Michigan State University

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Michigan State University
Image:Michigan State University seal.png
Motto:	Advancing Knowledge. Transforming Lives.
Established	February 12, 1855
Type:	Public Land Grant University, Sea Grant
Endowment:	US $1.631 billion[1]
President:	Dr. Lou Anna Simon
Faculty:	4,800[2]
Students:	46,045[2]
Undergraduates:	36,072[2]
Postgraduates:	8,596[2]
Location	East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Campus:	Suburban 5,200 acre (21 km²) campus 2,000 acres (8 km²) in existing or planned development
Sports:	Spartans Image:Michigan State Spartans logo.svg
Colors:	Green and White[3]           [4]
Mascot:	Sparty
Website:	msu.edu
Image:Michigan State University logo.png

Michigan State University (MSU) is a co-educational public research university in East Lansing, Michigan USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act. MSU pioneered the studies of packaging, hospitality business, and music therapy. Today its study-abroad program is the largest of any single-campus university in the country, offering more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries on all continents including Antarctica. It is listed as a Public Ivy, which recognizes top public research universities in the United States.

Following the introduction of the Morrill Act, the college became coeducational and expanded its curriculum beyond agriculture. After World War II, the number of students tripled as the institution became a major university. Today, MSU is the seventh-largest university in the United States, with 45,520 students and 4,500 faculty members.

MSU's Division I sports teams are called the Spartans. They compete in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except ice hockey, in which the team is part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. MSU's football team won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, and 1988 and boasts three national championships.^[5] Its men's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship in 1979 and 2000. The MSU men's ice hockey has won national titles in 1966, 1986, and 2007.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Agriculture school 1.2 Land Grant pioneer 1.3 Co-ed college 1.4 Big Ten university 1.5 Global leader by 2012 2 Campus 2.1 North campus 2.2 South campus 3 Academics 3.1 Rankings 3.2 Research 3.3 Endowment 4 Colleges 4.1 Residential colleges 4.2 Professional schools 4.3 Other academic units 5 Athletics 5.1 Football 5.2 Men's basketball 5.3 Men's ice hockey 6 Student life 6.1 Greek life 6.2 Activism 6.3 Media 7 People 7.1 19th century 7.2 20th / 21st centuries 8 References 9 Further Reading 10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Michigan State University

[edit] Agriculture school

The Michigan Constitution of 1850 called for the creation of an "agricultural school",^[6] though it was not until February 12, 1855 that Michigan Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a bill establishing the United States' first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan.^[7] Classes began in May 1857 with three buildings, five faculty members, and 63 male students. The first president, Joseph R. Williams, designed a curriculum that required more scientific study than practically any undergraduate institution of the era. It balanced science, liberal arts, and practical training. The curriculum excluded Latin and Greek studies, since most applicants did not study any classical languages in their rural high schools. However, it did require three hours of daily manual labor, which kept costs down for both the students and the College.^[8] Despite Williams' innovations and his defense of education for the masses, the State Board of Education saw Williams' curriculum as elitist. They forced him to resign in 1859 and reduced the curriculum to a two-year vocational program.

[edit] Land Grant pioneer

In 1860, Joseph Williams became acting lieutenant governor^[9] and helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. This gave the College a four-year curriculum and 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.^[10] The College changed its name to State Agricultural College, and its first class graduated in the same year. However, there was no time for an elaborate graduation ceremony: the Civil War had just begun, and the first alumni were drafted into the war effort. The following year, Abraham Lincoln signed the First Morrill Act of 1862 to support similar colleges, making the Michigan school a national model. Williams never witnessed the cause to which he had dedicated so much of his life, having taken ill and died the previous year.

[edit] Co-ed college

The college first admitted women in 1870, although at that time there were no female residence halls. The few women who enrolled either boarded with faculty families or made the arduous stagecoach trek from Lansing. Nonetheless, even 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 a home economics curriculum with liberal arts and sciences. That same year, the College turned the old Abbot Hall male dorm into a women's dormitory and more firmly established itself as co-ed. However, it was not until 1899 that the State Agricultural College admitted its first African American student, William O. Thompson. He went on to teach at what is now Tuskegee University under the wing of Booker T. Washington, whom President Jonathan L. Snyder invited to be the Class of 1900 commencement speaker. A few years later, Myrtle Craig became the first female African American student to enroll at the College. Along with the Class of 1907, she received her degree from U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, commencement speaker for the Semi-Centennial celebration. The City of East Lansing was incorporated in that same year,^[11] and two years later the college officially changed its name to Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.).

