 | |
Former names | List
|
|---|---|
| Motto | |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | February 12, 1855; 170 years ago (1855-02-12) |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $4.4 billion (2024)[4] |
| President | Kevin Guskiewicz |
Academic staff | 5,703 (2024)[5] |
Administrative staff | 7,365 (2024)[5] |
| Students | 52,089 (fall 2024)[5] |
| Undergraduates | 41,234 (fall 2024)[5] |
| Postgraduates | 10,855 (fall 2024)[5] |
| Location | ,, United States 42°43′30″N84°28′48″W / 42.72500°N 84.48000°W /42.72500; -84.48000 |
| Campus | Small city[6], 5,300 acres (21 km2)[5] |
| Colors | Green and white[7] |
| Nickname | Spartans |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FBS –Big Ten |
| Mascot | Sparty |
| Website | msu |
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Michigan State University (Michigan State orMSU) is apublicland-grantresearch university inEast Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as theAgricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country.[8][9][10] After the introduction of theMorrill Act in 1862, the state designated the college a land-grant institution in 1863, making it the first of theland-grant colleges in the United States. The college becamecoeducational in 1870. Today, Michigan State has facilities all across the state and over 634,000 alumni.
The university's six professional schools include theCollege of Law (founded inDetroit, in 1891, as the Detroit College of Law and moved to East Lansing in 1995),Eli Broad College of Business; theCollege of Nursing, theCollege of Osteopathic Medicine (the world's first state-fundedosteopathic college),[11] theCollege of Human Medicine, and theCollege of Veterinary Medicine. The university pioneered the studies ofmusic therapy,[12]packaging,hospitality business,supply chain management, andcommunication sciences.
Michigan State is a member of theAssociation of American Universities,[13]classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity",[14] and aPublic Ivy institution.[15] The university's campus houses theFacility for Rare Isotope Beams, theW. J. Beal Botanical Garden, theAbrams Planetarium, theWharton Center for Performing Arts, theEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, and the country's largestresidence hall system.[16]
University faculty, alumni, and affiliates include 1Nobel Prize laureate,[17] 20Rhodes Scholars, 20Marshall Scholars, and 8Pulitzer Prize winners. TheMichigan State Spartans compete in theNCAA Division IBig Ten Conference. Spartan teams have won national championships in many sports, including football, men's basketball, ice hockey, and women's cross-country.
The rise of scientific agriculture in Europe in the first half of the nineteenth century and the desire for formal agricultural education at the college level by forward lookingagriculturalists in Michigan gave impetus to a movement that led to the establishment of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan in 1855, the first of its kind in the United States, predating theAgricultural College of Pennsylvania (founded in 1855, renamed in 1862), theMaryland Agricultural College (founded in 1856), theIowa Agricultural College (founded in 1858), theState Agricultural College within theUniversity of Georgia (founded in 1859), and theMassachusetts Agricultural College (founded in 1863). TheMichigan Farmer, a leading agricultural periodical, and the Michigan State Agricultural Society led public discussions relative to the virtues and benefits of an agricultural college for the state's farmers and economy.
To no one man is the College so much indebted asJohn Clough Holmes.
— Theophilus C. Abbot, third president of the State Agricultural College[18]
In early 1855,John Clough Holmes, secretary of the agricultural society, convinced the legislature to pass an act establishing "a State Agricultural School" to be located on a site selected by the Michigan State Agricultural Society within ten miles of Lansing. On February 12, 1855,Michigan GovernorKinsley S. Bingham signed a bill establishing the nation's first agriculture college, theAgricultural College of the State of Michigan.[19][20] Professor Lautner contrasts Holmes' legacy with that ofJohn Harvard, whose donation of a modest library and four hundred British pounds led to a major university that bears his name, implying that the college's debt to Holmes is far greater.William J. Beal called Holmes "the most important agent" of the college.[18] Holmes Hall, the home of theLyman Briggs College, is named in his honor.
The State Board of Education was designated as the institution's governing body. The board also oversaw theMichigan State Normal School inYpsilanti, which had opened in 1852.[21] Classes began on May 13, 1857, with three buildings, five faculty members, and 63 male students.
Joseph R. Williams, the first president and a passionate promoter ofinterdisciplinaryliberal arts education, encouraged a curriculum that went far beyond practical agriculture: "The course of instruction in said college shall include the following branches of education, viz: an English and scientific course, natural philosophy, chemistry, botany, animal and vegetable anatomy and physiology, geology, mineralogy, meteorology, entomology, veterinary art, mensuration, leveling and political economy, with bookkeeping and the mechanic arts which are directly connected with agriculture..." From its inception, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan offered courses of study that would characterize the land-grant philosophy of higher education after the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862. Michigan's agricultural college educated people to be well-informed citizens, as well as good farmers.[22]
However, after just two years, Williams ran into conflict with the managing State Board of Education. Despite Williams' eloquent defense of an all-round education for the masses, the board saw the college as inefficient and had far deviated from the agriculture focus as the founder,John Clough Holmes, had anticipated. Indeed, some agriculturalists began protesting against the college's unpractical curriculum with some even calling for the college's abolition.[23] Williams eventually resigned in 1859. The board then reduced the curriculum to a two-year, vocation-oriented farming program, which proved catastrophic and resulted almost overnight in a drastic reduction in enrollment.[24][25] There was a high demand for an all-round education grounded in theliberal arts tradition instead of a specialized agriculture program, a fact the board disregarded. With a sharp decrease in tuition revenue, the college was soon in dire financial straits and threatened with dissolution.
In 1860, Williams became actinglieutenant governor[26] and helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. This restored the college's four-year curriculum and gave the college the power to grant master's degrees. Under the act, a newly created body, known as the State Board of Agriculture, took over from the State Board of Education in running the institution.[20] The college changed its name toState Agricultural College, and its first class graduated in the same year.
In 1862, PresidentAbraham Lincoln signed theMorrill Land-Grant Acts to support similar colleges nationally, the first instance of federal funding for education.[27] Shortly thereafter, on March 18, 1863, the state designated the college its land-grant institution making Michigan State University the nation's first land-grant college.[28] The federal funding had rescued the Agricultural College from extinction.
Although the school's then-isolated location limited student housing and enrollment during the 19th century, the college became reputable, largely due to alumni who went on to distinguished careers, many of whom led or taught in other land-grant colleges. While the institution emphasized scientific agriculture, its graduates went into a wide variety of professions.
The college first admitted women in 1870, although there were no female residence halls. The few women who enrolled boarded with faculty families or made the arduousstagecoach trek from Lansing. From the early days, female students took the same rigorous scientific agriculture courses as male students. In 1896, the faculty created a "Women Course" that melded ahome economics curriculum withliberal arts and sciences. That same year, the college turned the Abbot Hall male dorm into a women's dormitory.
It was not until 1899 that the State Agricultural College admitted its first African American student, William O. Thompson. After graduation, he taught at what is nowTuskegee University. A few years later,Myrtle Craig became the first woman African American student to enroll at the college.[29] Two years later, the college changed its name toMichigan Agricultural College.
