MSU Facts

About MSU • Academics • Campus Life • Finances • Leadership • More Information • People • Presidents

Facts at a Glance (2007-08)

Michigan State University is defining what it means to be a land-grant university in the twenty-first century. From its roots as the nation’s pioneer land-grant institution, the university has a long tradition of using the research and knowledge developed at MSU to create practical solutions that make a difference for individuals and communities across Michigan and around the world. Today, Michigan State is one of the top 100 universities in the world. As a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact, MSU continues its proud tradition of advancing knowledge and transforming lives.

ABOUT MSU

History

Founded in 1855

Prototype for 69 land-grant institutions established under the Morrill Act of 1862

First institution of higher learning in the United States to teach scientific agriculture

Official name changes

Feb. 12, 1855 – Agricultural College of the State of Michigan

March 15, 1861 – State Agricultural College

June 2, 1909 – Michigan Agricultural College

May 1, 1925 – Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science

July 1, 1955 – Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science

Jan. 1, 1964 – Michigan State University

Presidents

1. Joseph R. Williams (1857-1859)

2. Lewis R. Fisk (1859-1862)

3. Theophilus C. Abbot (1862-1884)

4. Edwin Willits (1885-1889)

5. Oscar Clute (1889-1893)

6. Lewis B. Gorton (1893-1895)

7. Jonathan L. Snyder (1896-1915)

8. Frank S. Kedzie (1915-1921)

9. David Friday (1921-1923)

10. Kenyon L. Butterfield (1924-1928)

11. Robert S. Shaw (1928-1941)

12. John A. Hannah (1941-1969)

13. Walter Adams (1969-1970)

14. Clifton R. Wharton Jr. (1970-1978)

15. Edgar L. Harden (1978-1979)

16. Cecil Mackey (1979-1985)

17. John DiBiaggio (1985-1992)

18. Gordon Guyer (1992-1993)

19. M. Peter McPherson (1993 - 2004)

20. Lou Anna Kimsey Simon (2005 - present)

Tradition

Nickname: Spartans

Colors: Green and White

Mascot: Sparty

Campus profile

Located in East Lansing, three miles east of Michigan’s Capitol in Lansing
• 5,200-acre campus with 2,100 acres in existing or planned development
• 579 buildings, including 85 with instructional space

15,000 acres throughout Michigan used for agricultural, animal, and forestry research

More than 200 programs of study offered by 17 degree-granting colleges

Students from all 83 counties in Michigan, all 50 states in the United States, and about 130 other countries

Operates on semester system

Observed holidays (2007-08)

Labor Day (September 3)

Thanksgiving Day (November 22 and 23)

Christmas Day (December 24 and 25)

New Year’s Day (December 31 and January 1)

Martin Luther King Day (January 21) – university open, classes canceled

Memorial Day (May 26)

Independence Day (July 4)

LEADERSHIP

President
Lou Anna K. Simon

Board of Trustees

Joel I. Ferguson (term ends January 1, 2013)

Melanie Foster (term ends January 1, 2013)

Dorothy V. Gonzales (term ends January 1, 2009)

Colleen M. McNamara (term ends January 1, 2011)

Donald W. Nugent (term ends January 1, 2011)

Faylene Owen (term ends January 1, 2015)

George Perles (term ends January 1, 2015)

G. Scott Romney (term ends January 1, 2009)

Executive officers

Kim A. Wilcox, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Fred L. Poston, Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer

Alison E. Barber, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Executive Assistant to  the President

J. Ian Gray, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

Charles H. Webb, Vice President for University Development

Steven M. Webster, Vice President for Governmental Affairs

Lee N. June, Vice President for Student Affairs and Services

John Hudzik, Vice President for Global Engagement and Strategic Projects

Robert A. Noto, General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs

Paulette Granberry Russell, Senior Adviser to the President for Diversity and Director, Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives

Terry Denbow, Vice President for University Relations

William R. Beekman, Acting Executive Director of the MSU Alumni Association

PEOPLE

Students (fall 2007)

46,045 total: 36,072 undergraduate and 9,973 graduate and professional

54 percent women, 46 percent men

7.4 percent African American, 5.1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.8 percent Chicano/Other Hispanic, and 0.7 percent Native American

Freshman class profile (middle 50 percent of class): high school GPA, 3.4-3.8; SAT combined score, 1020-1240; ACT composite score, 23-27

Faculty and academic staff
Approximately 4,800

Support staff employees
Approximately 6,100

Living alumni
More than 460,000 worldwide

ACADEMICS

Degree-granting colleges

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources • Dean: Jeffrey D. Armstrong

Residential College in Arts and Humanities • Acting Dean: Stephen Esquith

College of Arts and Letters • Dean: Karin A. Wurst

Eli Broad College of Business/Eli Broad Graduate School of Management • Dean: Robert B. Duncan

College of Communication Arts and Sciences • Dean: Charles T. Salmon

College of Education • Dean: Carole Ames

College of Engineering • Dean: Satish Udpa

College of Human Medicine • Dean: Marsha Rappley

James Madison College • Dean: Sherman W. Garnett

College of Law (affiliated) • Acting Dean: Cliff F. Thompson

Lyman Briggs College • Dean: Elizabeth Simmons

College of Music • Dean: Jim Forger

College of Natural Science • Dean: James Kirkpatrick

College of Nursing • Dean: Mary Mundt

College of Osteopathic Medicine • Dean: William D. Strampel

College of Social Science • Dean: Marietta L. Baba

College of Veterinary Medicine • Dean: Christopher Brown

Research and outreach

One of Top 100 Global Universities (Newsweek/MSNBC rankings)

More than 140 active linkage agreements with international organizations in more than 50 countries