[edit] Big Ten university

During the early 20th century, M.A.C. expanded its curriculum well beyond agriculture. By 1925, it had expanded enough that it changed its name to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (M.S.C.). In 1941, the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, John A. Hannah, became president of the College. He began the largest expansion in the institution's history, with the help of the 1945 G.I. Bill, which helped World War II veterans to receive an education. 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 on a new dormitory. Under his plan, enrollment increased from 15,000 in 1950 to 38,000 in 1965.^[13] Hannah also got the chance to improve the athletic reputation of M.S.C. when the University of Chicago resigned from the Big Ten Conference in 1946. Hannah lobbied hard to take its place, gaining admission in 1950. Five years later, in its Centennial year of 1955, the State of Michigan renamed the College as Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.^[14] Nine years after that, the University governing body changed its name from the State Board of Agriculture to the MSU Board of Trustees. The State of Michigan allowed the University to drop the words "Agriculture and Applied Science" from its name. Since 1964, the institution has gone by the name of Michigan State University.

[edit] Global leader by 2012

Since the end of the Hannah era, Michigan State has shifted its focus from increasing the size of its student body to advancing its national and global reputation. In September 2005, current president Lou Anna Simon called for MSU, one of the public ivy institutions, to become the global model leader for Land Grant institutions by the year 2012. Her plans include creating a new residential college and increasing National Institutes of Health donations past the $100 million mark. While there are over 100 Land-grant universities in the United States, she has stated that she would like Michigan State University to be the leader.^[15]

[edit] Campus

Main article: Campus of Michigan State University

MSU's sprawling campus is located in East Lansing. The campus is perched on the banks of the Red Cedar River. Development of the campus started in 1856 with three buildings: a multipurpose building called College Hall, a dormitory later called "Saints' Rest",^[16] and a barn. Today, MSU's contiguous campus consists of 5,200 acres (21 km²), 2,000 acres (8 km²) of which are developed. There are currently 676 buildings: 203 for academics, 154 for agriculture, 245 for housing and food service, as well as 74 other buildings. Overall, the University has 21,931,085 square feet (2,037,464.5 m²) of total indoor space.^[17] Connecting it all is 27 miles (43 km) of roads and 100 miles (161 km) of sidewalks.^[18] MSU also owns 44 non-campus properties, totaling 22,000 acres (89 km²) in 28 different counties.^[19]

[edit] North campus

The oldest part of campus lies on the north bank of the Red Cedar. It includes Collegiate Gothic architecture, plentiful trees, and curving roads with few straight lines. It was in this area that the College built its first three buildings, of which none survive. Other historic buildings north of the river include Cowles House, the president's official residence, and Beaumont Tower, a carillon clock tower marking the site of College Hall, the original classroom building. To the east lies Eustace-Cole Hall, America's first freestanding laboratory for horticulture.^[20] Other landmarks include the bronze statue of former president John A. Hannah,^[21] the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and the painted boulder known as "The Rock", which is a popular spot for theatre, tailgating, and candlelight vigils. On the northwest corner of campus lies the University's hotel, the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.

[edit] South campus

The campus south of the river consists mostly of post-World War II International Style buildings with sparse foliage, relatively straight roadways, and numerous parking lots. The "2020 Vision" Master Plan proposes replacing these parking lots with parking ramps and green space,^[22] but these plans will take many years to reach fruition. As part of the master plan, the University erected a new bronze statue of "The Spartan" in 2005. This replica replaced the original modernist terra cotta statue,^[23] which can still be seen horded inside Spartan Stadium. Notable academic and research buildings on the South Campus include the Cyclotron and the College of Law. This part of campus is home to the MSU Horticulture Gardens and the adjoining 4-H Children's Garden. South of the gardens lie the Canadian National and CSX railroads, which divide the main campus from thousands of acres of university-owned farmland.

