Democrat Joel Ferguson has been re-elected Chairman of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.
The Vice Chairman will be Republican Brian Breslin. The board held a Friday afternoon meeting to elect officers for 2013.
Ferguson says he’s happy with the show of bipartisanship. In the last term, the Vice Chairman was Melanie Foster, also a republican.
“We’re elected in a partisan way, but it’s very important that we don’t have a partisan divide," Ferguson says. "And so, by having someone from the other party in leadership sends that signal across the state of Michigan. That’s who we are."
Trustees also approved the appointment of Acting Provost June Youatt. Provost Kim Wilcox has resigned, though his resignation doesn’t take effect until this summer.