Plant and agricultural sciences have a rich history at MSU. To maintain our leadership, we must regularly plan for the faculty and resources to take us to the next level. The Plant Science Excellence Committee (PSEIV) was recently reengaged to develop a long-term plan. Now on the fourth iteration since 1998, the group's charter engages them to identify goals and determine the faculty, infrastructure and other support needs for the next 10 years.

Key goals of the committee:

• Establish a strategy for the MSU plant sciences to confront 21^st-century challenges, especially global climate change
• Identify key infrastructure that will be necessary for continued excellence in the MSU plant sciences
• Develop a strategy for faculty hiring in the plant sciences to improve DEI, enhance excellence, and achieve larger scientific and societal goals

The Plant Excellence Committee IV published a white paper in 2022 outlining their recommendations. These recommendations led to advocacy work with our state legislators netting support for greenhouse improvements and approval to move forward to plan a new plant and environmental sciences research facility.

The report also outlined faculty succession planning and the need for new recruitment efforts for graduate students, with both incorporating suggestions for enhanced diversity, equity and inclusion.

Members of the Plant Science Excellence IV (PSEIV) Committee:

Martin Chilvers, Associate Professor, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences

Jeff Conner, Professor, Department of Plant Biology, W.K. Kellogg Biological Center

Rebecca Grumet, Professor, Department of Horticulture

Polly Hsu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Sarah Lebeis, Assistant Professor. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Plant Resilience Institute

Tammy Long, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Biology

David Lowry, (Committee Chair), Associate Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Plant Resilience Institute

David Rothstein, Professor, Department of Forestry

Berkley Walker, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Biology, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory