Michigan State University will ask the State of Michigan for $70 million to help finance its future Engineering and Digital Innovation Center, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its Friday meeting.
The board approved the request alongside its Five-Year Capital Plan — a document that lists projects the university is considering including renovations and new constructions.
The state already appropriated $30 million to MSU for the center, under a higher education bill passed in July 2023. Now, MSU is asking for another $70 million for a total state contribution of $100 million.
"We did not get it this year so we’re going back for it again in ‘27," Trustee Sandy Pierce said.
The center is expected to take up 260,000 square feet on south campus and house 65 researchers as well as 12 classrooms. Its final cost is expected to be $340 million.
University President Kevin Guskiewicz and Trustee Mike Balow emphasized the potential impact that the innovation center could have to position the university ahead of other institutions in the field of digital innovation.
"Any innovation that we see here in the 21st century that we do on campus is going to be done in this building once it’s up," Balow said.
Guskiewicz said during the meeting that the university has received nearly $100 million in private philanthropy to fund the construction.
The board first authorized planning for the project on June 24, 2022. The pricey project is being considered as all campus units are being asked to trim their budgets.
The university has argued that the new center is needed to "accommodate current and planned growth in student enrollment," according to a June 2022 memorandum outlining the plan for the center. The administration has also claimed that the center will benefit the state economy, building a skilled job pool for scientific and technical fields.
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