[edit] Academics

Main article: Michigan State University academics

Main article: Michigan State University Libraries

MSU has the seventh largest student body in the U.S. There are 45,520 total students, with 35,821 undergraduates and 9,699 graduate and professional students. The student body is 55% female and 45% male. While 89% of students come from all 83 counties in the State of Michigan,^[24] also represented are all 50 states in the U.S. and about 125 other countries.^[2] MSU has about 4,500 faculty and 6,000 staff members, and a student/faculty ratio of 19:1.^[25] Listed as a Public Ivy,^[26] Michigan State is a member of the Association of American Universities. Michigan State University Ombudsman is the longest continually operating ombudsman office at a college or university in the country.^[27] Albert Fert, an Adjunct professor at MSU, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Peter Grünberg.^[28]

[edit] Rankings

Michigan State ranks 75th in the world, according to a Shanghai Jiao Tong University study, which measures scientific research leading towards a Nobel Prize.^[29] with U.S. News & World Report's ranking MSU 70th in the U.S.^[30] The university has over 200 academic programs. U.S. News has ranked MSU's graduate-level elementary education",^[31] secondary education,^[32] and Industrial and Organizational Psychology^[33] programs number one for the last decade. In addition, the 2008 U.S. News ranks Michigan State's Supply Chain Management program in the Eli Broad College of Business number one in the nation for the second year in a row.^[34] The National Communication Association ranks MSU doctoral programs as the nation’s most effective in educating researchers in health communication and communication technology.^[35] Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine has routinely ranked in the top five nationally for primary care according to U.S. News. MSU also is ranked in the top four in several other communication fields, including international/intercultural communication, mass communication and interpersonal communication. Other programs of note include criminal justice,^[36] music therapy,^[37] hospitality business,^[38] packaging,^[39] political science,^[40] journalism and communications.^[41] MSU's study abroad program is the largest of any single-campus university in the United States with 2,461 students studying abroad in 2004–2005 in over 60 countries on all continents, including Antarctica.^[42]

[edit] Research

The university spent nearly $380 million in 2005-06 on research,^[43] capping a long history of productive research. In 1877, botany professor William J. Beal performed the first documented genetic crosses to produce hybrid corn, which led to increased yields. MSU dairy professor G. Malcolm Trout invented the process for the homogenization of milk in the 1930s. In the 1960s, MSU scientists developed cisplatin, a leading cancer fighting drug. Today Michigan State continues its research with facilities such as the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and a particle accelerator called the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

In 2004, scientists at the Cyclotron produced and observed a new isotope of the element germanium, called Ge-60.^[44] In that same year, Michigan State, in consortium with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the government of Brazil, broke ground on the 4.1-meter Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in the Andes Mountains of Chile. The consortium telescope will allow the Physics & Astronomy department to study galaxy formation and origins.^[45] Since 1999, MSU has been part of another consortium called the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor, which aims to develop biotechnology research in the State of Michigan.^[46] Finally, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences' Quello Center researches current issues of information and communication management. Michigan State University has the largest African studies faculty in the nation, producing more Ph.D. dissertations and conducting more development work in Africa than any other university.^[47] The faculty of the MSU African Studies Center, which has the third largest U.S. library on Africa, and conducts a range of research and development work in Africa.^[48]

[edit] Endowment

MSU's (private, non-Morrill Act) endowment started in 1916 when the Engineering Building burned down. Automobile magnate R.E. Olds helped the program stay afloat with a gift of $100,000.^[49] While this opened the door for other types of private donations, MSU has often lagged behind peer institutions in terms of endowments. As recently as the early 1990s, MSU was last among the eleven Big Ten schools, with barely over $100 million in endowment funds. However, in the early 2000s, the University started a campaign to increase the size of the endowment. At the close of FY 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.^[50] The rapid increase in the size of the endowment will help to improve outdated facilities, such as the Music Building, which the College of Music hopes to soon replace with money from its alumni fundraising program.^[51]

[edit] Colleges

[edit] Residential colleges

MSU has several residential colleges, based on the Oxbridge "living-learning" model. By putting classes in student dormitories, these colleges improve student access to faculty and facilities. MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College started in 1965 with an interdisciplinary curriculum.^[52] MSU closed Morrill College in 1979, but today the university has three residential colleges, including the recent opening of the Residential College in Arts and Humanities located in Snyder and Phillips halls.

