Are you looking for activities for you and your family in the upcoming month? There are events (in-person and virtual) on campus and in the Greater Lansing community. Many events require registration, so be sure to click the links to learn more
Campus Events
April 1- Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Speakers Series: Join Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D., for a conversation with Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, Ph.D., dean of Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, and the Carlos Montezuma Professor of Education and Social Policy, for a talk on Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Registration for this free event is required.
April 1 – 30 – MSU Earth Month Events: Join an action-packed month ahead this April to celebrate Earth Month with plenty of opportunities to Be Spartan Green!
April 5- Red Cedar Cleanup: MSU Infrastructure and Planning Facilities is hosting the Red Cedar River Clean-up. This event will start at The Rock and will be open to all faculty, staff, students, and community members.
April 2-14- Moulin Rouge! The Musical at The Wharton Center: Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be at The Wharton Center from April 2-14. Purchase tickets to the show on The Wharton Center website.
April 14 – Spring Showcase: Lights, CTRL, Action: MSU’s CTRL+A will host its annual spring showcase event on CTRL+A’s birthday in the MSU Union Ballroom. Six years ago, on April 11, CTRL+A officially became an MSU Registered Student Organization. Come join and see showcase performances to celebrate the organization.
April 19- Spartan Upcycle Friday: Drop in and explore creative reuse and upcycling by repurposing materials sourced through the MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center.
April 20- MSU Football Spring Showcase (free): Michigan State Athletics will welcome fans to Spartan Stadium on Saturday, April 20 to get a first glimpse at head coach Jonathan Smith and the 2024 Spartans when it hosts the Spring Showcase at 2 p.m.
April 22-25- Wellbeing Break in the Garden (free): Reset and relax in the Beal Botanical Garden at noon for a week of wellbeing activities.
Family-Friendly Activities
April 10-20- Capital City Film Festival: The Capital City Film Festival (CCFF) celebrates artists from around the world by curating outstanding multimedia experiences for the community. The annual festival showcases an eclectic mix of independent films, live music, interactive media, and more in Michigan’s capital city. Passes and tickets to showings are available on the CCFF website.
April 13- Earth Bash: Join us for a family-friendly event focused on reducing waste by practicing the principles of a circular economy. Tour the recycling center and vermicompost hoop house. Get creative with Spartan Upcycle. Freecycle clothing and books.
April 11 – Take Your Child to Work Day: MSU employees are encouraged to
bring their child, or a special child in their life, to celebrate the many career, educational and entertainment events we offer right here at MSU! This annual event highlights the university’s support for its employees, their families, and all MSU community members. MSU Units and Departments will host tours and activities geared towards kids ages 8-17 and younger ages are welcome. MSU employees will be able to participate by bringing their child to their workplace and attending the activities and tours being hosted by MSU units all across campus. Registration is encouraged.
April 17- East Lansing Public Library: Michigan Mussels with US Fish and Wildlife (free): Join US Fish & Wildlife Service Imperiled Species Coordinators Finn and Julia for this fun, interactive, and educational program all about Michigan’s mussels. Registration for this event is required as space is limited.
Health and Wellness
April 4 and 18- Deepening Your Essential Skills (free): This webinar is an opportunity for people who have completed any course offered by Spartan Resilience Education to continue their learning, ask questions, raise topics, and build community with other learners from across the MSU community. Registration for this free event is required.
April 15- Rest With Music: Enjoy this free event at Abrams Planetarium with live musical performances to help you relax during your busy workday. Registration is recommended.
April 20- Earth Day Extravaganza at Fenner Nature Center (free): At the Earth Day Extravaganza, you can sign up for the morning shift (9 to 11 a.m.) or the afternoon shift (12:30 to 3 p.m.,) or both. During your shift, you can select a conservation or stewardship activity like picking up trail trash, pulling invasive species, maintaining trails, or participating in updating the Playscape and working in the pollinator garden.
April 2,9,16, 23, and 30: Chair Yoga: Chair Yoga adapts some of the traditional poses of yoga to be done seated, or while standing and using the chair for support. Stretching, reaching, bending, and breathing – and no mat required!
Learning Opportunities
April 5- Fatherhood Forum (free): The Fatherhood Forum is for fathers who want to enhance their greatness as parents, their loved ones and supporters. Enjoy breakout sessions exploring fatherhood, child development, healthy parenting, self-care, and more. Registration for this free event is recommended.
April 9- The Power of Habit: Habits are predictors of long-term performance, but we struggle to manage our habits and achieve the outcomes we want. In this course you will learn how habits are created and how to replace undesirable habits with productive ones. You will learn how to spot your habit loop, turn bad days into good data, and create habits that get the results you want.
April 9- Managing Meetings: Use this program to better plan, lead, and follow through on your meetings and enhance team productivity, coordination, and cohesion.
April 10, 17, 24- Breaking Free from Stress: This course will help you become aware of how your own thought world operates to bring you your personal reality of your work and personal life.
April 11- Beal Botanical Garden: Our Strategic Plan in Action (free): Join MSU Libraries for a lunchtime tour of the Beal Botanical Garden to learn about programmatic and physical changes to the garden from Interim Director Dr. Alan Prather. The audience will be introduced to Beal’s new strategic plan and how we will be using it to help illuminate the connection between people, plants, and places.
April 11- Resilient Leadership Series: Explore with other campus leaders some essential resilience skills required for effective leadership in the first part of this series.