More Rhodes Scholars in past 25 years than any other Big Ten school

Sponsored research totaled nearly $377 million in 2006-07

Top federal funding agencies: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of Agriculture

Notable discoveries include:

• Cross-fertilization of corn in the 1870s
• Homogenization of milk in the 1930s
• Anticancer drug cisplatin in the 1960s
• Materials that reduce dependence on fossil fuels in the twenty-first century

MSU Extension reaches into all 83 counties in Michigan to provide practical, university-based knowledge

MSU Global extends academic and professional degree and certificate programs to off-campus learners, with more than 13,000 enrollments in 29 degree and certificate programs, making MSU one of the top three in online learning in the Big Ten

Other externally funded national and international research programs include the MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, the Composite Vehicle Research Center, the U.S.-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence, the Center for Advanced Study of International Development, and the Center for International Business Education and Research

University Outreach and Engagement connects faculty with external audiences to address community issues

Facilities

Home of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, which funds the research of more than 300 scientists on campus and at a network of 12 field research stations across the state

Home of the premier rare isotope research facility in the nation, the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory

Only university in the country with three on-campus medical schools, graduating allopathic and osteopathic physicians, and veterinarians

Collection supplemented by more than six million microforms, 274,978 maps, 63,445 sound recordings, and 37,832 current serial subscriptions, as well as access to tens of thousands of additional electronic resources

Largest single-campus residence hall system in the country with 23 undergraduate halls, one graduate hall, and three apartment villages

More than 500 wireless access points on campus

Study abroad

The national leader in study abroad among U.S. public universities (according to the most recent Institute of International Education Open Doors report, which is based on 2005-06 participation)

More than 240 programs on all continents in more than 60 countries

2,975 students studied abroad through MSU during 2006-07

FINANCES

Total revenue (2006-07): $1.8 billion

Operating revenues: $1,134 million (62.8 percent)
• Student tuition and fees: $406 million (22.5 percent)
• Grants and contracts: $335 million (18.5 percent)
• Auxiliary activities: $253 million (14.0 percent)
• Other operating revenues: $140 million (7.8 percent)

Net nonoperating and other revenues: $673 million (37.2 percent)
• State/capital appropriations: $330 million (18.3 percent)
• Investment and other revenues: $228 million (12.6 percent)
• Gifts, capital grants, and additions to permanent endowments: $115 million (6.3 percent)

Tuition and required fees (2007-08)

Resident undergraduate students
• Entering lower division: $280.00/credit
• Returning lower division: $257.25/credit
• Entering upper division: $309.50/credit
• Returning upper division: $286.75/credit

Resident graduate students: $378.75/credit

Nonresident undergraduate students
• Entering lower division: $742.00/credit
• Returning lower division: $719.25/credit
• Entering upper division: $767.75/credit
• Returning upper division: $744.75/credit

Nonresident graduate students: $800/credit

All students have registration/matriculation/energy fees of $620 per semester ($437 for students registered for four or fewer credits)

Housing

Residence hall rates (2007-08)
• Undergraduate (double room/20 meals per week): $3,338/semester
• Graduate (single room/$300 food credit): $2,954/semester

Apartment rates (2007-08)
• One bedroom (remodeled): $630/month
• Two bedroom (remodeled): $699/month

For a more detailed estimate of costs, visit: finaid.msu.edu/costs

CAMPUS LIFE

Athletics

MSU varsity squads: 12 intercollegiate sports for men and 13 intercollegiate sports for women

In 2005, both the men's and women's basketball teams competed at the same time in the NCAA Final Four–a first in MSU's history

2007 NCAA hockey champions

Sparty is a three-time national top collegiate mascot for 2004, 2005, and 2007

MSU has one of the largest intramural sports programs in the nation

Facilities and seating capacities: Spartan Stadium, 75,005; Breslin Student Events Center, 15,085; Munn Ice Arena, 6,470; Jenison Field House, 5,000; Kobs Baseball Field, 4,000; Outdoor Track and Field and Field Hockey Complex, 3,000; Old College Field, 2,000; and MSU Tennis Facility, 1,200

Intramural facilities: playing fields and gyms; ice arena; basketball, tennis, volleyball, and racquetball courts; golf courses; swimming pools; indoor running tracks; and weight rooms

Culture and entertainment

Wharton Center for Performing Arts: four venues–Cobb Great Hall, Pasant Theatre, MSU Auditorium, and Fairchild Theatre–host a variety of cultural events

Breslin Student Events Center: state-of-the-art arena hosts special events such as concerts, commencements, ice shows, circuses, sporting events, banquets, conventions, and trade shows

MSU Museum: offers anthropological, biological, folklife, geological, and historical exhibits and programs

Art Museum at MSU: houses MSU’s collection of nearly 7,500 works of art spanning 5,000 years of human history

Abrams Planetarium: houses a Digistar computer graphics planetarium projector and a 150-seat Sky Theater

Horticultural Demonstration Gardens: six distinct gardens over 7.5 acres provide a living laboratory where plants and people grow together

Student organizations

More than 500 registered student groups

Student media: The State News and Impact 89 FM radio

Greek-letter community: more than 50 nationally affiliated organizations

Programs for persons with disabilities

Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities: provides disability-related information and referrals

FOR MORE INFORMATION

About MSU

MSU home page: msu.edu

MSUToday Online: msutoday.msu.edu

About working at MSU

Job postings: hr.msu.edu/hrsite/HiringPostings

Benefits: hr.msu.edu/hrsite/Benefits

About applying to MSU

Undergraduate study: admissions.msu.edu

Graduate study: grad.msu.edu

About giving to MSU

givingto.msu.edu

About alumni activities at MSU

msualum.com

About athletics at MSU

msuspartans.cstv.com