Started in 1967, James Madison College tries to merge the best attributes of a small public affairs college and a major university. Classes in the college are small, with an average of 25 students, and most instructors are tenure track faculty. James Madison College has about 1150 students total, with each freshman class containing about 320 students.^[53] Each of Madison's four majors—Social Relations and Policy, International Relations, Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and Comparative Cultures and Politics^[54]—requires two years of foreign language and one year of "field experience” in an internship or study abroad program. Although Madison students make up about 4% of MSU graduates, they represent around 35% of the MSU’s Phi Beta Kappa members.^[55]

The Lyman Briggs College teaches math and science within social, historical and philosophical contexts.^[56] Founded in 1967 as Lyman Briggs College, it was merged into the College of Natural Science in 1981, and was then known as Lyman Briggs School of Science.^[57] On June 15, 2007, Lyman Briggs regained college status, making it once again Lyman Briggs College.^[58] Many Lyman Briggs students intend to pursue careers in medicine, but the school supports over 30 coordinate majors, from human biology to computer sciences.^[59] Lyman Briggs is one of the few colleges that lets undergraduates teach as "Learning Assistants."^[60]

MSU's newest residential college is the Residential College in Arts & Humanities. Founded October 21, 2005,^[61] the college provides around 600 undergraduates with an individualized curriculum in the liberal, visual and performing arts. Though all the students will graduate with the same degree, MSU encourages students in the college to get a second degree or specialization.^[62] The university houses the new college in a newly-renovated Snyder-Phillips Hall, the location of MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College.^[63]

[edit] Professional schools

The Michigan State University College of Law is a private law school, even though MSU is a public institution. Founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, MSU bought the school in 1995, and moved it to East Lansing. Students attending MSU College of Law come from 42 states and 13 countries. The law school publishes the Michigan State Law Review^[64] and the Journal of Business and Securities Law, a student-run law journal dedicated to business and securities law.^[65] Michigan State University College of Law is the home of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute,^[66] the first trial practice institute in the United States. The Intellectual Property and Communications Law program is ranked seventeenth nationally.^[67]

The Eli Broad College of Business has programs in accounting, information systems, finance, management, marketing and supply chain management, and hospitality business. The school has 4,775 undergraduate students and 776 graduate students. The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, which Business Week magazine ranks 11th among public institutions, offers three MBA programs, as well as joint degrees with the College of Law.^[68]

The College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), the first publicly funded osteopathic college in the world, is among the best medical schools in the country. The Medical-Scientist Training Program at MSUCOM, training Physician-Scientist, is also the first in the country, having trained some of the countries most renowned scholars. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is currently undergoing unprecedented expansion, the first phase of which is taking place in southeast Michigan. The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has approved a resolution endorsing the expansion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine to two sites in southeast Michigan, a move board members and college officials say will not only improve medical education in the state, but also address a projected physician shortage. “Having a presence at both locations in southeastern Michigan has many benefits,” said William D. Strampel, dean of the college. “In Macomb County, we will be located at an innovative, state-of-the-art educational institution situated among a high concentration of osteopathic physicians and partner hospitals. At the DMC, in Wayne County, we will be teaching our students in an environment that will help them to learn how to meet the needs of an urban population. The college has been teaching students, interns and residents in southeast Michigan for nearly 40 years, Strampel said, relying on a large volunteer clinical faculty in the region. “As Michigan begins to experience a shortage of doctors, it is urgent that MSU increase enrollment in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is recognized as among the very best in the country for primary care education,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “By expanding to two sites in southeast Michigan, we can significantly enhance the educational mission, while simultaneously serving the area of the state with the greatest population and some of the greatest need. The MSUCOM, which consistently ranks in the top 5 percent of all medical schools for its primary care education, also 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. The MSUCOM is nationally recognized as a leader in medical education. ^[69]

