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EAST LANSING, MI - Democrats seek to hold a 5-3 majority on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. A pair of Republicans seek to draw even on Nov. 8.

There are seven candidates running for the two open seats decided by statewide voters in the Nov. 8 general election.

Democrat Renee Knake Jefferson is the lone incumbent running, as she seeks to defend the seat that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed her to in December 2019 to replace former Henry Ford Health Systems CEO Nancy Schlichting.

Incumbent Republican Melanie Foster is not running for reelection.

Jefferson, a professor of law at University of Houston, is joined by small business owner and former Michigan State Legislature staffer Dennis Deno on the Democratic ticket. Denos firm Deno Research works on political and marketing analysis.

The Republican ticket consists of commercial real estate broker and former U.S. Navy officer Mike Balow, as well as orthopedic surgeon Travis Menge.

Retired Michigan Department of Health and Human Services worker Claranna Gelinau and former Muskegon County public school teacher Max Rieske are running as Libertarians. Robin Lea Laurain is running for the Green Party.

Click here: 2022 Michigan voter guide by MLive and the League of Women Voters

MLive/The Ann Arbor News partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues, with the contested races listed below.

Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

An sign at one edge of the Michigan State University campus on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 in East Lansing. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | Mlive.com

Describe your qualifications and the skills and experience you bring to the position. Why do you want to serve on this university board?

Jefferson: Governor Whitmer appointed me to the MSU Board of Trustees in 2019. She chose me based on my expertise as an attorney and professor in legal ethics and gender equity. I served on the MSU law faculty for a decade from 2006-16, and continue to reside in East Lansing. My husband and step-son are proud Spartan graduates. I believe education should be affordable, accessible, and inclusive. I value academic freedom, campus safety/healing, civility, diversity, equity, respect, sustainability and transparency. I have been a champion of change to further these values at Michigan State, and hope to continue my efforts for the next eight years.

Balow: I have been in business for over 20 years and also had a wonderful experience serving as a U.S. Naval Officer for seven years at locations around the globe. The leadership skills and perseverance I learned in this position were invaluable toward my development as a leader and manager. I was raised in a very middle-class household, and I have never forgotten where Ive come from, which helps me relate to people from all sorts of socioeconomic backgrounds. I will put the core educational needs of our young men and women first and foremost, and everything else second. I am the only candidate who has a son or daughter who also attends MSU.

Deno: As a small business owner, former staffer in the Michigan legislature, MSU graduate and someone who lives a mile from campus, I see the positives and negatives of MSU Board of Trustees decisions. To get anything done, Trustees must put politics aside and build a consensus and also ask how their decisions affect the MSU community and the entire state. The number one job of the MSU Board is to serve as the fiduciary agent for our tax dollars and I want to use my business and political experience and community relations to ensure that MSUs budget reflects our priorities.

Menge: My healthcare leadership experience makes me uniquely qualified to successfully guide MSU through unexpected challenges, such as the COVID pandemic and Larry Nassar Scandal. Additionally, up to 15-20% of the annual budget ($1.4 Billion) at MSU is related to medical education, health sciences, and research. The MSU Trustees provide supervision over the university and its funds, but do not have a member with healthcare experience when addressing these issues. I received a scholarship to attend MSU, and want to utilize my experience to give back and serve the university that has provided so much to me. Go Green!

What are the two most pressing issues facing this university today, and what is your position on those issues?

Balow: There are more than two pressing issues facing MSU today. As Ive stated, weve priced college out of many families budgets, students are graduating with too much debt, and they are on campuses which arent always focused on getting them through with a meaningful degree in four years. Universities are wonderful places of research as well, but we must always be mindful of their core mission: educating our young men and women and making them productive citizens of this great country. If students are graduating and have difficulty finding employment and paying back their loans, thats a fail.

Jefferson: There are several issues that I would rank as the most pressing for MSU today. Priorities for me include: (1) enhanced accountability and transparency in Board governance; (2) meaningful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; (3) improved campus safety and healing, especially for survivors of sexual violence and misconduct; (4) affordable tuition and living costs, in particular for in-state students; and (5) increased educational and economic opportunities for all 83 of Michigans counties through MSUs Extension Program.

Menge: Higher education and healthcare share many similar issues. I believe two of the most pressing issues facing MSU are the value of education offered and accessibility for students.Many people simply talk about cost, but I believe improving the value of education is more important. Value takes into account both the cost AND quality. I want to make high quality education affordable and lower costs, thereby offering the best value to students.Accessibility is also an issue facing students across Michigan. I want to ensure students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to obtain a world class education at Michigan State University.

Deno: Transparency and safety. As a public body, the MSU Board must be more transparent with their decisions and budget process. The other big concern is safety--do our students, employees, and guests feel safe on campus? Is MSU a safe place for everyone? If students do not feel safe then they will not succeed academically, and if employees do not feel safe then they will not stay at MSU.

What would you recommend to make university education more accessible to all Michigans residents?

Deno: Every candidate is going to say that they are going to fight to lower tuition, but we all know that they cant, thanks to cuts from the federal and state government. I would first like to examine our budget and see where our finances are coming from and going and if there are cost savings. More grant money would be great, but also increasing all salaries on campus to $15 an hour would help students pay their bills.

Menge: Improving accessibility to a high quality education at MSU is very important to me. I grew up on a cattle ranch in northwestern Colorado, and attended high school in a rural Wyoming town of less than 400 people. Without the scholarship I received to Michigan State, I never could have dreamed of (or afforded) to come to Michigan and attend school at MSU.I will work to ensure opportunities are available for Michigan students from every background to earn both merit-based and needs-based scholarships. We need to leverage our corporate and industry partnerships to further expand funding sources, and make better use of our taxpayer dollars.

Jefferson: Making education truly accessible to all Michigan residents requires more than keeping tuition affordable, though that is important. Pipeline programs starting in elementary school and extending through high school are essential to helping our youngest residents access higher education. MSU does this through the Extension program and other outreach efforts, but more can and should be done to help make university education a realistic option for anyone who wants to pursue it. In addition to K-12 pipeline programs, I recommend targeted outreach to first-generation university students and special support for them as they enter higher education.

Balow: In order to make university education more accessible to all Michigan students, I would focus on cost and outcomes. First, any student who would like to attend MSU, and is qualified, should be able to attend and graduate with minimal debt. Some debt is fine, but graduating with a mortgage payment is not acceptable, and probably dissuades some from getting a college degree. I would also strengthen partnerships with community colleges, trade schools, and certificate programs, so that credits are easily transferred in, should a student want to transfer to MSU.

Read more from MLive:

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Democrats seek to keep slim majority in Michigan State Board of Trustees election. Heres whos running. - MLive.com