During the early 20th century, Michigan Agricultural College expanded its curriculum well beyond agriculture. By 1925, it had expanded enough to change its name toMichigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (MSC), or "Michigan State" for short. In 1941, the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture,John A. Hannah, became president of the college.
After World War II, Hannah began the largest expansion in the institution's history, with the help of the 1945G.I. Bill, which helped World War II veterans gain college educations. One of Hannah's strategies was to build a new dormitory building, enroll enough students to fill it, and use the income to start construction of another dormitory. Under his plan, enrollment increased from 15,000 in 1950 to 38,000 in 1965.[33][34]
Six years later, during the school's centennial year of 1955, the State of Michigan officially designated the school as a university, even though Hannah and others felt it had been one for decades. The college then becameMichigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.[35] During the 1950s, Michigan State University was the "preeminent" example of a group of former agricultural colleges which had already evolved into state colleges and were attempting to become research universities.[36] In 1957, Hannah continued MSU's expansion by co-founding Michigan State University–Oakland, nowOakland University, withMatilda Dodge Wilson.After the ratification of the Michigan Constitution of 1964, the university's governing body changed its name from the State Board of Agriculture to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.[37]
MSU was affiliated withOakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, from the time of the latter's founding in 1957 (as Michigan State University-Oakland), until 1970 when Oakland University gained institutional independence.
In September 2005, PresidentLou Anna Simon called for Michigan State to become the global model leader for land-grant institutions by 2012. Her plans included creating a newresidential college and increased grants awarded from theNational Institutes of Health past the US$100 million mark. While there are over 100land-grant universities in the United States, she stated she would like Michigan State University to be the leader.[38]
MSU's sprawling campus is inEast Lansing, Michigan. The campus is perched on the banks of theRed Cedar River. Development of the campus started in 1856 with three buildings: a multipurposeCollege Hall building, a dormitory later called "Saints' Rest",[39] and a barn. Today, MSU's contiguous campus consists of 5,300 acres (2,100 ha),[5] 2,000 acres (810 ha) of which are developed. There are 563[5] buildings: 107[5] for academics, 131 for agriculture, 166 for housing andfood service, and 42 for athletics. Overall, the university has 22,763,025 square feet (2,114,754.2 m2) of indoor space.[40] Connecting it all is 26 miles (42 km) of roads and 100 miles (160 km) of sidewalks.[41] MSU also owns 44 non-campus properties, totaling 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) in 28 different counties.[42]
In early 2017, construction of a $22.5 million solar project began at five parking lots on campus. MSU's solar carport array is constructed on five of the university's largest commuter parking lots and covers 5,000[43] parking spaces. The solar carports are designed to deliver a peak power of 10.5 Megawatts and an annual energy of 15 million kilowatt-hours, which is enough to power approximately 1,800 Michigan homes.[44] The solar carport project was recognized at the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit 2018, earning the Onsite Renewable Energy award for “The Largest Carport Solar Array in North America.”[45]
Some land owned by MSU is inLansing,[46]Lansing Charter Township,[47] andMeridian Charter Township.[48]
The oldest part of campus lies on the Red Cedar river's north bank.[49] It includesCollegiate Gothic architecture, plentiful trees, and curving roads with few straight lines. The college built its first three buildings here, of which none survive. Other historic buildings north of the river include the president's official residence,Cowles House; andBeaumont Tower, acarillon clock tower marking the site ofCollege Hall, the original classroom building. To the east liesEustace–Cole Hall, America's first freestanding horticulture laboratory.[50] Other landmarks include the bronze statue of former presidentJohn A. Hannah,[51] theW. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and the painted boulder known as "The Rock", a popular spot for theater,tailgating, and candlelight vigils. On the campus's northwest corner is the university's hotel, the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The university also has two museums.MSU Museum, initiated in 1857, is one of the Midwest's oldest museums and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.[52] TheEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, designed byZaha Hadid, opened in 2012 as MSU's primary art gallery, and features art from MSU's permanent collection as well as from graduate students on campus.[53]
The campus south of the river consists mostly of post-World War IIInternational Style buildings, and is characterized by sparser foliage, relatively straight roadways, and many parking lots. The "2020 Vision" Master Plan proposes replacing these parking lots withparking ramps and green space,[54] but these plans will take many years to reach fruition. As part of the master plan, the university erected a new bronze statue ofThe Spartan in 2005 to be placed at the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, just south of the Red Cedar River. This replica replaced the originalmodernistterra cotta statue,[55] which can still be seen insideSpartan Stadium. Notable academic and research buildings on the South Campus include theCyclotron, theCollege of Law, theFacility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building,[56] and the Broad College of Business.[57]
This part of campus is home to theMSU Horticulture Gardens and the adjoining4-H Children's Garden. South of the gardens lie theCanadian National andCSX railroads, which divide the main campus from thousands of acres of university-owned farmland. The university's agricultural facilities include the Horse, Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, Swine, Sheep, and Poultry Teaching and Research Farms, as well as the Air Quality Control Lab and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.[58]
The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center doubles as a 4-star hotel and a business-friendly conference center. It is on the northwest corner of Michigan State University's campus, across from theBrody Complex, on Harrison Road just south of Michigan Avenue. The hotel's 160 rooms and suites can accommodate anyone staying in East Lansing for a business conference, sporting event or an on-campus visit. Besides a lodging facility, the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center is a "learning laboratory for the 300–400 students each year that are enrolled in The School of Hospitality Business and other majors." The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center strives to facilitate education by hosting conferences and seminars.[59]
MSU ran a small campus atDubai Knowledge Village, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[60] It first offered only one program, a master's program in human resources and labor relations. In 2011, it added a master's program in Public Health.[61]
Previously, MSU established an education center in Dubai that offered six undergraduate programs, thereby becoming the first American university with a presence inDubai International Academic City. The university attracted 100 students in 2007, its first year,[62] but the school was unable to achieve the 100–150 new students per year needed for the program to be viable, and in 2010 MSU closed the program and the campus.[61][63][64]
MSU has a large presence in downtownDetroit. This campus includes programs with the College of Education, Detroit Outreach Admissions, MSU Community Music School of Detroit, and the Study of Active Neighborhoods in Detroit (StAND). MSU began a partnership withApple in 2022, creating the Apple Developer Academy.[65] On June 13, 2023, MSU purchased a majority stake in Detroit's iconicFisher Building.[66][67] The MSU Research Foundation opened a startup incubator inside the Fisher Building later that year. In early 2023 MSU announced they would begin collaborating withHenry Ford Health on a new research center in Detroit.[68]
The College of Human Medicine currently operates smaller campuses as partnerships with local health systems in multiple Michigan cities. TheGrand Rapids Secchia Campus is the largest of these campuses,[69] with plans to expand the campus in coming years.[70] The Secchia Campus partners with multiple hospitals on Grand Rapids'Medical Mile.[71] Other Michigan cities with campuses[72] includeFlint (Ascension Genesys Hospital,Hurley Medical Center, andMcLaren Flint[73]),Midland,Traverse City (Munson Medical Center),Marquette[74] (UP Health System),Southfield (Ascension Providence Hospital), andDetroit (Henry Ford Health).
