MSU AD Dan Bartholomae Academic & Athletic Excellence

Our student-athletes continued raising the bar for academic success too. Our student-athletes matched the highest graduation rate in department history and posted graduation success rates among the very best in the Big Ten. Topped a 3.5 cumulative GPA for the first time in department history. These students also continue to honor us through their supportive engagement in the community, which speaks to the character and dedication that represent Michigan State so well. The success is due to so many people who dedicate their time, their talent, their energy to this place. Many who are here today, I want to acknowledge as well our incredible staff, our coaches. You are lifelong mentors for our student-athletes and you put into this effort day in and day out. We owe a debt of gratitude to you as well. Special thanks to John Palumbo for serving as interim athletics director and for continuing to lead Spartan Ventures with a steady hand, a great vision, and a care for our people. John's leadership is creating new opportunities for the future of Spartan Athletics for our student-athletes and coaches and for that we are grateful, John. Thank you. College athletics today is in an especially dynamic state with evolving rules and economics that create new challenges for institutions to compete and to excel at the highest level. The future will certainly belong to those universities that embrace innovation while remaining grounded in their mission.