It depends who you ask about MSU’s partnership with Detroit.

“The president did a tremendous job in suggesting that it’s a collaborative effort,” said Gerald Smith, president and CEO of Detroit Youth Foundation. “I may have introduced them and said that this was a day for MSU. (President Simon) corrected me and said the day was for all of us.”

MSU-Detroit Partnerships kicked off at the YouthVille Detroit facility in a ceremony with MSU administrators and members of the Detroit Youth Foundation.

“The idea is to do engaged scholarship, which means you work on real projects in real context,” said June Youatt, senior associate provost. “The important thing is it’s not us doing something for them or to them. It really is partnership.”

MSU will rent 3,000 square feet of space in the building that houses YouthVille Detroit, a safe center for youth that promotes learning and development, said Anthony Thompson, YouthVille Detroit executive director.

“We need to find out what effect (the programs) have on a young person’s growth and development. (MSU) can help us look at how do you measure that – the research component,” Thompson said.

YouthVille Detroit aids up to 250 children daily and houses tenants like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit and United Way.

“It helps that it’s not just a university that’s located on an East Lansing campus but that they are actively involved in reaching out to a strong urban community that can only benefit from the resources that they bring,” Smith said.

The 73,000-square-foot facility holds a gymnasium, pottery room, music recording studio, cyber cafe and a knowledge center for homework support six days a week. It’s located at 7375 Woodward Ave., Suite 1520, in Detroit’s New Center Area.

“One of the things that happens is so many of us are locked into our own individual communities,” Smith said. “That reigns true here as it does in other cities. I think people in southeast Michigan don’t always look to East Lansing and have the exposure … so this makes sense.”