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
2024 entering classChange vs. 2019 | |
| Admit rate | 83.9% (  +13.7) |
| Yield rate | 18.3% (  −8.8) |
| Test scoresmiddle 50%[i] | |
| SAT Total | 1110–1320 (among 51% ofFTFs) |
| ACT Composite | 24–30 (among 14% ofFTFs) |
| High schoolGPA | |
| Average | 3.8 |
| |
Michigan State offers a rolling admissions system, with an early admission deadline in October, and does not offer anearly decision plan. The 2022 annual ranking ofU.S. News & World Report categorized MSU as "more selective".[75] For freshmen enrolling in fall 2024, Michigan State received 62,138 applications and accepted 52,690 (84.8%). Of those accepted, 9,625 enrolled, ayield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 18.3%.[76][77][78] MSU's freshmanretention rate is 91.4%, with 82.52% going on to graduate within six years.[76]
The university started test-optional admissions with the fall 2021 incoming class in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through fall 2025. Of the 51% of enrolled freshmen in 2023 who submittedSAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1110–1320.[76] Of the 14% of the incoming freshman class who submittedACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 24 and 30.[76]
The university has seen steady increases to its applicant pool in recent decades, and the number of applications has more than doubled since the class of 2007 received 24,436 applications.[79] Michigan state law does not require the state's public universities to reserve their spaces for Michigan residents.
Together withMichigan Technological University,Wayne State University,Kalamazoo College,Hillsdale College,Calvin University, andHope College, Michigan State is one of the seven college-sponsors of the National Merit Scholarship Program in the state. The university sponsored 30 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 38 first-year students wereNational Merit Scholars.[80]
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 50,630 | 45,426 | 44,322 | 33,129 | 36,143 | 37,480 |
| Admits | 42,150 | 34,663 | 31,522 | 25,733 | 25,860 | 24,641 |
| Admit rate | 83.3 | 76.3 | 71.1 | 77.7 | 71.5 | 65.7 |
| Enrolled | 9,225 | 8,389 | 8,801 | 8,688 | 8,366 | 8,190 |
| Yield rate | 21.9 | 24.2 | 27.9 | 33.8 | 32.4 | 33.2 |
| ACT composite* (out of 36) | 27–29 (16%†) | 23–29 (36%†) | 23–29 (38%†) | 23–29 (43%†) | 23–28 (57%†) | 24–29 (99%†) |
| SAT composite* (out of 1600) | 1220–1310 (48%†) | 1110–1280 (80%†) | 1120–1310 (78%†) | 1110–1310 (76%†) | 1100–1320 (60%†) | 1260–1360 (13%†) |
| * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit | ||||||
For fall 2023, theMichigan State University College of Law received 1,458 applications and accepted 574 (39.37%). Of those accepted, 203 enrolled, ayield rate of 35.75%. The College of Law had a middle-50%LSAT range of 157-161 for the 2023 first year class.[86]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[87] | 79 |
| U.S. News & World Report[88] | 64 (tie) |
| Washington Monthly[89] | 43 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[90] | 60 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[91] | 151 (tie) |
| QS[92] | 161 |
| THE[93] | 105 |
| U.S. News & World Report[94] | 133 (tie) |
USNWR Global Program Rankings[95] | |
|---|---|
| Program | Ranking |
| Plant and Animal Science | 9 |
| Agricultural Sciences | 23 |
| Economics and Business | 26 |
| Environment/Ecology | 40 |
| Social Sciences and Public Health | 49 |
| Arts and Humanities | 57 |
| Computer Science | 77 |
| Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology | 87 |
| Microbiology | 81 |
| Mathematics | 78 |
| Psychiatry/Psychology | 80 |
| Physics | 97 |
| Biology and Biochemistry | 119 |
| Space Science | 151 |
| Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems | 149 |
| Public, Environmental and Occupational Health | 156 |
| Neuroscience and Behavior | 223 |
| Engineering | 68 |
| Molecular Biology and Genetics | 153 |
| Materials Science | 239 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 219 |
| Physical Chemistry | 428 |
| Food Science and Technology | 28 |
| Geosciences | 171 |
| Clinical Medicine | 202 |
| Energy and Fuels | 244 |
| Oncology | 371 |
| Chemistry | 293 |
USNWR National Undergraduate Rankings[96] | |
|---|---|
| Ranking | |
| Nursing | 39 |
| Engineering (overall) | 45 |
| Biological/Agricultural Engineering | 6 |
| Electrical Engineering | 30 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 36 |
| Computer Science | 60 |
| Business (overall) | 23 |
| Management | 11 |
| Management Information Systems | 19 |
| International Business | 20 |
| Accounting | 21 |
| Marketing | 35 |
| Productions/Operations Management | 5 |
| Supply Chain Management/Logistics | 1 |
USNWR National Graduate Rankings[97] | |
|---|---|
| Ranking | |
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 1 |
| Criminology | 9 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 17 |
| Education | 22 |
| Physics | 32 |
| Nursing–Anesthesia | 29 |
| Economics | 34 |
| Social Work | 36 |
| Political Science | 37 |
| Speech-Language Pathology | 38 |
| Business | 36 |
| Engineering | 59 |
| Clinical Psychology | 43 |
| History | 43 |
| Psychology | 39 |
| Biological Sciences | 68 |
| Biostatistics | 41 |
| Mathematics | 39 |
| Chemistry | 42 |
| Statistics | 30 |
| English | 53 |
| Fine Arts | 53 |
| Sociology | 54 |
| Computer Science | 60 |
| Nursing: Doctorate | 63 |
| Nursing: Master's | 68 |
| Earth Sciences | 56 |
| Medicine: Research | 88 |
| Medicine: Primary Care | 46 |
| Law | 91 |
In its 2025 rankings,Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked MSU 105th in the world. Michigan State ranks 151st in the world for 2022, according to theAcademic Ranking of World Universities. Washington Monthly ranks MSU 43rd nationally for 2024. The 2025QS World University Rankings placed it at 161st internationally.[98] In its 2025-2026 edition,U.S. News & World Report ranked it as tied for the 29th best public university in the United States, tied for 64th nationally and tied for 37th among best universities for veterans.[99]
In its 2020 edition,U.S. News & World Report ranked the following MSU graduate programs number one in the country: elementary teacher education and secondary teacher education (#1 for 26 straight years), African history (tied), curriculum and instruction (tied),industrial and organizational psychology, nuclear physics, rehabilitation counseling (tied), and supply chain management/logistics.[97]
TheEli Broad College of Business was ranked No. 39th nationally for 2019–20 byBloomberg Businessweek. Ninety-two percent of the school's graduates received job offers in 2019.[100] The latest edition ofU.S. News ranked Michigan State's undergraduate and graduate supply chain management/logistics programs in the Eli Broad College of Business first in the nation.[99] In addition, the Eli Broad College of Business undergraduate accounting program is ranked 22nd, the master's accounting program is ranked 15th, and the doctoral program is ranked 18th, according to the 2018Public Accounting Report's Annual Survey of Accounting Professors.[101] The MBA program is ranked 27th in the U.S. byForbes magazine.[102]
The College of Communication Arts and Sciences was established in 1955 and was the first of its kind in the United States.[103] The college's Media and Information Studies doctoral program was ranked No. 2 in 2007 byThe Chronicle of Higher Education in the category of mass communication.[103] The communication doctoral program was ranked No. 4 in a separate category of communication inThe Chronicle of Higher Education's 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, published in 2007.[103] The college's faculty and alumni include eightPulitzer Prize winners and a two-timeEmmy Award winning recording mixer.[103]
TheEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum is the university'scontemporary art museum.
