Hickory Corners — The large manor overlooking Gull Lake appeared even more extravagant with the extensive gardens surrounding it in full bloom. The manor looks almost the same as it did in 1925, just as W.K. Kellogg wanted it.
Rather than leaving his manor to his family, Kellogg donated his home to MSU for teaching and research, with the stipulation that all buildings standing were to be maintained in their original form, said Kay Gross, director of the station.
Kellogg, the founder of Kellogg's cereal, built the manor as his fourth home in the mid-1920s, Gross said. The home took more than six years to complete and stands in its original form on the highest point overlooking the lake.
"(Kellogg) had a real interest in nature and natural things," Gross said. Beyond the house, Kellogg built glass greenhouses, a bird sanctuary used to help save the then-endangered Canada Goose and planted various types of trees across the property, she said.
The manor and surrounding grounds — which equal more than 2,000 acres — were donated to the university after Kellogg's death in 1951.
The glass greenhouses are still the original style, as well as the meticulously maintained manor, coach house and wooden windmill, which Kellogg brought from the Netherlands and reassembled, Gross said.
MSU used the grounds to establish the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, which has grown over the years as an MSU extension, offering many different outlets for teaching and research. A characteristic of classes offered at the center is the hands-on approach, Gross said.
"It's this learning style that sets the station apart from other classes," said Erin Payne, a Kalamazoo College student who found the center to be a perfect place to conduct research.
The station will also be home to eight MSU students for a first-semester study program this fall.
Melinda Roth, a zoology senior, has spent two summers at the station and said it is a different learning experience than the standard classroom.
"I've taken a whole bunch of classes here, and they've been absolutely wonderful," Roth said. "You remember stuff a lot better because you see it in use."
Roth heard about the station and available summer classes during her freshman year through an adviser who happened to be involved with the program. The station has 10 resident faculty members who research year-round at the station. When the summer begins, anywhere from 60 to 80 visiting scholars, students and graduate students fill the grounds to take classes and conduct research, Gross said.
Unlike biological stations at other universities, research at the station is conducted all year.
"We've recruited a really great group of students who are dedicated," Gross said. The fall program at the station is divided into two terms during which students can take credits in geography, zoology and integrated social science.
Gross said the semester is a great alternative to study abroad.
"It's very hands-on, and it's very inexpensive. If you want to get the most out of your tuition dollar, take (classes) at KBS."
Students who study at the station maintain very close relationships, Roth said. Their activities outside of study include canoeing, hiking and volleyball.
"I've never been anywhere else where everyone's so excited about what they do," she said.
