Michigan State University President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., today joined with experts in assault prevention, crisis response and institutional health — three of whom are also survivors of abuse — to announce plans for an institutional assessment and responsive action that will be shaped by input from the survivor community.
“At Michigan State University, it is our responsibility to acknowledge our history and seek opportunities for healing through our commitment to continuous improvement,” said Guskiewicz. “To that end, we are partnering with experts who are professionals in their respective fields to identify a firm to perform an institutional assessment of our culture, structure and policies. This assessment is an opportunity to embark on a journey of historical accountability; recognize progress in prevention, support, reporting and response efforts, ensuring future policies are informed by best practices; and identify additional areas for growth and improvement.”
MSU has established a Collaborative Advisory Board consisting of Andrea Munford; Rebecca Campbell, Ph.D.; Rachael Denhollander, JD; Sterling Riethman; and Trinea Gonczar. The board will oversee the structure and implementation of this process in collaboration with survivors and stakeholders. The first step in this process will be to open trauma-informed channels of communication to ensure intensive collaboration and that every voice has a seat at the table. The board will also develop criteria for a request for proposal, or RFP, process to identify an independent firm to perform an institutional assessment of the university’s structure, policies and culture.
The Collaborative Advisory Board will review proposals, interview prospective firms and ultimately provide a recommendation to the university president of the firm best suited to meet the identified objectives. Once a firm is selected, the board will set the scope and parameters of the process and provide supervisory input over the assessment, while seeking input from the broader survivor community to create trauma-informed pathways for survivor engagement.
Survivors and advocates have long called for a role in securing meaningful historical accountability and comprehensive diagnostics from MSU. This effort by the Collaborative Advisory Board is separate and distinct from previous efforts undertaken by the university. Overall, the goals of the institutional assessment and responsive action process will be to:
ensure historical accountability by acknowledging past institutional failures and assessing corrective actions;
provide a benchmark for progress, allowing the university to independently verify improvements;
identify gaps in prevention, support, reporting and response efforts, and put forth recommended actions that are informed by survivor-centered best practices.
The Collaborative Advisory Board will seek input from the greater survivor community and stakeholders to help inform firm selection and structure the goals of the assessment, as well as consider avenues for safe survivor engagement in the responsive action process once the assessment is complete.
“I am deeply encouraged by the steps Michigan State University and its leadership are taking today,” said Rachael Denhollander. “After years of working in institutional health, crisis response and victim care, it is profoundly meaningful to be able to engage in this capacity on a project and with a team with such personal significance.
“Eight years is a long time to wait for these processes, but my hope is that the steps taken today, and in the days that follow, serve to remind us all that it is never too late to do what is right. It is never too late for leadership to choose a fully new direction. Growth is a process which is critical to personal and community flourishing — a process that takes courage and integrity to both begin and follow through, but it is a process we should never be afraid to engage in together, knowing that all of us, daily, must seek to learn and grow.
“My hope is that the processes we establish, in the years to come, will serve as both a model and a challenge for other institutions, to swiftly take the steps necessary in trauma-informed, survivor-centered self-assessment and growth. The heartbeat of every survivor I have ever worked with is to do their utmost to ensure those who come after them do not endure what they have endured. This type of process is the foundational first step, and I am profoundly grateful to be beginning this process with MSU today,” said Denhollander.
“Embracing this initiative with a sense of curiosity, not judgement, takes great courage, and I’m so grateful to MSU leadership for their willingness to do exactly that,” said Sterling Riethman. “I’m looking forward to this collaborative effort to listen, learn and, ultimately, work toward a better future, together.”
“As a survivor, I know firsthand the pain that can come when institutions fail to protect, listen or respond with integrity,” said Trinea Gonczar. “For too long, systems designed to serve us — whether in education, health care, justice or social services — have remained silent or complicit in the face of harm. But I also know the power that comes when survivors, advocates and allies come together — not just to demand change, but to cocreate it.
“Working with survivors of sexual violence for the last seven years has taught me that teaming together for institutional transformation means more than making room for survivors at the table. It means sharing power. It means institutions listening deeply, taking accountability, and shifting their practices, policies and cultures to center safety, healing and justice. Transformation is not just a goal; it is a collective responsibility — one that requires courage, honesty and action.
“I stand not only for my own story, but for all those who have yet to be heard. We do not heal alone, and we do not change institutions alone. But together, we can build systems that no longer reproduce harm — systems worthy of our trust. Today, we come together as a team to help navigate the forward-facing collective of MSU and the Collaborative Advisory Board as a joined unit to make sure change is the future of the narrative moving forward,” said Gonczar.
The Collaborative Advisory Board will work over the next several weeks to engage with survivors and stakeholders to develop guidelines and objectives for the assessment process. MSU leadership and the Collaborative Advisory Board are committed to prioritizing regular communication to keep stakeholders apprised of progress throughout the process.
Participation by survivors, students, faculty and staff will be the cornerstone of the institutional assessment and responsive action. Additionally, awareness efforts will extend to family members of survivors, advocacy groups, alumni, lawmakers and the public to ensure transparency and accountability.
The length of the assessment and the timeline for launch and completion will be outlined following the firm’s selection. Options for participation may include surveys, focus groups, town halls, direct feedback channels and other platforms.
The university’s ongoing efforts to address relationship violence and sexual misconduct will be objectively evaluated as part of the institutional assessment and responsive action process to effectively identify areas for improvement and to provide the university with concrete guidance for how to move forward in positive and survivor-centered ways.
“This is an opportunity for the institution to truly assess the impact of past responses to relationship violence and sexual misconduct, to determine where we are in the present, and to guide our actions for the future,” said Andrea Munford.
“It is important to directly engage survivors and all those who have been impacted by relationship violence and sexual misconduct,” said Rebecca Campbell. “I welcome this opportunity to partner with this incredible group of professionals to listen and learn and create a path forward for MSU.”
Information regarding the process for firm selection, biographies of the Collaborative Advisory Board members, additional background and continued updates are available at the Institutional Assessment web page on Michigan State University’s website dedicated to this assessment and responsive action.