TheMSU Museum is the university's oldest museum, founded in 1857.[104] It is Michigan's firstSmithsonian Affiliate.[105][106] The museum holds collections inanthropology,folklife,cultural heritage and history,mammalogy,ornithology,herpetology,ichthyology, andvertebrate paleontology.[107]
Michigan State University Libraries comprise North America's 29th largest academiclibrary system with over 4.9 million volumes and 6.7 millionmicroforms.[108]
The university has a long history of academic research and innovation. In 1877, botany professorWilliam J. Beal performed the first documented genetic crosses to produce hybridcorn, which led to increased yields. MSU dairy professorG. Malcolm Trout improved the process for thehomogenization of milk in the 1930s, making it more commercially viable. In the 1960s, MSU scientists developedcisplatin, a leading cancer fighting drug, and followed that work with the derivative,carboplatin.Albert Fert, anadjunct professor at MSU, was awarded the 2007Nobel Prize in Physics together withPeter Grünberg.[109]
Michigan State continues its research with facilities such as theU.S. Department of Energy-sponsored MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory[110] and aparticle accelerator called theNational Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science named Michigan State University as the site for theFacility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) facility. Construction began in 2014 and was completed in 2022.[111] The $730 million facility has a goal to attract top researchers from around the world to conduct experiments in basic nuclear science, astrophysics, and applications of isotopes to other fields.[5]
In 2004, scientists at the cyclotron produced and observed a new isotope of the elementgermanium, called Ge-60.[112] In that same year, Michigan State, in consortium with theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the government ofBrazil, broke ground on the 4.1-meterSouthern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in theAndes Mountains ofChile. The consortium telescope will allow the Physics & Astronomy department to study galaxy formation and origins.[113] Since 1999, MSU has been part of a consortium called theMichigan Life Sciences Corridor, which aims to developbiotechnology research in the State of Michigan.[114] Finally, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences'Quello Center researches issues of information and communication management.
Michigan State, theUniversity of Michigan, andWayne State University created theUniversity Research Corridor in 2006.[115] This alliance was formed to transform and strengthen Michigan's economy by reaching out to businesses, policymakers, innovators, investors and the public to speed up technology transfer, make resources more accessible and attract new jobs to the state.[115]
MSU's (private, non-Morrill Act)endowment started in 1916, when the Engineering Building burned down. Automobile magnateRansom E. Olds helped the program stay afloat with a gift of $100,000, equivalent to $2.89 million in 2024.[116]
There was a time when MSU lagged behind peer institutions in terms of endowments. As recently as the early 1990s, MSU was last among the eleven Big Ten schools (of the time), with barely over $100 million in endowment funds.[117] This changed dramatically in the 2000s decade, when the university started a campaign to increase the size of the endowment.
At the close offiscal year 2004–2005, the endowment had risen to $1.325 billion, raising the university to sixth of the 11 Big Ten schools in terms of endowment; within $2 million of the fifth-rated school.[118] As of June 30, 2021, MSU's endowment had a market value of $4.4 billion.[4]
MSU has over 200 academic programs offered by 17 degree-granting colleges.[5]
MSU's first residential college,Justin Morrill College started in 1965 with an interdisciplinary curriculum.[119] MSU closed Morrill College in 1979, but today the university has three residential colleges, including the recent opening of theResidential College in Arts & Humanities (RCAH) located in Snyder and Phillips halls.
Established in 1967,James Madison College is a smaller component residential college featuring multidisciplinary programs in the social sciences, founded on a model of liberal education. James Madison College is housed in Case Hall. Classes in the college are small, with an average of 25 students, and most instructors aretenure track faculty. James Madison College has about 1150 students total, with eachfreshman class containing about 320 students.[120] Each of Madison's fourmajors—Social Relations and Policy, International Relations, Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and Comparative Cultures and Politics[121]—requires two years of foreign language and one semester of "field experience" in aninternship or study abroad program. Although Madison students make up about 4% of MSU graduates, they represent around 35% of the MSU'sPhi Beta Kappa members.[122]
Also established in 1967,Lyman Briggs College teaches math and science within social, historical and philosophical contexts.[123] Many Lyman Briggs students intend to pursue careers in medicine, but the school supports over 30 coordinate majors, from human biology to computer sciences.[124] Lyman Briggs is one of the few colleges that lets undergraduates teach as "Learning Assistants."[125]
MSU's newest residential college is theResidential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH). Founded October 21, 2005,[126] RCAH provides around 600undergraduates with an individualized curriculum in theliberal,visual andperforming arts. Though all the students will graduate with the samedegree, MSU encourages students in the college to get asecond degree or specialization.[127] The university houses the new college in a newly renovated Snyder-Phillips Hall, the location of MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College.[128]
Founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, the law school moved to East Lansing in 1995, becomingMichigan State University College of Law. Students attending MSU College of Law come from 42 states and 13 countries. The law school publishes theMichigan State Law Review,[129] the Michigan State Journal of International Law, the Journal of Medicine Law, and the Journal of Business & Securities Law. The College of Law is the home of theGeoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute,[130] the first trial practice institute in the United States. In October 2018, MSU's board of trustees voted to fully integrate the College of Law into the university, thereby converting it from a private to a public law school. By August 2020, the College of Law had become fully integrated into the university.[131]
TheEli Broad College of Business has programs in accounting,information systems, finance, general management, human resource management, marketing,supply chain management, andhospitality business. The school has 2,066 admitted undergraduate students and 817graduate students.[132] The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, whichBusinessweek magazine in 2012 ranked 35th in the nation and 14th among public institutions,[133] offers threeMBA programs, as well asjoint degrees with theCollege of Law.[134] The opening of theEugene C. Eppley Center for Graduate Studies in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management brought the first program in the United States to offer a Master of Business Administration degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management to MSU.[135]
TheMichigan State University College of Nursing grantsB.S.N.,M.S.N., Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and PhD degrees, as well as post-graduate certificates. It was founded in 1950 and has trained more than 6,000 nurses.[136] The college's mission focuses on research, education and practice, and it is housed in the Life Sciences Building and Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research on the southeastern part of campus. The dean of the college, Randolph Rasch, was appointed to a statewide task force in 2020 by the governor to help establish an implicit bias training initiative for all health care workers in the state.[137]
TheMichigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine was the world's first publicly funded college ofosteopathic medicine.[138] It has a long-standing tradition of retaining its alumni in Michigan to practice – more than two-thirds of the college's graduates remain to practice in Michigan.[139] In 2008, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees approved a resolution endorsing the expansion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine to two sites insoutheast Michigan, a move board members and college officials say will not only improve medical education in the state, but also address a projected physicianshortage.[140]
