Executive Bios - Vice Presidents
Fred L. Poston
Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer
412 Administration Building
(517) 355-5014
poston@vpfo.msu.edu
Fred Poston served as interim vice president for finance and operations for one year before being appointed vice president in December 1999. His responsibilities include oversight of athletics, business operations (contracts and grants, controller, mail, purchasing, stores, surplus), campus park and planning (grounds and planning), environmental safety, housing and food services, human resources, internal audit, investments and trusts (endowments), land management (including on- and off-campus properties), libraries, computing and technology, planning and budgets, police and public safety, physical plant, and the university physician.
With experience as an instructor, bench scientist, and administrator, Poston understands the land-grant principles necessary to the manage the multiple facets of MSU's finance office. Prior to his current position, Poston was vice provost and dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In that role, he guided the $74.2 million Revitalization of Michigan Animal Agriculture project to completion, created the $6.2 million Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs—a program to revitalize Michigan's plant agriculture industries), and developed the Partnership for Co-System Research and Management with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. He also oversaw the construction of seven new facilities and raised more than $47 million for the college.
Poston received his bachelor's degree from West Texas State University and his graduate degrees in entomology from Iowa State University.
J. Ian Gray
Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
232 Administration Building
(517) 355-0306
gray@msu.edu
Ian Gray began his tenure as vice president for research and graduate studies in September 2004. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing the research programs of the university, assessing research compliance, and enhancing the reputation of Michigan State University as a research-extensive university. He is strongly committed to President Simon's strategic research imperatives, particularly measuring research opportunities and expanding international reach through academic, research, and economic development initiatives and global, national and location strategic alliances. Gray's responsibilities include working with the graduate school to ensure the excellence of graduate research and training at MSU.
Gray, a food scientist expert in the formation of toxic compounds in foods resulting from processing and cooking, came to MSU in 1978 as an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition. Gray has been an active bench scientist with a body of research that contributes to safer, more healthful food, who also assists in developing Michigan products. He work has resulted in 170 scientific journal publications and 120 papers presented at scientific meetings, and involves many high-profile projects, including MSU's findings that tart cherries possess healthful antioxidant properties.
Gray became the associate director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) in 1988 and the director in 1996. MAES conducts strategic research to enhance agriculture, natural resources, families, and communities in Michigan. In that position, his primary responsibilities included managing the multistate research program, and developing and maintaining strong ties between MAES researchers and the state's commodity groups. He promoted multidisciplinary efforts to address problems identified in state assessments of Michigan agriculture and natural resources. Gray also worked to facilitate special U.S. Department of Agriculture grants on fruit quality, sustainable agriculture, and potato breeding and quality. Gray expanded the mission of MAES to include more research in the social science areas and helped bring the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center to MSU. Gray assumed the additional duties of interim vice provost in 1998 and assistant vice president for research and graduate studies in 2000.
Robert Groves
Vice President for University Advancement
300 Spartan Way
(517) 884-1008
grovesr@msu.edu
Robert (Bob) Groves began his tenure as vice president for university advancement on January 1, 2009. University Advancement was created in 2008 to integrate University Development and the MSU Alumni Association as a means to mobilize, channel, and serve effectively MSU’s alumni and donor constituencies around the globe. Alumni and friends advance the mission of the university through advocacy, student recruitment, career advice and placement, ambassadorship, and financial support.
Prior to his appointment at MSU, Groves was associate vice president and campaign director for University Development at the University of Michigan (U-M), a position he held since April 2004. He provided the day-to-day direction for U-M’s recent campaign, The Michigan Difference, which raised $3.2 billion and is believed to be the most successful fund-raising campaign ever at a public university.
Groves brings with him a valuable understanding of the Big Ten, the land-grant philosophy, and higher education. Prior to his U-M appointment, he was vice president for development at the Minnesota Medical Foundation at the University of Minnesota. He also was executive director of university development at Pennsylvania State University and has held similar fund-raising positions at Wright State University and at his alma mater, Ohio State University.
Steven M. Webster
Vice President for Governmental Affairs
412 Administration Building
(517) 355-5014
websters@msu.edu
Steven Webster has served as the vice president for governmental affairs (VPGA) at Michigan State University since 1995. Governmental affairs is responsible for advancing the strategic interests of MSU through government relations on the community, local, state, and federal levels. Additionally, this office has the important and growing responsibility of encouraging the economic growth of Michigan and the greater Lansing region through strategic partnerships linking university, government, nonprofits, and business assets. Webster is responsible for relationships between MSU administrators and faculty and local, state, and federal government policymakers; he also functions as the university lobbyist on the state level. Webster's recent projects include the formation of the Michigan University Research Corridor (URC), the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), and the Prima Civitas Foundation.
