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MSU Music alum, donor, and member of the College’s National Leadership Council Dr. Kim Kleasen.
Two new endowed funds now exist at Michigan State University thanks to the thoughtfulness and generosity of College of Music alum Kim Kleasen and her husband, Glenn Thomas, and one of them is providing exceptional support for Music students exploring creative career paths.
Their gifts established the Dr. Kimberlynn J. Kleasen and Glenn S. Thomas Student Success Fund, which helps students facing financial hardship remain enrolled at MSU, and the Kleasen-Thomas Music Entrepreneurship and Career Education Fund, which supports experiential learning and entrepreneurial initiatives specifically in the College of Music.
The couple’s generosity reflects their belief in the power of music study to shape lives and careers. Its support of the College of Music’s Running Start program is especially meaningful as it helps students develop the skills and confidence to build sustainable careers in music.
“Experiential learning lies at the heart of the discipline of music. Just as we refine our artistry through practice, the broader skills and understandings we develop as musicians are most effectively cultivated through hands-on, immersive experiences,” said Emily Henley, director of career education and entrepreneurship for the College of Music. “With the help of this endowment, the Running Start office will support paid, high-quality internships for music students at major arts organizations across Michigan and beyond.”
Henley said the endowment will also boost prizes for the annual Running Start Competition as well as future initiatives including immersive career treks to major cities.
Glenn Thomas and Kim Kleasen have funded, among many other gifts to MSU, a new endowment in support of student entrepreneurial initiatives in the College of Music. Kim’s ability to recognize the ways in which her music training benefitted her interests and success in corporate life is part of what led to the generous gift.
“In places like New York, students connect with industry professionals and explore the broader music landscape. We cannot thank Kim and Glenn enough for the support to make these co-curricular, skill building opportunities available to MSU Music students,” Henley said.
Kim Kleasen’s own journey is a testament to the value of entrepreneurial thinking in music. A 1979 graduate of MSU’s music therapy program, Kim chose Michigan State for its strong music program and the opportunities a large university could offer beyond the classroom. She studied flute with Professor Israel Borouchoff, performed in ensembles, sang in choirs, and was active in Sigma Alpha Iota and Delta Gamma.
After practicing music therapy in Milwaukee, a move to Charleston, West Virginia, led her to consider a new direction. She decided to pursue a master’s degree in hospital administration but received advice to consider an MBA for its broader applications.
Top: MSU Federal Credit Union is a major sponsor of the College of Music Running Start Competition. President and CEO April Clobes (left) and Music’s Director of Career Education and Music Entrepreneurship Emily Henley (right) present MSU piano undergraduate Amy Wang with her second place certificate which also earned her the Kleasen Prize at the 2025 Running Start Competition. Bottom: Want presents her project called InstruMentor to help busy musicians develop personalized practice plans. She continuing to develop the idea after earning funding from the competition.
“At first I thought that an MBA would not be a good fit because of my artistic and therapy training. I wasn’t sure about business classes such as economics and finance” Kim said.
However, the flexibility of an MBA was appealing, so Kim decided to go for it. During her first semester, she took a class that changed everything.
“I sat in an organizational behavior class and absorbed all the things it included around group process and group work, teamwork, and coaching relative to organizations, and I realized those are all the same principles and processes and work that I learned as a therapist. So, I began to think that there might be a niche for me,” she explained.
Kim completed her MBA with a focus on qualitative research in organizational contexts and began working on the administrative side of a large medical center in Charleston, WV. That experience led to a long and fulfilling career at Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey, where she specialized in team and leadership development, coaching, and later, the people implications of mergers and acquisitions.
“What I found is that I was using my skills as a musician and therapist that were very transferable, and I was enjoying what I did and remaining in healthcare,” she said.
Kim also earned a doctorate in education in organizational change from Pepperdine University, further deepening her expertise in leadership and development. Throughout her corporate career, music remained a constant. She performed at Johnson & Johnson board meetings and retirement events, becoming the unofficial flute player. To this day, she continues flute studies, performs in concerts, and sings in church choir and a symphonic chorus.
In her post-corporate chapter, Kim launched Art of Faithfulness™, a program that uses creative arts as a pathway to faith, purpose, and expression. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, near where Kim and Glenn live, the initiative has grown into a meaningful outlet for her lifelong passion for music and service.
Glenn continues to follow a music passion of his own. Ten years retired from a career in the financial services industry, he devotes time to his lifelong fascination with specialized types of antique automated musical instruments. His collection, many of which are rare or unique, is the largest in New Jersey and in the top three in the Eastern United States.
Kim Kleasen continues flute studies, performs in concerts, and sings in church choir and a symphonic chorus.
“I have 25 pneumatically controlled instruments, many of which do not exist in other private collections,” Glenn explained, “and I find myself running parties where I am able to demonstrate them to people who mostly have never seen them while raising money for organizations we love.”
While some of them may work similarly to a player piano, Glenn said that a closer example is perhaps the instruments that play music on carousels called band organs. It is a passion that began in childhood and grew through visits to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. He has mentored students interested in these instruments and served as a leader in AMICA (Automated Music Instrument Collectors Association), where he edited their journal and planned national conventions.
Kim and Glenn’s shared interests in music and education led them to support MSU in increasingly meaningful ways. Kim’s giving began with a modest gift of $10 several years after graduation, and it grew over time to include the creation of multiple scholarships and funds. She joined the College of Music’s National Leadership Council in Spring 2025, and Glenn was impressed after his first visit to campus.
“That was my first trip up there, and I was awed by many things that I saw,” Glenn said. “My interest in spending time there has been augmented as a result, and I want to go back because I had a tremendously positive experience.”
Their latest gift creating the Kleasen-Thomas Music Entrepreneurship and Career Education Fund builds on their support of the College’s Running Start program, which Kim has engaged with as a judge for its annual competition. She’s inspired by MSU Music student ability and ambition.
“Music students at MSU are so talented. The projects they do are amazing, and the ability for them to explore what’s possible with music and build a career they can grow into is very practical,” she said. “It could be recording, arts administration, how to be a leader in pulling collaborative groups together, or any number of things that can bring joy and also generate income.”
Kim believes in the wisdom of creating endowed funds like those she and Glenn created because they can continue to grow and provide the College flexibility to meet students’ evolving needs.
“Working with Running Start might lead students to find something really compelling for them,” Kim said. “Maybe it doesn’t appear until a few years after they’ve left Michigan State, and that’s okay, too, because it becomes part of their foundation.”
Amy Wang, an undergraduate majoring in piano performance, placed second in the 2025 Running Start Competition. She earned the Kleasen Prize and has continued making progress with her project InstruMentor which is designed to help busy musicians by creating personalized practice plans.
“Thanks to Kim and Glenn’s generosity,” Amy said, “I’ve grown from musician to founder, bringing me closer to my long-term goal of using innovation to help others.”
For information on how you can support College of Music student entrepreneurial programs, contact Senior Director of Development Ann-Marie Lindely at (517) 353-9872 or alindley@msu.edu.
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Incoming graduate student Makinsey Rosser brings passion, versatility, and gratitude to the College of Music thanks in part to a fellowship and scholarship that made her dream possible.