According toU.S. News & World Report's 2016 rankings, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O. degree) ranked tied for 12th among U.S. medical schools for primary care,[141] and the College of Human Medicine (MD degree) was ranked 70th among the U.S. medical schools for primary care.[142]
TheCollege of Human Medicine graduates students with aDoctor of Medicine (M.D. degree) and is split into seven distinct campuses located inEast Lansing,Kalamazoo,Flint,Saginaw,Marquette,Traverse City andGrand Rapids. Each campus is affiliated with local hospitals and other medical facilities professionals in the area.[143] For example, the Lansing campus includesSparrow Hospital andMcLaren–Greater Lansing Hospital.[144] The College of Human Medicine has recently gained attention for its expansion into the Grand Rapids area, with the new Secchia Center completed in the Fall of 2010, that is expected to fuel the growing medical industry in that region.[145]
Though Michigan State has offered courses in veterinary science since its founding, theCollege of Veterinary Medicine was not formally established as a four-year, degree-granting program until 1910.[146] In 2011, the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked No. 9 in the nation.[147] The college has over 170,000 square feet (16,000 m2) of office, teaching, and research space, as well as a veterinaryteaching hospital.[148]
In recent years, MSU's music program has grown substantially. Music major enrollment increased more than 97% between 1991 and 2004.[149] In early 2007, this growth led the university board of trustees to spin the music program off into its own college unit: The MSU College of Music.[150] The new college faces many new challenges, such as working with limited space[151] and funding.[152] Nevertheless, MSU's music college plans on continued success, placing an annual average of 25 graduate students in tenure stream university positions.[149]
TheCollege of Education at Michigan State University offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in several fields, includingcounseling,educational psychology,special education,teacher education andkinesiology.[153] The graduate school has several programs ranked in the top five in the country byU.S. News & World Report for 2016: elementary teacher education (1st), secondary teacher education (1st), curriculum and instruction (3rd), educational psychology (4th), and higher education administration (4th).[99] The College of Education is housed in Erickson Hall. MSU offers a 30 credit graduate program for a Master of Arts in Educational Technology[154] in 3 different formats; completely online,[155] hybrid[156] in East Lansing, or overseas. Founded in 1956, theMSU Honors College provides individualized curricula to MSU's top undergraduate students. Though the college offers no majors of its own, it has its owndean and academic advisers to help Honors students with their educational pursuits.High school students starting at MSU may join the Honors College if they are in the top 5% of their high school graduating class and have anACT score of at least 30 or anSAT total score of at least 1360.[157] Students can also be admitted after their first semester, generally if they're in the top 10% of their College in GPA. Once admitted, students must maintain a 3.20 GPA and complete eight approved honors courses to graduate with Honors College designation on their degree. If membership is relinquished, it cannot be reclaimed.[158]
After three years of planning,The College of Engineering launched the first stages of its Residential Experience for Spartan Engineering, formally known as the Residential Option for Scientists and Engineers (ROSES). The program was in Wilson Hall after being housed in Bailey Hall for a number of years. The Residential program essentially combines with a brand new academic component, Cornerstone Engineering, where freshman engineering students not only get an overview of the engineering field, but also get a hands-on experience along with it.[159]Global Engineering is a new subject that is of interest for not only the Cornerstone Engineering and Residential Experience programs, but the entireCollege of Engineering at MSU. Engineering in today's society has shown to have a monumental impact on the global economy due to advancements in education, as well as interdependence on economics with infrastructure, computers, transportation, technology and othermanufactured goods. The newly established Cornerstone Engineering and Residential Experience (CoRe) program[160] in theCollege of Engineering has started programs abroad for more courses in engineering, includingstudy abroadseminars.[161] In 2014, theDetroit Free Press wrote a news article referencing Michigan State University's Recruiting Trends 2014–15 report, which ranked engineering among the top 20 college degrees with the highest starting salaries.[162]
MSU's original mission as an agricultural college continues today in theCollege of Agriculture & Natural Resources.[163]
Michigan State'sNCAA Division I-A program offers 12varsity sports for men and 13 for women.[5] Since their teams are called the Spartans, MSU's mascot is a Spartan warrior namedSparty. The university participates in theBig Ten Conference in all varsity sports. The current athletic director is former MSU football player and NFL cornerbackAlan Haller, who began his tenure on September 1, 2021.[164]
In 1888 Michigan State University (then known as Michigan State Agricultural College) along with Olivet, Albion and Hillsdale Colleges was a founding member of the nation's oldest athletic conference, theMichigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). MAC left the conference in 1907.
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Football has a long tradition at Michigan State. Starting as a club sport in 1884, football gained varsity status in 1896.[165] The Spartans won theRose Bowl in 1954, 1956, 1988, and 2014. They won national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965 and 1966. The Spartans accounted for four of the top eight selections in the1967 NFL/AFL draft, the only time a college football program has accomplished such a feat. As of 2020, MSU was one of only four schools to have at least one player selected in everyNFL Draft in the common draft era, starting in 1967.[166] The 2021 NFL Draft marked the first time since 1941 that no Michigan State players were selected.
MSU's men's basketball team has won theNational Championship twice: in1979 and again in2000.[167] The basketball team plays at theJack Breslin Student Events Center.
The Michigan State University men'sice hockey team started in 1924, though it has been a varsity sport only since 1950. The team has since won national titles in 1966, 1986 and 2007. The Spartans came close to repeating the national title in 1987, but lost the championship game to theNorth Dakota Fighting Hawks. They play at MSU'sMunn Ice Arena. Former head coach Ron Mason is college hockey's winningest coach with 924 wins total and 635 at MSU.[168] The current headcoach isAdam Nightingale. The men's ice hockey team competes in the Big Ten conference. They formerly competed in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Michigan State leads the CCHA in all-time wins, is second in CCHA Conference championships with 7, and is first in CCHA Tournament Championships with 11. As with other sports, the hockey rivalry between the Spartans and theMichigan Wolverines is a fierce one, and on October 6, 2001, the Spartans faced theMichigan Wolverines in theCold War, during which a world record crowd of 74,554 packedSpartan Stadium to watch the game end in a 3–3 tie.[169]In the 2006–2007 season, the Men's Ice Hockey team defeatedBoston College for its thirdNCAA hockey championship.[170]
Between World War I and World War II, Michigan State College competed in the Central Collegiate Conference, winning titles in 1926–1929, 1932, 1933 and 1935. Michigan State also experienced success in theIC4A, at New York'sVan Cortlandt Park, winning 15 team titles (1933–1937, 1949, 1953, 1956–1960, 1962, 1963 and 1968). Since entering the Big Ten in 1950, Michigan State has won 14 men's team titles (1951–1953, 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970 and 1971). Michigan State hosted the inauguralNCAA cross country championships in 1938 and every year thereafter through 1964 (there was no championship in 1943). The Spartans won NCAA championships in 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959.[171][172][173]
MSU Spartan Wrestling won their only team NCAA Championship in 1967. The current Spartans Head coach is Roger Chandler in his second season. The team competes on campus at the Jenison Field House. Spartan Wrestling has over 50 Big Ten Conference Champions, over 100 All-Americans, and 11 individualwrestlers haveNCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Notable former Spartan wrestlers includeRashad Evans andGray Maynard.
