One Team. One Health. One Healthy World.
Dear Colleagues,
As co-chairs of the One Health Council, we are excited to share an update on the growing momentum behind MSU’s One Team, One Health initiative. Since convening, the Council and its four task forces have met regularly, engaging in thoughtful, forward-looking conversations grounded in data, accreditation standards, workforce trends, and community needs.
This work goes beyond addressing today’s challenges—it is about shaping the land-grant university of the future. Our discussions have reaffirmed that Michigan State University is uniquely positioned to lead at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. We’re focused on how we translate MSU’s world-class educational, research, outreach, and clinical missions into applied solutions, strengthening partnerships with industry, government, and communities across Michigan and beyond.
These conversations informed four emerging opportunities:
These opportunities reflect the extraordinary breadth of expertise across MSU’s colleges and units—from the life and physical sciences, veterinary medicine, and agriculture, to the social sciences, education, communication, policy, and systems-based innovation. Turning these ideas into impact would require us to work across disciplines, leverage our statewide extension footprint, and bring together innovation with implementation.
Importantly, as we explore new structures and programs, we are also focused on how this work may expand educational access, create meaningful work-based learning opportunities, and enable student success. The land-grant university of the future must not only generate knowledge – but also translate it into thriving careers and healthier communities.
Task forces are also exploring three bold ideas – a unified medical school, the creation of MSU’s first College of Health Professions, and new models for interdisciplinary One Health research. These teams, in collaboration with the accreditation task force, are evaluating feasibility, identifying accreditation pathways, refining partnership models, and developing strategies for workforce and community engagement. We have significant work ahead to determine whether these directions are viable, and any future steps will be shaped by rigorous analysis and broad community input.
As the work progresses, we encourage you to review these emerging opportunities and share your feedback and ideas. We want to hear directly from you - collective input from across our campus will help us chart the strongest, most inclusive path forward.
At its core, One Team, One Health at MSU is not just an initiative—it is a university-wide commitment to bringing people, disciplines, and communities together to solve the most pressing health challenges of our time.
Because Spartans don’t just study problems. We solve them.
Sincerely,
Kim Dodd and Norm Hubbard, Co-Chairs of the One Health Council