Category: Fun & Resources

Learn about fun and/or interesting things to do around MSU or interesting bits of MSU trivia.

Mother’s Day Madness!

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner, falling on Sunday, May 10 this year. While presents are always a thoughtful gesture, the most valuable gift that you can give to mom is your time! The East Lansing area offers an abundance of activities to enjoy while celebrating family.Pink tulips for mother's day

Mom’s Day Brunch, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Kellogg Center

What better way to honor your mom than with a delectable, mouth-watering brunch? The Kellogg Center’s State Room restaurant will serve up a meal fit for a queen, so don’t hesitate to make a reservation.

Mother’s Day Golf Special, all day, Forest Akers Golf Course

If your mom enjoys being active, then Forest Akers has the perfect deal! Golf green fees and cart fees are free for moms all day. Take advantage of this discount on either course.

Public Tour, 1 p.m. or 3 p.m., Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

Soak up a little culture by bringing mom to a free docent-led tour at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. Tours last 45 minutes and teach visitors about the structure of the building and the current exhibits.

Family Show, 4 p.m., Abrams Planetarium 

If relaxing under the stars is mom’s cup of tea, visit the Abrams Planetarium. The planetarium will be showing “Our Place in Space.”

Regardless of how you choose to spend the day, don’t forget to share your gratitude! Mothers deserve the world for all that they do.

Congratulations to the class of 2015!

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We would like to offer our congratulations and best wishes to all graduates in the class of 2015. Congratulations on your academic achievements that have led you to this very special and exciting time! We hope you follow in the footsteps of past graduates and find success in your careers as Michigan State University alumna! We wish you all the very best in your endeavors!Graduates from 2014 Commencement

We would especially like to thank those graduating students who have worked in HR this year.

  • Julia Breza will be graduating with an Economics degree.
  • Ryan Hasselbach will be graduating with a Communication degree.
  • Stephen Muer will be graduating with an Applied Engineering Sciences degree.
  • Cris Munoz will be graduating with a Media and Information degree.
  • Rebecca Tencza will be graduating with a Communications and Professional Writing degree.
  • Alex Webber will be graduating with a Human Resources Management degree.
  • Autumn Weidenhamer will be graduating with a Human Resources Management degree.
  • Alex Zuker will be graduating with a Civil Engineering degree.

Congratulations to all of these graduates and the class of 2015!

Spartan Youth Programs and Summer Camps

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Summer is quickly approaching, so you may want to check out the list of over 100 Spartan Youth Programs and summer camps for Pre-K through 12th graders. These programs offered by Michigan State University are great opportunities for children and young adults to take part in the Spartan experience and develop themselves academically. There are many 4-H camps available for all age groups, along with exciting creativity-driven camps that ignite children’s imaginations. There are also many different sporting camps, ranging from baseball and basketball to gymnastics, tennis, golf, football and hockey. Take a look at all the camps offered through Spartan Youth Programs and find one that your children would enjoy at: http://spartanyouth.msu.edu.Spartan Youth Programs graphic

A list of popular places to visit on campus can also be found below the list of programs, camps and activities.

Greater Lansing Walking and Bicycle Paths

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As the weather begins to warm up, remember that there are wonderful walking and bicycle paths in our region. In 2014, the Lansing River Trail was expanded to reach into South Lansing’s Holt and Mason districts. If you reside in the South Lansing area, remember to take advantage of the trails on a sunny day by biking this route which crosses Willoughby Road along Sycamore Creek. The trail leads you past the Hope Soccer Fields Complex where the trail joins the Aurelius Road bike lane at Jolly Road. Your trip continues north, passing near scenic Hawk Island County Park and going all the way to Fenner Nature Center and Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, where it joins up with what we know as the Lansing River Trail.Lansing River Trail Map

From there you can head either west to the Capitol and Old Town, or east to MSU and enjoy all the campus has to offer on a beautiful spring or summer day. Remember that there are some great MSU walking paths too!

Fresh, Local Produce from the MSU Student Organic Farm

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A smorgasbord of fresh produce grown by MSU’s Student Organic Farm.

MSU’s Student Organic Farm (SOF) invites MSU faculty and staff to become a part of its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this summer. Participants of the program will receive weekly boxes of local, organic produce. These bountiful shares are designed to feed a family of four, or two prolific veggie lovers. The investment is just $755 for the entire summer, equaling $1.35 per person per day for a family of four. This fee serves double duty by paying for experiential agricultural education for undergraduates as well as the training of new farmers at MSU SOF. The program begins on June 15 and will commence on October 26. Summer Harvest Share pick up is on Mondays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Student Organic Farm located at 3291 College Rd., just south of Jolly.

The benefits of the CSA program are truly innumerable. Reap the following rewards with your membership:

  • Convenient access to eight to 12 delicious organic produce items from the farm for 20 weeks! You won’t find fresher, healthier or easier elsewhere.
  • The peace of mind of knowing your farm and farmer.
  • Access to the CSA U-Pick Garden.
  • The knowledge that your money will support Michigan’s next generation of organic farmers and passionate students.