East Lansing is very much acollege town, with 63.5% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24.[174] President John A. Hannah's push to expand in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in the largestresidence hall system in the United States.[175] Around 16,000 students live in MSU's 23undergraduate halls, one graduate hall, and three apartment villages. Each residence hall has its own hall government, with representatives in theResidence Halls Association. Yet despite the size and extent of on-campus housing, the residence halls are complemented by a variety of housing options. 58% of students live off-campus,[176] mostly in the areas closest to campus, in either apartment buildings, former single-family homes, fraternity and sorority houses, or in aco-op.
In 2014 there were approximately 50,085 students, 38,786 undergraduate and 11,299 graduate and professional. The students are from all 50 states and 130 countries around the world.[177]
| Race and ethnicity[178] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68% | ||
| Black | 8% | ||
| Foreign national | 7% | ||
| Asian | 7% | ||
| Hispanic | 6% | ||
| Other[a] | 5% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Pell grant recipients | 22% | ||
MSU tied for tenth place among universities with the largest student enrollment in the U.S. for fall 2018.[179] For the fiscal year of 2018–19, the Office of the Registrar conferred 12,354 degrees.[180] The student body is 52% female and 48% male.[5] While 75.1% of students come from all 83 counties in the State of Michigan,[5] also represented are all 50 states in the U.S. and 138 other countries.[5]
In fall 2019, 5,660 international students enrolled at MSU, with the top five countries outside North America being China (2,965), India (506), South Korea (331), Saudi Arabia (222) and Taiwan (144).[181] MSU'sstudy abroad program included 2,805 total students in the 2017–2018 academic year, with 2,755 of those being MSU students.[182] Based on 2017–2018 numbers, MSU studied abroad in over 60 countries on all continents, including Antarctica.[183]
According to aBrookings Institution report analyzing foreign student visa approvals from 2008 to 2012, MSU once enrolled the highest number of Chinese international students in the United States, with roughly 4,700 Chinese citizens enrolled during the period of the study.[184] MSU later saw decreased Chinese enrollment and lost its status as the top destination of Chinese students, which former Michigan Department of Education head Tom Watkins attributed to a ramp-up inanti-China rhetoric by then-presidentDonald Trump and changes in Chinese domestic conditions.[185] MSU saw a roughly 25 percent drop in overall international enrollment in the first full academic year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but numbers had begun to rebound by the fall of 2021, with university officials expecting a full recovery by the 2022–2023 academic year.[186]
Amid thefall of Kabul in August 2021, MSU, in concert with US RepresentativeElissa Slotkin, facilitated the evacuation of over 70 staff, scholars, and their families related to an MSU-USAID collaborative program inAfghanistan. Twelve of the Afghan evacuees attached to this program were students in the university's Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) project, hosted byKabul University. Bypassing typical financial review procedures, university officials paid $250,000 on a university credit card for the emergency charter of an airplane to reunite evacuees inAlbania. MSU facilitated the students' transfer to theAgricultural University of Tirana and then assisted in humanitarian parole into the United States in early 2022.[187][188]
In February 2023, the Chinese Consulate-General in Chicago announced that two Chinese MSU students had been wounded in the2023 Michigan State University shooting.[189][190] Based on 2021 enrollment data from the university's international office, China was still likely the largest source of international students for MSU at the time of the shooting.[191]
With over 3,000 members, Michigan State University'sGreek Community is one of the largest in the US.[192] Started in 1872 and re-established in 1922 byLambda Chi Alpha fraternity,Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, andAlpha Phi sorority; the MSU Greek system now consists of 55 Greek lettered student societies.[193] These chapters are in turn under the jurisdiction of one of MSU's four Greek governing councils:National Panhellenic Conference, North American Interfraternity Council,National Pan-Hellenic Council,[194] and Independent Greek Council. National Pan-Hellenic Council is made up of nine organizations, five fraternities and four sororities.[195] TheInterfraternity Council and theWomen's Panhellenic Council are each entirely responsible for their own budgets, giving them the freedom to hold large fundraising and recruitment events. MSU's fraternities and sororities hold many philanthropy events and community fundraisers. For example, in April 2011 the Greek Community held Greek Week to raise over $260,000 for theAmerican Cancer Society, and $5,000 for each of these charities:Big Brothers Big Sisters,The Listening Ear and previous charities include: theMake-a-Wish Foundation (MSU Chapter), Share Laura's Hope, The Mary Beth Knox Scholarship, and theSpecial Olympics, in which fraternity and sorority members get to help each other participate.[196]
The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is the all-university undergraduatestudent government of Michigan State University.[197] It was unusual among universitystudent governments for itsdecentralized bicameral structure,[198] and the relatively non-existent influence of the Greek system. The structure has since changed to a single General Assembly as part of reorganization in the late 2000s. ASMSU representatives arenonpartisan and many are elected in noncompetitive races. Some services they offer include free blue books, low-cost copies and printing, free yearbooks, interest free loans, funding for student organizations, free legal consultation, and iClicker and graphing calculator rentals.
Students pay $21 per semester to fund the functions of the ASMSU, including stipends for the organization's officers and activities throughout the year.[199] Some students have criticized ASMSU for not having enough electoral participation to gain a student mandate.Turnout since 2001 has hovered between 3 and 17 percent, with the 2006 election bringing out 8% of the undergraduate student body.[200]
Student-run organizations beyond student government also have a large impact on the East Lansing/Michigan State University community. Student Organizations are registered through the Department of Student Life, which currently has a registry of over 800 student organizations.[201]
The Eli Broad College of Business includes 27 student organizations of primary interest to business students. The three largest organizations are the Finance Association (FA), the Accounting Student Association (ASA), and the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA).[202] The SCMA is the host of the university's largest major specific career fair. The fair attracts over 100 companies and over 400 students each year.[203]
Activists have played a significant role in MSU history. During the height of theVietnam War, student protests helped createco-ed residence halls, and blocked the routing ofInterstate 496 through campus.[204] In the 1980s, Michigan State students convinced the university todivest the stocks of companies doing business inapartheid South Africa from its endowment portfolio, such asCoca-Cola.[205] In 2011, a student group staged a large sit-in protest in the university President's office as the culmination of multiple years of attempting to convince the administration to transition from coal energy production to 100% clean energy.[206] In 2019, Michigan GovernorGretchen Whitmer joined the Lansing Women's March, standing with victims of sexual assault on campus.[207] Following theFebruary 13th shooting on campus which killed three students, a student group organized a peaceful protest on the steps of theMichigan State Capitol.[208] This protest quickly led to new gun control bills being passed within the Michigan state legislature.[209]
MSU has many student groups focused on political change. Graduate campus groups include the Graduate Employees Union[210] and the Council of Graduate Students.[211]
The MSU Office of Sustainability works with the University Committee for a Sustainable Campus to "foster a collaborative learning culture that leads the community to heightened awareness of its environmental impact."[212] The university is a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first greenhouse gas emission registry, and boasts the lowest electrical consumption per square foot amongBig Ten universities. The university has set a goal of reducing energy use by 15%, reducinggreenhouse gas emissions by 15%, reducing landfill waste by 30% by 2015.[213]
The university has also pledged to meetLEED-certification standards for all new construction. In July 2009, the university completed construction of a $13.3 million recycling center, and hopes to double their 2008 recycling rate of 14% by 2010.[214]The construction of Brody Hall, a residence hall of Michigan State University Housing, was completed in August 2011 and qualified for LEED Silver certification because the facility includes a rain water collection tank used for restroom fixtures, a white PVC roof, meters that will monitor utilities to make sure they are used efficiently, and the use of recycled matter and local sources for building materials.[215]
The Environmental Steward's program support's president Simon's "Boldness by Design" strategic vision to transform environmental stewardship on campus within the seven-year time frame.[216] Environmental stewards promote environmental changes among co-workers and peers, be points of contact for their department for environment-related concerns, and be liaisons between the Be Spartan Green Team and buildings.[216]
The Student Organic Farm is a student-run, four-season farm, which teaches the principals of organic farming and through a certificate program andcommunity-supported agriculture (CSA) on ten acres on the MSU campus.[217]The certificate program consists of year-round crop production, course work in organic farming, practical training and management, and an off-site internship requirement.[218]
MSU has a variety of campus media outlets. The student-run newspaper isThe State News and free copies are available online or at East Lansing newsstands. The paper prints 28,500 copies from Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and 15,000 copies Monday through Friday during the summer.[219] The paper is not published on weekends, holidays, or semester breaks, but is continually updated online at statenews.com. The campusyearbook is called theRed Cedar Log.[220]
Red Cedar Review, Michigan State University's premier literary digest for over forty years, is the longest running undergraduate-run literary journal in the United States.[221] It is published annually by theMichigan State University Press.
