Hsu brings new energy, drive to VP position

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By Derek Blalock | Published 2 hours ago

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When longtime faculty member J. Ian Gray decided to retire last year, the search for his successor as the vice president of research and graduate studies began. In July, Stephen Hsu was appointed to succeed Gray by President Lou Anna K. Simon. The appointment was approved by the MSU Board of Trustees during a special board meeting that month.

With his first semester at MSU already half over, Hsu said he has been adjusting well to his new position. Gray, who will continue to be a consultant for the university until Jan. 1, 2013, said he has assisted Hsu through his first meetings and adapting to the daily workload.

?I?ve been familiarizing myself with the research programs here,? Hsu said. ?I?ve also been getting to know some of our roughly 2,000 faculty members.?

Although he did not choose who his successor would be, Gray was able to interview the candidates during the process and saw many positive things in his successor.

?He?s a quick learner, talented scientist (and has) a lot of energy and drive,? Gray said. ?(MSU wanted to) bring someone from the outside to bring in another viewpoint.?

Hsu graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1986, and received his master?s and Ph.D. in physics from University of California, Berkeley.

Prior to his appointment, Hsu was the director of the Institute for Theoretical Science and a professor of physics at the University of Oregon. He also founded two computer and information security companies, SafeWeb and Robot Genius.

Although Hsu was not actively looking for an administrative position while working in Oregon, he was contacted by a search firm about the position at MSU.

?MSU was looking for someone with a strong research background as well as experience in the private sector,? Hsu said. ?Since I?ve founded two Silicon Valley software companies, I?m a bit unusual among physics professors, and I fit the desired profile.?

Council of Graduate Students President Stefan Fletcher said he recently had the chance to meet Hsu in person and believes he will thrive in his new position.

?Dr. Hsu?s background and entrepreneurship is a good fit with the current research climate (at MSU),? Fletcher said. ?It?ll be interesting to see as he moves further in his tenure (and see) how to increase the (amount) of research money available at MSU.?

Hsu said many people at MSU have been helpful and welcoming during his first few months at MSU. He said finding time for his own research has been the toughest thing to adjust to, but is excited to help the university progress through the future.

?Currently, MSU is a top-100 research university in the world, and we hope to do even better,? Hsu said.

Gray ? who has been at MSU for almost 36 years ? said he will ease into retirement and will be finishing a book after ending his consulting at MSU, but still has the option to work with the food safety program and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on a part-time basis.

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Source: http://statenews.com/article/2012/10/hsu-brings-new-energy-drive-to-vp-position

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