Steven Webster brings experience from both legislative and academic settings to fostering the relationship between government and the university. Before coming to MSU, he served for 14 years as a fiscal analyst in the Michigan House of Representatives, House Fiscal Agency. As associate director of the House Fiscal Agency, he guided the appropriations of many state agencies and programs. Further, Webster is involved in many organizations that foster community relationships and forge future opportunities for MSU, including the President's Council, State Universities of Michigan; the Michigan University Research Corridor steering group; Prima Civitas Foundation's board of directors; the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP); and the Capital Region Community Foundation's board of directors.
Webster earned his B.A. from James Madison College in political science and economics and an MBA in finance from Michigan State University.
Lee N. June
Vice President for Student Affairs and Services
153 Administration Building
(517) 355-2264
leejune@msu.edu
Lee June has served Michigan State University as vice president for Student Affairs and Services since 1996 while concurrently serving as associate provost for Academic Student Services and Multicultural Issues. His responsibilities include:
- Student Life
- Residence Life
- the Counseling Center
- Intramural Sports and Recreative Services
- Career Services and Placement
- the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement
- the Student Services Development Office
- the Lesbian, Bi, Gay, Transgender Resource Center
- Educational and Support Services, which includes Family Resources.
Prior to his appointment as vice president, June was the director of MSU's Counseling Center. He is also a professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education in the College of Education. His research focuses on the art and science of effective service delivery, career development, brief focused counseling, multicultural counseling, and the psychology of the black church. He has also investigated factors affecting persistence and graduation rates; racial and ethnic identity formation; methods of reducing the length of therapy; religion and its effects on attitudes and behaviors; and effective models and methods of clinical and counseling service delivery.
June earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
John Hudzik
Vice President for Global Engagement and Strategic Projects
216 Administration Building
(517) 432-1001
hudzik@msu.edu
John Hudzik has served as MSU's vice president for Global Engagement and Strategic Projects since January 2006.
Hudzik, who previously served as the dean of MSU's International Studies and Programs (ISP) from 1998'2004, has had a long academic career at MSU, having begun teaching in 1974 in the School of Criminal Justice. Additionally, he served as assistant dean for special projects and lifelong education in the College of Social Science and as the college's associate dean for finance and personnel. In 1987, he earned a Fulbright Award that took him to Australia to study that nation's criminal justice system. He served as ISP's acting dean from 1995-98 and as its dean from 1998-2004. He served MSU as acting provost from 2004-2005.
Hudzik's research interests include organizational and system planning, budgeting, and personnel administration. He is a leading international expert in court administration, especially financial management and strategic planning, and in continuing judicial education for judges and court system personnel. Hudzik earned three degrees from MSU: a bachelor of arts in economics, history and political science (1966); a master's in political science (1968); and a doctorate in political science (1971).
Robert A. Noto
General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs
494 Administration Building
(517) 353-3530
notor@msu.edu
Robert Noto has been the vice president for legal affairs and the general counsel at Michigan State University since April 1995. The Office of the General Counsel handles or supervises all legal work for the university, including litigation. The university usually has approximately 40 matters in litigation, of which the Office of the General Counsel handles about half in-house. The Office of the General Counsel selects and oversees all outside counsel providing legal services to the university.
Before coming to MSU, Noto worked for 15 years in the Office of Legal Counsel at New York University, last serving as associate general counsel and deputy secretary to NYU's Board of Trustees. Noto was also adjunct associate professor in NYU's School of Education, where he taught higher education and the law. Noto is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Terry Denbow
Vice President for University Relations
405 Olds Hall
(517) 355-2262
denbow@msu.edu
Terry Denbow has been vice president for University Relations since 1992, having previously served MSU as the director of public relations (1982-1985) and the assistant vice president for University Relations (1985-1992). University Relations comprises the Offices of Public Relations, Media Communications, Marketing and Creative Services, Print and Digital Communications, and Sports Information. As vice president, Denbow is the advisor and counselor to the CEO, the MSU Board of Trustees, and administrators on public relations and policy communications issues. He is also a visible and consistent advocate for the mission, policies, and practices of Michigan State University.
Denbow came to MSU after serving as Director of University Relations at the University of Alabama. Prior to that, he served in the News Bureau at Pennsylvania State University. He has served as the chief public relations officer in eight presidential administrations at Michigan State and Alabama. He is a frequent speaker on issues management, crisis communication, and the role of a communications office in helping to create, support, and promote the identity, image, and reputation of a college or university.
Denbow, a Vietnam veteran, received his B.A. in journalism from George Washington University, which he attended on a tennis scholarship, and his M.A. in journalism from Penn State.