Michigan State Journal of History, an undergraduate-operated journal, features undergraduate scholarship at the university, and "strives to reflect the intellectual climate fostered by the Department of History".[222]
MSU also publishes a student-run magazine during the academic year calledIng Magazine.[223] Created in 2007 by MSU alumnus Adam Grant, the publication is released at the beginning of each month and publishes 7 issues each school year.[224] MSU also publishes a student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine calledVIM Magazine once a semester.
Electronic media include three radio stations and onepublic television station, as well asstudent-produced television shows. MSU'sPublic Broadcasting Service affiliate,WKAR-TV, the station is the second-oldest educational television station in the United States, and the oldest east of theMississippi River. Besides broadcasting PBS shows, WKAR-TV produces its own local programming, such as a high schoolquiz bowl show called "QuizBusters". In addition, MSU has three radio stations; WKAR-AM playsNational Public Radio's talk radio programming, whereas WKAR-FM focuses mostly on classical music programming.[225] Michigan State's student-run radio station,WDBM, broadcasts mostly alternative music during weekdays and electric music programming nights and weekends in addition to sports broadcasting, news reporting, producing podcasts, and organizing on-campus concerts.[226]
Violent crime is rare on the campus, but similar to other major universities, there have been several larger incidents.
In a 1999 incident, eco-anarchist activists, includingRod Coronado, burned down part of Agriculture Hall, with four additional suspects being arrested and charged nearly a decade later, in 2008. It was the second case of domesticeco-terrorism at MSU resulting in indictments. In 1992, arsonists attacked the offices of two faculty members in Anthony Hall and vandalized campus mink research facilities.[227]
On May 1, 2014, Michigan State University was named one of 55 higher education institutions under investigation by the Office of Civil Rights "for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints” by PresidentBarack Obama's White House Task Force To Protect Students from Sexual Assault.[228] "The investigation at Michigan State involves its response to sexual harassment and sexual assault complaints involving students," according to one reporter.[229] It was later reported in the same paper that "An investigation by the U.S. Department of Education into how Michigan State University handles sexual assault complaints was spurred by an incident in Wonders Hall in August 2010, a spokesman said."[230]
In 2016, a police report was filed alleging that in 2000,USA Gymnastics team doctor and MSU physicianLarry Nassar (also a professor in the MSUCollege of Human Medicine)[231] had sexually assaulted a minor namedRachael Denhollander under the guise of medical treatment.[232] The allegation and allegations of physical abuse by others led to the arrest and eventual conviction of Nassar. A federal court sentenced him in 2017 and state courts in 2018. Between the police report filing and the time of sentencing, 156 victims, including Olympic gymnasts and MSU student athletes, came forward to speak of abuses inflicted by Nassar.The Detroit News reported that 14 MSU representatives—including athletic trainers, coaches, a university police detective, and administrators—had possibly been alerted of sexual misconduct by Nassar across two decades, with notification of an incident in 2014 documented by a Title IX investigation.[233] Michigan State andUSA Gymnastics have been accused of enabling Nassar's abuse[234][235][236] and are named as defendants in civil lawsuits that gymnasts and former MSU student athletes have filed against Nassar.[237][238] On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Michigan State University had agreed to pay the victims of Nassar $500 million, equivalent to $626 million in 2024.[239]
MSU's role in the scandal, as well as mounting pressure from the public and alumni, led to several high-level staff changes, including the resignation of PresidentLou Anna Simon in January 2018, as well as the retirement of athletic directorMark Hollis[240][241] and gymnastics coach Kathie Klages.[242] Former Michigan GovernorJohn Engler replaced Simon as interim president of the university, but resigned in January 2019 after a pattern of controversial comments about the ongoing scandal including that Nassar's victims were "enjoying" the spotlight.[243] In addition, several conspirators saw charges brought against them:
Strample was sentenced in August 2019 to one 11-month term and two one-year terms in county jail, with the sentences to runconcurrently.[246]
In February 2020, former coach Klages was found guilty on the charges of lying to police.[247] A judge dismissed the criminal case against former president Simon in May 2020.[248] In June, theMichigan Attorney General appealed to reinstate the charges.[249]
On November 20, 2021, Phat Nguyen died during an off-campus hazing incident in Pi Alpha Phi fraternity. The 21-year-old fraternity pledge and three other pledges were found unresponsive at 2 a.m. and transported to the local hospital. Despite performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Nguyen, firefighters were unable to save him.[250][251] The fraternity chapter was banned by the university and the national fraternity.
