Freshman Ozun Baris fighting against Illinois ace at MSU tennis courts on April 21, 2023.
Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees approved several infrastructure updates, a new scholarship and the establishment of a research building in Detroit.
President Kevin Guskiewicz said he saw the need for building renovations while touring campus.
“Some of them are incredible, outstanding, state-of-the art buildings, but also there are many that are showing their age and their limitations,” Guskiewicz said. “As a top global public research university, we need to continue to keep our eyes for renovation and replacement of some of our many of our facilities.”
New tennis facility
The board approved major renovations to the campus tennis facility at the corner of Chestnut Road and Wilson Road.
“The deteriorating outdoor courts will be rebuilt and improved to include better spectator viewing improvements,” the resolution said.
A new facility with restrooms, a locker room and space for teams will also be built.
The project is estimated to cost $600,000, and will be funded in part by a $10M donation from Michigan philanthropist Joan Secchia.
“Our tennis teams currently do not have dedicated locker room space. They share locker room space with the public,” Athletic Director Alan Haller said. “We don't have dedicated team space, and also our outdoor courts have deteriorated to a point where they need replacement. In spite of that, our teams are playing well, and our men's tennis team currently holds first place in the Big Ten.”
Renovations to former Wilson hall dining space
The board approved $1.76 million renovations to a former dining hall in Wilson Hall.
The unused space will be turned into teaching, learning and office space for the faculty and staff of MSU’s Technology Engineering program, which is anticipated to begin in fall 2024.
“The program is anticipated to have 800 or more students enrolled and will offer experiential learning through laboratory courses that integrate theory with hands-on, project-based learning,” the resolution said.
“This is cutting edge,” Program Director Janet Brelin-Fornari said. “We're bringing into the classroom project based experiential learning.”
Research building in Detroit
The board approved the leasing of one floor of a research building the university is set to build in Detroit.
It will lease the floor to Henry Ford Health, a partner of the university's College of Medicine. The building will be located on Henry Ford Health’s Detroit campus.
“The University’s strategic affiliation with Henry Ford Health is a key component to expanding research, along with expanding MSU’s footprint in Detroit, and creating the cornerstone for a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center,” the resolution said.
The budget of the new building is $335 million.
Senior Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Norm Hubbard said the university will break ground on the project in May, and will “hopefully open this building in 2027.”
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That investment is one part of MSU’s goal to make $1 billion in research expenditures annually, the resolution said.
“I just want to say that I couldn't be more excited about this and we think about the way we are connected to medical research and clinical care across the state of Michigan, now from Detroit, East Lansing to Grand Rapids and beyond,” President Guskiewicz said.
LGBTQIA+ Community Student Scholarship in Human Medicine
Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees approved the establishment of a scholarship fund for students in the College of Medicine that “have demonstrated a commitment to serving and/or advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community,” according to the resolution.
The initial funding of the scholarship is $50,000 and will be transferred from Translational Science and Molecular Medicine’s indirect cost recovery account.
FRIB
The board voted to approve an expansion to the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB.
The expansion will increase the facility’s ability to test vehicle chips against cosmic rays, the resolution said. Planning costs are estimated at $1 million.
Costs for equipment and instruments will be paid for by the federal government. FRIB is a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science located on MSU’s campus.
“The proposed addition adds two more testing end-stations and the additional capacity provided by the building expansion addresses this national need by allowing user teams to test 24/7, eliminating current gaps in testing time needed for user team set-up and take-down,” the resolution said.
