Recap of last year's major news events
By Sarah Harbison (Last updated: 08/28/09 6:31pm) So, you're about to start your career at MSU. It's overwhelming, and there's a lot to learn — miles of campus and tons of buildings. On top of all that, you've got to get up to date on what's been going on. Fortunately for you, that's something we can make a whole lot easier. October 2006Temple Club closes Financial problems forced the venue, Lansing's largest for live music, to shut its doors in mid-October 2006. "For every three (shows) that worked out great, we had one that didn't," General Manager Jerome White said in an e-mail in October. "When you have three that work out great, you do well financially. If you have one that doesn't work out great, then you pretty much erase the success of the previous three shows." The club's closing left many local artists without a venue to perform, which left Lansing with a significant musical loss. November 2006
Football head coach John L. Smith fired More than halfway through another disappointing Spartans football season, university officials announced that head coach John L. Smith would not return the following season. Smith was in the fourth year of his six-year, $9 million contract. MSU paid Smith more than $3 million to buy out the final two years of his contract. "When you look at the really great programs, they can change coaches and still have continuity," MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said in November. "We've got to be able to have that continuity instead of having the program zigzag around coaches." December 2006
Protesters crash Tom Tancredo's, R-Colo., appearance on campus When Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., arrived at MSU to discuss illegal immigration, he was greeted in an unusual way — by protesters. About 10-20 protesters gathered before Tancredo arrived on the fourth floor of the MSU College of Law Building with signs that read "Ignorant Racist." Everyone was forced to evacuate the building before the event started because the fire alarm was pulled. January
MSU College of Human Medicine expansion named MSU's College of Human Medicine is expanding to western Michigan and was named after 1963 MSU alumnus Peter Secchia. Secchia was a former U.S. ambassador to Italy and is an active community leader in Grand Rapids. The Secchia Center will be seven stories tall and cover 180,000 square feet. The entire project will cost $70 million, of which the Secchias will donate $20 million. "I cannot think of a better name," Trustee Donald Nugent said. "Peter's at the center of everything. This is really exciting for me, being a West Michigan guy." February
College of Music created In order to gain greater visibility both on campus and nationwide, the MSU School of Music became the MSU College of Music in February. Dean Jim Forger said students expect a positive impact on their learning experiences and r•sum•s now that the college has been established. "The highest-ranked schools in the nation have this administrative structure," Forger said. "And so I think (students) thought there would be an added value of reputation of this institution, for it signals a significant nationally competitive program, which I believe we are." One particular issue for Thomas-Aaron Price, a music education junior, would be the ability to have a smaller graduation ceremony specifically for the College of Music. "There have been a lot of people that were hoping that we will be able to walk to the stage at graduation," said Price, who plans to graduate in 2010. April
MSU hockey team wins national championship The Spartans entered the NCAA Tournament as an underdog, then went on to capture the title in the championship game in St. Louis. Prior to that, the team beat the top-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in late March, giving them their first spot in the Frozen Four since 2001, and topped Maine to earn the national championship bid. "I'm proud as you can be, or as proud as I've ever been, of any team I've ever coached," head coach Rick Comley told The State News in April. Originally Published: 06/06/07 12:00am