For more information and to join the program, please email msufarm@msu.edu or call 517-230-7987 for details and membership documents. If you are interested in supporting the SOF sans commitment, feel free to take advantage of the weekly campus Farm Stand. The Farm Stand is located on Farm Lane, just north of Shaw Lane and just south of the Red Cedar and will be open every Thursday through October 29 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For additional information and to sign up for the Farm Stand e-newsletter, please visit http://www.msuorganicfarm.org/farm-stand.

April is the Month to Truly Go Green

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Earth Day will celebrate its 45th anniversary on Wednesday, April 22. In honor of this milestone, MSU will be hosting a wealth of events all month long. Most notably, President Lou Anna K. Simon will address the university in an annual conversation about the future of energy at MSU on Wednesday, April 8. Simon, along with a panel of distinguished experts, will discuss the strategic course of action set in place to position MSU as a leader in terms of energy infrastructure. The conversation begins at 10:15 a.m. Feel free to tune in via webcast or use #MSUEnergy to pose questions on Twitter.

This month, honor the earth!
This month, honor the earth!

Other events include observing live insects, garden shopping, a bicycle info session and an award ceremony. On April 15, the MSU Science Festival Open House will kick off its festivities at The Bug House. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Department of Entymology. On April 18, the MSU Horticulture Club will hold a public plant sale with outstanding deals on perennials, herbs, grasses and more off of Bogue Street. Be green and invest in the environment! On Earth Day itself, MSU bikes will host a Bicycle Information Open House  at the MSU Main Library. Students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to join to learn more about bicycling as a sustainable and viable transportation method within Greater Lansing. MSU Sustainability will also hold its 2nd Annual Earth Day Gala. The gala will serve as an award ceremony to honor members of the MSU community and the significant contributions made toward creating a more sustainable campus.

SPARTANS WILL. POWER Global Day of Service

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The third annual SPARTANS WILL. POWER Global Day of Service returns on Saturday, April 18, 2015, bringing together Spartan alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff from around the world to serve their local communities. In 2014, Spartans donated approximately 5,000 hours of service to their local communities through this initiative! Sign up for a volunteer opportunity on their website, which lists worldwide projects that are being hosted. The last day to register for the Global Day of Service is April 14. We hope that you’ll be part of this effort to magnify the power of the Spartan Nation for the benefit of our communities. Who will? SPARTANS WILL.Service Day Graphic

Promote the event using the hashtag #MSUServiceDay on social media!

Relaxing Under the Stars

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Recently I attended the “Relaxing Under the Stars” program and found it very beneficial and intriguing. Not only that, I was able to truly relax and gaze at the stars for some time, something we all probably haven’t done since summer or early fall of last year. I encourage all faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees and the spouses/partners of these groups to join Health4U and Abrams Planetarium for “Relaxing Under the Stars” to re-capture that feeling of relaxation and wonderment of the Universe.

Abrams Planetarium
Abrams Planetarium’s entrance brings you right into the world of astronomy.

The first 20 minutes consists of a guided constellation tour using the impressive Digistar 5, the new computer-graphics-based planetarium projector updated in the summer of 2014. This is truly an impressive piece of technology allowing the presenter to easily point out the constellations and give directions on how to find them during your own stargazing opportunities. The second half of the program features relaxing music to complement your stargazing experience. The particular session I attended culminated with a magnificent grand finale known as the “Spartan Star-Tacular,” which geared me and other attendees up for the rest of our work day.

The next show will be on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Visit the Health4U website for more information and future dates.

The Inspirational Woman of the Year Award Reception

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The Inspirational Woman of the Year Award Recognition Reception will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the University Club and is free to attend.

The Inspirational Woman of the Year Award recognizes three MSU-affiliated women who have demonstrated professional achievement, community engagement, or have created a culture of empowerment. This year’s award honors, in each category:

Dr. Karin Wurst
Dr. Karin Wurst, one of the recipients of this year’s award recipients. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy,
  • Professional Achievement, Dr. Jeanne Wald, Professor, Department of Mathematics;
  • Community Engagement, Ms. Audrey Bentley, Community Outreach Senior Coordinator, Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives;
  • Culture of Empowerment, Dr. Karin Wurst, Advisor to the Provost for Intercultural Learning and Engagement, Office of the Provost.

Join us for a reception honoring the accomplishments of these three award recipients. RSVP to wrc@msu.edu or 517-353-1635. For more information visit the Women Resource Center’s event page.

Spring 5k Races on MSU’s Campus!

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Shamrock 5k Graphic
One 5k you can check out is the Shamrock 5k, benefiting the Tower Guard.

There’s no better way to kick that cabin fever than lacing up those running shoes and participating in a 5k for a great cause. There are plenty of 5k races taking place right here on MSU’s campus in East Lansing this spring.