The College of Veterinary Medicine is the second of three medical schools on campus.^[70] The College of Human Medicine graduates students with medical doctor MD degrees and is split into six distinct campuses located in Lansing, Kalamazoo, Flint, Saginaw, Marquette and Grand Rapids. Each campus is affiliated with local hospitals and other medical facilities professionals in the area.^[71] For example, the Lansing campus includes Sparrow Health System and Ingham Regional Medical Center.^[72] The College of Human Medicine has recently gained attention for its expansion into the Grand Rapids area, where a new campus is being built that is expected to fuel the growing medical industry in that region.^[73]

[edit] Other academic units

In recent years, MSU's music program has grown substantially. Music major enrollment increased more than 97% between 1991 and 2004.^[74] 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.^[75] The new college faces many new challenges, such as working with limited space^[76] and funding.^[77] Nevertheless, MSU's music college plans on continued success, placing an annual average of 25 graduate students in tenure stream university positions.^[74]

Founded in 1956, the MSU Honors College provides individualized curricula to MSU's top undergraduate students. Though the college has no majors of its own, it has its own dean 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 either an ACT score of at least 30 or an SAT total score of at least 1360.^[78] Students who do not enter Michigan State as Honors College members may apply for membership if they achieve a grade point average of at least 3.50 at MSU. Once admitted, students must maintain a 3.20 GPA and complete eight honors in order to graduate with an Honors College degree.^[79]

[edit] Athletics

Main article: Michigan State Spartans

Main article: List of Michigan State Spartans championships

Michigan State's NCAA Division I-A program offers 12 varsity sports for men and 13 for women.^[2] Since their teams are called the Spartans, MSU's mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty. The university participates in the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The current athletic director is Ron Mason, who served as head hockey coach from 1979 to 2002, retiring with a record total of 924 wins, and a 635–270–69 record at MSU.^[80] MSU's Spartan Marching Band plays the fight song at every university event, and both students and alumni sing along. Michigan State is among only sixteen Division 1A programs to win multiple national titles in football, and the first school to win multiple national titles in football, basketball, and hockey. MSU has won all of its football championships playing only division 1A opponents and has never played a division 1AA program. The Spartans have participated in two events, in basketball and ice hockey, which have set world records for spectator attendances for both sports.

[edit] Football

Main article: Michigan State Spartans football

Football has a long tradition at Michigan State. Starting as a club sport in 1884, football gained varsity status in 1896.^[81] It won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, and 1988. In 1967 the Spartans accounted for four of the top eight picks in the NFL draft, the only time a college football program has accomplished such feat.

Today, the football team competes in Spartan Stadium, a renovated 75,005 person football stadium near the center of campus. The current coach is Mark Dantonio, who was hired on November 27, 2006.^[82] Dantonio had an 18–17 record in his three year tenure at the University of Cincinnati, including a 1–0 Bowl Game record.^[83] He led the team in its first season to a 7-6 record. The Spartans played in the Champs Sports Bowl against Boston College on December 28th. MSU's traditional archrival is the University of Michigan, against whom they compete annually for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Michigan State is one of three Big Ten teams to have an annual non-conference football game against Notre Dame. MSU's record against the Fighting Irish is 25–44–1 but the Spartans have had much success against the Irish recently, becoming the first team ever to win six straight games at Notre Dame Stadium. ^[84] Michigan State has won six national championships (3 are disputed depending on which listing organization is referenced) and eight conference championships.

[edit] Men's basketball

Main article: Michigan State Spartans men's basketball

See also: Category:Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players and Category:Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coaches

MSU's men's basketball team has won the National Championship twice: in 1979 and again in 2000.^[85] In 1979, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, along with Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, and Mike Brkovich, led the MSU team to a 75–64 win against the Larry Bird-led Indiana State Sycamores. In 2000, three players from Flint, Michigan, Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, and Mateen Cleaves led the team to its second national title. Dubbed the "Flintstones", they were the key to the Spartans' win against the University of Florida. On December 13, 2003, Michigan State and Kentucky played in the Basketbowl, in which a record crowd of 78,129 watched the game in Detroit’s Ford Field. Kentucky won 79–74.^[86] The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center under head coach Tom Izzo, who has a 278-121 record. The student spirit section is the Izzone. Izzo's coaching has helped the team make four of the last eight NCAA Final Fours, winning the title in 2000.