On February 13, 2023, a mass shooting occurred on campus that resulted in three killed and five injured before the gunman took his own life.[252] Police have yet to identify a motive. Classes were canceled for one week following the shooting, and several student-led protests supporting gun control legislation were held at theMichigan State Capitol in the week that followed.[253][254][255]
The Michigan State University Investment Office oversees the management of the university's endowment. Its investment strategy aims to support long-term growth while mitigating risks that market fluctuations bring.[256] The office was created in 2016 to centralize the university's investment operations. It was led in 2024 by Philip Zecher, who oversaw the selection of external fund managers and ensured adherence to the university's investment policy. It is located on the university's campus at 426 Auditorium Road, Room 412.[257]
MSU has about 5,703 faculty and 7,365 staff members.[5][258][259]
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Important College leaders in the 19th century includeJohn C. Holmes, the founder;[20]Joseph R. Williams, the first president,[26] andTheophilus C. Abbot, the third president who stabilized the college after the Civil War, were both key in establishing and maintaining the college's early balanced liberal/practical curriculum.[260] Also of importance was botany professorWilliam J. Beal, an early plant (hybrid corn) pre-geneticist who championed the laboratory teaching method.[261] Another distinguished faculty member of the era was the alumnus/professorLiberty Hyde Bailey.[262] Bailey was the first to raise the study of horticulture to a science, paralleling botany, which earned him the title of "Father of American Horticulture".[263]William L. Carpenter, a jurist who was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 1894, and member of theMichigan Supreme Court from 1902 until 1904. Other famous 19th-century alumni includeRay Stannard Baker,[264] a famed "muckraker" journalist andPulitzer Prize winning biographer;Minakata Kumagusu,[265] a renowned environmental scientist; andWilliam Chandler Bagley, a pioneering education reformer.[266]
As of fall 2018, there were about 634,300 living MSUalumni worldwide.[5] Notable politicians and public servants from MSU include current governor of MichiganGretchen Whitmer, former Michigan governorsJames Blanchard[267] andJohn Engler,[268] U.S. SenatorsDebbie Stabenow,[269]Tim Johnson, andSpencer Abraham, (who also served asSecretary of Energy),[270]U.S. Ambassador to BrazilDonna Hrinak, formerPrime Minister of South KoreaLee Wan-koo,Consumer Financial Protection Bureau DirectorRichard Cordray, formerJordan prime ministerAdnan Badran, andChief Justice of theTexas Supreme CourtWallace B. Jefferson.[271]Billionaire philanthropistsTom Gores,Andrew Beal andEli Broad,[272]Pulitzer Prize-winning novelistRichard Ford, American labor union leaderJames P. Hoffa,[273] andQuicken Loans founder and billionaireCleveland Cavaliers ownerDan Gilbert,[274] are all also MSU alums.
Alumni in Hollywood include actors such asJames Caan,Anthony Heald,[275]Robert Urich[276] andWilliam Fawcett;[277] voice actorSungWon Cho, comedianJackie Martling, film directorsMichael Cimino andSam Raimi, film producerJeff Katz and film editorBob Murawski,[278] as well as screenwriterDavid Magee.[279]
ComposerDika Newlin received her undergraduate degree from MSU,[280] while lyricist, theatrical director and clinical psychologistJacques Levy earned a doctorate in psychology.[281] The university has also produced such jazz luminaries as pianistHenry Butler,[282] vibraphonistMilt Jackson,[283] and keyboardist/composer-arrangerClare Fischer.[284]
Russell Kirk, whose writings influenced theAmerican conservative movement, attended Michigan State on a scholarship for his bachelor's degree. Journalists include NBC reporterChris Hansen,[285] ESPN sportcaster and columnistJemele Hill, AP White House correspondentNedra Pickler andNPR Washington correspondentDon Gonyea. NovelistMichael Kimball graduated in 1990. Novelist and true crime authorR. Barri Flowers, who in 1977 earned a bachelor's degree and in 1980 a master's degree in criminal justice, was inducted in 2006 into the MSU Criminal Justice Wall of Fame.[286] AuthorErik Qualman graduated with honors in 1994 and was also Academic Big-Ten in basketball.Susan K. Avery, the first woman president and director of theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, received an MSU bachelor's degree inphysics.[287] In addition, two of theLittle Rock Nine attended Michigan State, includingErnest Green,[288] the first black student to graduate fromLittle Rock Central High School, andCarlotta Walls LaNier.[289] The university awarded an honorary degree toRobert Mugabe in 1990, but revoked it in 2008.[290]
Spartans have made their mark in all major American sports. MSU alumni formerly or currently in theNBA include point guard and three-timeMVPEarvin "Magic" Johnson,[291]Greg Kelser,[292]Jay Vincent,[293]Steve Smith,[294]Scott Skiles,[295]Jason Richardson,[296] andZach Randolph.[297]
In theNational Football League, MSU alumni includeCarl Banks, who was a member of the Giants teams that wonSuper Bowls XXI andXXV and a member of the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team; twenty-one year veteran quarterbackEarl Morrall,[298] defensive end and actorBubba Smith,[299] former Detroit Lions head coachWayne Fontes,[300] NFL games-played leaderMorten Andersen,[301]Plaxico Burress,[302]Andre Rison,[303]Derrick Mason,[304]Muhsin Muhammad,[305]T. J. Duckett,[306]Flozell Adams,[307]Julian Peterson,[308]Charles Rogers,[309] andJim Miller.[310]
TheAmerican Football League'sAll-Time Team includes tight-endFred Arbanas[311] andsafetyGeorge Saimes.[312]
Former Michigan State players in theNational Hockey League include All Star DefensemenDuncan Keith,Rod Brind'Amour,[313]Anson Carter,[314]Donald McSween,[315]Adam Hall,[316]John-Michael Liles,Justin Abdelkader,Corey Tropp, brothersKelly Miller[317] andKip Miller,[318] as well as their cousins, brothersRyan Miller[319] andDrew Miller.[320]
Former Michigan State players inMajor League Baseball includeHall of Fame inducteeRobin Roberts,[321]Kirk Gibson,[322]Steve Garvey[323] andMark Mulder.[324]Olympic gold medalists includeSavatheda Fynes[325] andFred Alderman.[326] The Spartans are also contributing athletes toMajor League Soccer, asDoug DeMartin,Dave Hertel,Greg Janicki,Rauwshan McKenzie,Ryan McMahen, andFatai Alashe have all played inMajor League Soccer.[327] In addition,Alex Skotarek,Steve Twellman andBuzz Demling played in theNorth American Soccer League, with Demling playing in the1972 Summer Olympics and theUnited States Men's National Soccer Team in the 1970s.
Ryan Riess, 2013World Series of Poker Main Event Champion, is a 2012 graduate of MSU.[328]NCAA Gymnastics Champion and formerSesame StreetMuppet performerToby Towson are MSU alumni as is professional wrestlerGeorge "The Animal" Steele.
Miss America 1961,Nancy Fleming, is a graduate of Michigan State.[329]
Shirley Weis, Mayo Clinic Chief Administrative Officer, is a 1975 graduate of the MSU College of Nursing and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2014.
Verghese Kurien was an Indian social entrepreneur known as the "Father of the White Revolution" for hisOperation Flood, the world's largest agricultural development program. He earned a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan State University in 1948.[330][331]Peter Schmidt, an American economist andeconometrician, is both an alumnus (1970) and faculty member of MSU, holding a universityDistinguished Professor position since 1997.[332]Tyler Oakley, YouTube personality, graduated from Michigan State University in 2011.[333]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Michigan State University. Retrieved on March 5, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)". MSU News Bulletin. 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). James Madison College @ Michigan State University. Retrieved June 25, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). James Madison College @ Michigan State University. Retrieved June 25, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). James Madison College @ Michigan State University. Retrieved March 5, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).Red Cedar Review website. Retrieved December 15, 2007.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
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