on college campuses throughout the country.  A key point stressed during the meeting was that the final H&FS Strategic Plan would be unique to MSU because of its size and diversity.

The consultants also interviewed Kim Wilcox, Provost and Fred Poston, Vice President for Finance and Operations.  Numerous visioning sessions were held with representatives from Housing & Food Service, Residence Life, Kellogg Center, MSU Union, CMID, Information Systems, HR, Marketing, and Auxiliary Services, along with volunteers who signed up on the Strategic Planning Website. 

The consultants returned to MSU on February 27th and 28th.  More staff discussions and facility tours took place.  Thank you to all who made this visit a success, especially the staff at Kellogg Center, MSU Union and The Gallery at Snyder/Phillips.