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EAST LANSING, Mich. — At its Dec. 11 meeting, the MSU Board of Trustees offered President Lou Anna K. Simon a pay raise – a raise she turned down due to the university’s critical budget situation.

According to a resolution adopted by the board, Simon has provided the university with “strong and dedicated leadership,” which “merits a significant salary increase.”

Simon’s salary will remain at $520,000 annually, a salary that was established by the Board of Trustees in 2007.

In addition, the board removed the termination date from the president’s appointment. Under the resolution, both the president and the board would be required to give 60-day notice before the president departs from the presidency.

In other action:

• The board gave the administration the authority to proceed with construction of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (see story).
• The board gave the administration the authority to proceed with a major plant science expansion project. The $43.2 million project will include construction of a new plant sciences building, as well as renovations to the Plant Biology and Plant and Soil Sciences buildings.
• The board approved a resolution to name the new addition to the Life Sciences Building the Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research.
• The board accepted donations of two separate pieces of land – 2.14 acres of vacant land in the city of Kentwood, Mich., and 1,532 acres located in Clinton and Eaton counties.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.