March 24: MSU launches Remote Work Initiative

Dear Colleagues,

We can all acknowledge the significant challenges we have endured in the last year since the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed our lives. Arising to meet these challenges, we discovered significant new ways of working and utilizing technology to successfully deliver our mission. As President Stanley indicated, we are looking to the future and the reintegration of society and workplaces. While MSU will remain a residential campus, we must explore how to link these positive innovations with the traditional workplace successes to guide our future work.

During the next two months, we will collaboratively explore the most critical questions about the remote/hybrid workplace and provide a set of recommendations for senior university leadership through the Remote Work Initiative (RWI). Here you can view a high-level overview of the initiative, which identifies Executive Sponsors and Advisors, as well as the individuals who will serve as the initiative Team Leads. The Team Leads for the RWI are Dr. Sonja Fritzsche, Associate Dean for Faculty and Administration; Dr. Eric Hegg, Associate Dean for Budget, Planning and Research Administration; Sharri Margraves, Associate Director, MSU HR; Kathy Lewless, Director of Academic Human Resources; Jacob Lathrop, MSU HR internal consultant; and Barbara Forney, Assistant Dean for Administration.

We are finalizing additional participants from across the institution who will explore the opportunities, and thoroughly and expeditiously navigate the most pressing issues. The RWI will utilize other inputs developed over the past few months by various groups to reduce duplication. One such group is the Provost’s Taskforce on Campus Presence, which is working to provide — through the student lens — recommendations surrounding how we support the integration of student learning and the remote/hybrid workplace.

The RWI will reach out to you individually to confirm support and recommend any additional supplemental task forces/committees to address outstanding issues moving forward as we consider the full potential of the modern workplace. This initiative will require weekly effort and your support to move this important work forward. Should you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the RWI Team Leads.   

Sincerely,  

The Remote Work Initiative Team