Happy National Higher Education Day from MSU HR! This national day of recognition is only in its second year, having begun in 2015 as a way to educate and inspire college students. A few ways to celebrate might include:
Post about your level of education achieved/being pursued and future academic goals
Use the hashtag #HigherEducationDay on your social media sites
Post about any scholarship or funding opportunities you know of
Consider donating to a scholarship program
Each of us at MSU is part of helping students grow, learn and change the world. Nothing speaks to this better than SPARTANS WILL. As part of this call-to-action, we encourage you to watch the TOMORROW series, inspired by The President’s Report on the past year’s impacts made by and through Spartans.
The arrival of summer also means a number of Spartans will be planning trips and leaving East Lansing for extended periods. To help reduce MSU’s energy use and emissions, follow these simple steps before leaving campus for extended time off.
Shut and secure windows Report any windows that don’t close properly. This will keep warm air out.
Flowers aren’t the only thing starting to pop-up this spring. More construction cones have started to appear as the spring semester ends and summer approaches. By keeping informed and planning ahead, you can make this construction season easier to manage.
Keep up-to-date on construction on MSU and around East Lansing.
Limited closures will continue on Bennett and Forest Roads and Pavilion Drive through June as part of the T.B. Simon Power Plant Upgrade Utility Substation.
Starting this Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, several roads will be repaved on campus. These include Shaw Lane between Chestnut Road and Red Cedar Road and Kalamazoo Street from Harrison Road to Birch Road. For a full list, visit MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF)Â Construction Junction.
Commuters can expect a closure on Abbot Road from May 23 – June 10, daily between 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. but open on the weekends. This construction is part of the landscape rejuvenation project to bring sites up-to-speed with the campus landscape design.
Beginning May 23, the parking lot construction rotation will occur through July 22. Portions of the scheduled lots will be shut down, keeping the remainder of the lot open for parking. To see the lots on this summer’s rotation, visit Construction Junction.
Around East Lansing
Watch for the Bogue Street construction to start tomorrow, May 11. The street from Grand River Avenue to Shaw Lane will be completely closed to traffic, with a posted detour through June 12. At that time, construction will move to Abbot Road, between Burcham Drive and Saginaw Street, through August 14. Abbot will still be open to traffic during construction, except for a one-week closure with dates still to be announced.
North Harrison Road, between Saginaw Street and Lake Lansing Road, will be closed beginning June 13 through August 19 as part of a major street project. A detour will be posted for traffic.
A good rule of thumb – if you’re not sure whether there’s construction, search ahead and keep up-to-date. Drive safe and stress free.
May is Military Appreciation Month and this Saturday, May 7, 2016, the MSU Athletics Department would like to thank you for your service with free admission to the MSU/Nebraska baseball game. The game begins at 1:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium located behind Jenison Field House (223 Kalamazoo St.). Show your military I.D. at the ticket booth for your free ticket. To thank you for your service, each branch of the military will be recognized throughout the game! If you are in need of additional tickets or have any questions or concerns, please contact Megan Hall (hallmeg1@ath.msu.edu).
If you are a faculty or staff member who has not self-identified your veteran status, please do so by logging into EBS, selecting your “ESS” tab, then “Personal Information,” then “Veterans Status, Race, and Ethnicity.” Your information will be used for reporting or internal communication purposes only. Thank you for your service!
Sponsors for the event include MSUFCU, LiveOn, MSU Black Alumni Association, Shaheen Chevrolet, and more.
Share some laughter and joy on Saturday, April 23, 2016, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Breslin Center at the SPOM Takeover Carnival and Resource Fair!
SPOM, which stands for Student Parents on a Mission, is a support organization for students at the university who have children. Proceeds for this event go toward the SPOM Scholarship Fund.
The carnival will include activities such as bounce houses, animated characters, laser tag, clowns, a petting zoo, karaoke, MSU Bug House, crafts, and much more. Parents can browse vendors such as Perfectly Posh, Tupperware, Jamberry Nails, and more.
You can also volunteer for the event by helping to set up, work or monitor the activities, and more.
Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children under 12. Make April 23 a day of fun for your family, all for a good cause!
The event will close with a bike ride around MSU’s beautiful campus, led by Tim Potter from MSU Bikes!
Spring feels like it’s been a little late to start this year, but pleasant weather, perfect for biking around campus, is just around the corner. Michigan State University was named a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists last November, and seasonal bikers now have the opportunity to test out the university’s new status while zooming down MSU’s streets and bike lanes.
In order to assist other campuses, communities and business with achieving a bicycle-friendly status, MSU will host the Bicycle Friendly America Conference on Thursday, May 19, 2016, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kellogg Center. There will be presenters from the League of American Bicyclists, the League of Michigan Bicyclists, the State of Michigan, other universities (including the Platinum level University of Minnesota), as well as Michigan State University and local communities and businesses.
Even though April 22 is Earth Day, there are numerous campus events happening all month to celebrate and raise awareness about environmental issues.
The campus community is encouraged to attend an event, check out campus sustainability resources and share photos throughout the month using the #bespartangreen hashtag.
TIAA will reveal the locations of the virtual hidden savings and winning squares at the end of the challenge!
MSU Human Resources is pleased to announce that we’ve teamed up with one of our retirement vendors, TIAA, to bring you the “Square Up Your Savings” challenge.
April is Financial Literacy Month, and Square Up Your Savings is a fun way to learn important strategies to boost your savings know-how.
Take the challenge through April 30, 2016, by completing one of 10 new missions that highlight savings education each day. Every time you complete a mission, you will earn a square to place on the map where you think the virtual hidden savings might be.
Every time you play, you are automatically entered for a chance to win one of three iPad minis. The more you play, the better your chances of winning, so sign on every day until all 10 missions are complete! (All responses are confidential. Please visit the link below to see the official rules of the sweepstakes.)
You will need to complete the registration form to begin the challenge. Please note, you do not need to be a TIAA account member to take part in the challenge. You will create a password of your choosing; the password will not be associated with your MSU NetID or any retirement accounts. Using your MSU NetID email address at registration is preferred so we can verify your employment if you are a winner.
Join the Spartan force on April 16. Sign up today!
Spartans make a difference around the world every day, but one day in particular has been set aside to bring the MSU community together in service. This year that day is April 16, the fourth annual SPARTANS WILL. POWER Global Day of Service. This organized, collaborative effort brings Spartans together to serve their communities while demonstrating the reach and power of the Spartan network. In 2015 Spartans donated approximately 16,000 hours of service to their local communities through this initiative!
Service-minded Spartans from around the globe, including individual alumni, alumni communities, groups, Spartan-led companies, businesses, non-profits and student organizations, are currently registering service projects. Spartans can also volunteer now for one of these established projects or create their own.
There are more than 30 service projects near the MSU campus, including cleaning, decorating and gardening elementary schools, yard work at Fenner nature center and a kayak or canoe trip down the Grand River to pick up trash and debris. Other nation-wide projects include rebuilding homes in Austin, Texas, and providing science education and history for at-risk youth in Philadelphia. There is even a life-coaching service project in Hong Kong!
The last day to register a project is April 1, and volunteer registration closes April 10. Find out more about the projects and sign up at serviceday.msu.edu.
Take the extra time to sort out your email, workspace, home, car or anything else.
Tell somebody you appreciate them.
Write a list of 29 things you want to accomplish before the next Leap Day.
Try something new! During these few extra hours you can stargaze, listen to a new album, try out a new recipe, or go rock climbing. If you have never attended a TEDxMSUÂ event, you can purchase a ticket for the March 2 talk.
