No longer does the MSU Faculty Folk Club focus on dinner dances and teas.

More than 80 years after its inception, the club's activities include touring nuclear reactors and Spartan Stadium.

The Faculty Folk Club has evolved from its days of solely social events to include education, scholarships, charity and volunteerism as major aspects of the organization.

The roughly 260 members of the club are mostly spouses of MSU faculty and administrators, although faculty and administrators themselves are welcome to join. The club welcomes men, although currently there aren't any male club members.

"What I value most is getting to know a wide variety of people," said Dorothy Manderscheid, an East Lansing resident who joined Faculty Folk Club "many years ago."

Manderscheid said she became an active member of the club about five years ago when she retired.

"I've grown in the types of things that I've learned to do," she said.

The club, which works to promote fellowship among members of the university community, began in 1923 as a social organization for the women who worked at then-Michigan Agricultural College and wives of department instructors.

Members attend monthly programs that include speakers, tours and visits to places in the community. Recent activities have included a speech by MSU football coach John L. Smith after a tour of Spartan Stadium, and a demonstration of how a nuclear reactor works at the Cyclotron.

"It really gets you to learn about and understand various aspects of the university," club President Arlene Brophy said. "It's very interesting and educational."

Club members bond through a variety of interest groups. The 22 groups — which include quilting, creative writing, bridge, golf and German conversation — provide an opportunity for club members to share similar interests, said Brophy, who has participated in the bridge and novel discussion groups.

"It's developing a lot of friendships with people that aren't all in one college that you're connected to," Brophy said. "It's friendships, but often it's doing positive things for the community. It's a really nice group of people that you can just enjoy."

The quilting group members meet weekly to work on quilts to donate to various organizations. In the past, the quilts have gone to organizations such as MSU Safe Place, a domestic violence support and education organization on campus. About 245 quilts have been donated to various groups, including internationally.

"It's a good feeling to be able to contribute to people who are in need and people who are deserving," quilting group co-chairperson Beatrice Hughes said.

One of the club's major events is Taste of the Town, which will be held March 25 at Wharton Center. Thirty area restaurants will provide food for attendees to sample, while all the proceeds will go toward the club's scholarship endowment fund.

The $2,000 scholarships will go to three College of Education students this year.

"We very much appreciate the support of the Faculty Folk Club," said Cassandra Book, associate dean of the College of Education. "It's very nice for the faculty folk to be engaged with the academic aspect of the university and support the students."

Brophy said she feels a sense of accomplishment with her participation in the club.

"I've done a lot of work with the club, and we have a history and value that I think is positive," she said. "I like being a part of it."