[edit] Men's ice hockey

See also: Category:Michigan State Spartans ice hockey players and Category:Michigan State Spartans ice hockey coaches

The MSU men's ice hockey team started in 1924, though it has only been a varsity sport 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 the University of North Dakota. They play at MSU's Munn Ice Arena. The current head coach is Rick Comley, who has a 34–19–3 record at MSU.^[87] Since the Big Ten Conference does not include Division I men's ice hockey, Michigan State competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Along with the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University, it is one of three Big Ten schools in the CCHA. As with other sports, the hockey rivalry between MSU and U-M is a fierce one, and on October 6, 2001, MSU faced U-M in the Cold War, during which a world record crowd of 74,554 packed Spartan Stadium to watch the game end in a 3–3 tie.^[88] In the 2006–2007 season, the Men's Ice Hockey team defeated Boston College for its third NCAA hockey championship.^[89]

[edit] Student life

East Lansing is very much a college town, with 60.2% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24.^[90] President John A. Hannah's push to expand in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in the largest residence hall system in the United States.^[91] 16,000 students live in MSU's 23 undergraduate halls, one graduate hall, and three apartment villages. Each residence hall has its own hall government, with representatives in the Residence Halls Association (RHA). Yet despite the size and extent of on-campus housing, 58% of students live off-campus,^[92] mostly in the "student ghettos" of East Lansing. One of these student-dominated neighborhoods is "Cedar Village". The city since has declared Cedar Village "blighted", and proposed to redevelop the 35 acre (140,000 m²) site as a complex of upscale condominiums and retail stores called East Village. Several fraternities in the affected area mounted a campaign against the redevelopment plan.^[93]

[edit] Greek life

With over 3,000 members, Michigan State University's Greek system is one of the largest in the nation. Started in 1872^[94] and re-established in 1922 by Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, and Alpha Phi Sorority; the MSU Greek system now consists of 55 Greek lettered student societies.^[95] These chapters are in turn under the jurisdiction of one of MSU's four Greek governing councils. Of these four, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and the Women'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 March 2006, the Greek system held Greek Week to raise over $170,000 for the American Cancer Society, Ele's Place, the Ronald McDonald House, and the Special Olympics.^[96]

[edit] Activism

Activists have played an important role in MSU history. During the height of the Vietnam War, student protests helped create co-ed residence halls, and blocked the routing of Interstate 496 through campus. In the 1980s, Michigan State students convinced the University to divest the stocks of companies doing business in apartheid South Africa from its endowment portfolio, such as Coca-Cola.^[97] Today, MSU has many student groups focused on political change. The student government is the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU). It is known for its unusual nonpartisan bicameral structure, which includes the parallel Student Assembly and Academic Assembly.^[98] Graduate campus groups include the Graduate Employees Union (GEU)^[99] and the Council of Graduate Students (COGS).^[100] Michigan State also has a variety of partisan groups ranging from liberal to conservative, including the College Republicans, the College Democrats and several third party organizations. Other partisan activist groups include Young Americans for Freedom on the right; Young Democratic Socialists, Students for Economic Justice, and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) on the left. Given MSU's proximity to the Michigan state capital of Lansing, many politically-inclined Spartans intern for state representatives.

[edit] Media

MSU has a variety of campus media outlets. The student-run newspaper, the State News, is the country’s most widely distributed campus newspaper. Free copies of the paper are available online or at East Lansing newsstands. The paper prints 28,500 copies of the paper Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and 15,000 copies Monday through Friday during the summer.^[102] The paper is not published on weekends, holidays, or semester breaks. The campus yearbook, the Red Cedar Log, is the largest in the United States.^[103] 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.^[104] It is published annually by the Michigan State University Press.

Electronic media include three radio stations and one public television station, as well as student-produced television shows. MSU's Public Broadcasting Service affiliate, WKAR-TV, the station is the second-oldest educational television station in the United States, and the oldest east of the Mississippi River. Besides broadcasting PBS shows, WKAR-TV produces its own local programming, such as a high school quiz bowl show called QuizBusters. In addition, MSU has three radio stations; WKAR-AM plays National Public Radio's talk radio programming, whereas WKAR-FM focuses mostly on classical music programming.^[105] Michigan State's student-run radio station, WDBM, broadcasts mostly alternative music during weekdays, and electric music programming nights and weekends.^[106]

[edit] People

Main article: List of Michigan State University people

The current president of the University is Lou Anna Simon who took over on January 1, 2005 after being appointed by MSU's governing board, the Board of Trustees. The Board receives its mandate from the Michigan Constitution since MSU is a state-owned school. The constitution allows for eight trustees who are elected by statewide referendum every two years. Trustees have eight-year terms, with two of the eight elected every other year.^[107] As of 2007, the Board is made up of three Republicans and five Democrats, and has a 4:4 gender balance.^[108]

[edit] 19th century

Important College leaders in the 1800s include John C. Holmes, who kept the Agriculture School from being a part of the University of Michigan and is widely credited with being the prime mover for the school's founding; Joseph R. Williams, the first president; and Theophilus C. Abbot, the third president who stabilized the College after the Civil War. Also of importance was botany professor William J. Beal, an early plant (hybrid corn) geneticist who corresponded with Charles Darwin and championed the laboratory teaching method. Another distinguished faculty member of the era was the alumnus/professor Liberty Hyde Bailey. 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".^[109] Other famous 19th century graduates include Ray Stannard Baker, a famed "muckraker" journalist and Pulitzer Prize winning biographer of Woodrow Wilson; Minakata Kumagusu, a renowned environmental scientist; and William Chandler Bagley, a pioneering education reformer.

[edit] 20th / 21st centuries

Today, there are around 460,000 living MSU alumni worldwide.^[2] Famous MSU alumni include former Michigan governors James Blanchard and John Engler, Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, billionaire Eli Broad, Teamsters president James P. Hoffa, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, United States House Sergeant at Arms Wilson Livingood, and former United States Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. Alumni in Hollywood include actors James Caan, Anthony Heald, the late Robert Urich, director Sam Raimi, and screenwriter David Magee. NBC reporter Chris Hansen and ABC reporter Don Dahler are also MSU Alums.^[110] Two of the Little Rock Nine attended Michigan State, including Ernest Green, the first black student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School; and Carlotta Walls LaNier.^[111]

Spartans formerly or currently in the NBA include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, Steve Smith, Scott Skiles, Jason Richardson, Mateen Cleaves, Alan Anderson, Zach Randolph, Morris Peterson and Charlie Bell.^[112] On the American Football League's All-Time Team are tight-end Fred Arbanas and safety George Saimes. Jeff Smoker also plays for the AFL. In the National Football League, MSU alumni include Morten Andersen, Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, T.J. Duckett, Flozell Adams, Julian Peterson, Charles Rogers, Jim Miller, Earl Morrall, Wayne Fontes, Bubba Smith, and Drew Stanton.^[113] Former Michigan State players in the National Hockey League include Rod Brind'Amour, Anson Carter, Donald McSween, Adam Hall, John-Michael Liles, brothers Kelly Miller and Kip Miller, as well as their cousins Ryan Miller and Drew Miller who are brothers.^[114] Former Michigan State players in Major League Baseball include Kirk Gibson, Steve Garvey, Robin Roberts, and Mark Mulder.^[115] Olympic gold medalists include Allan Kwartler, Sevatheda Fynes, and Frederick Alderman.

[edit] References

[edit] Further Reading

• Kuhn, Madison. (1955). Michigan State: The First Hundred Years, 1855–1955. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 0-87013-222-9. 
• Stanford, Linda O., and Dewhurst, C. Kurt. (2002). MSU Campus: Buildings, Places, Spaces. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 0-87013-631-3. 

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Official athletics site
• Official MSU Campus Maps
• MSU Statewide Resource Network
• The State News, MSU's student-run newspaper
• MSU Telecasters, MSU Telecasters' homepage, student television
• Michigan State University Press
• Michigan State University is at coordinates 42°43′24″N 84°28′53″W / 42.723387, -84.481366Coordinates: 42°43′24″N 84°28′53″W / 42.723387, -84.481366
• A Brief History of East Lansing includes a chronology of campus history

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