A proud member of the Big Ten Conference, Michigan State University and its sister universities make a big impact—in partnerships and individually—in their communities, across the nation, and around the world.
The 12 outstanding institutions of the Big Ten Conference, which was formed more than 115 years ago, share values and goals that focus on high academic standards while supporting athletic excellence and celebrating student-athlete accomplishments. 
With a total of nearly five million alumni around the world and annual research and development expenditures of more than $7 billion, Big Ten universities are a force for good. Learn more about the impact of Big Ten universities.
- The Big Ten leads all conferences with 30 ranked graduate school programs among the nation’s top 25 in the fields of law, medicine, business, and engineering, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2012.
- All Big Ten universities were granted Tier One Status by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a distinction awarded to about 100 universities in the nation.
- Big Ten universities were issued a total of more than 480 patents. (2009)
- The conference recognized a record 2,557 student-athletes who achieved cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or better on Academic All-Conference teams in 2011–12.
- The conference launched the first national conference-owned television network in 2007—the Big Ten Network, which now is in 51 million homes nationally and available internationally in 20 countries.
- The Big Ten was the first conference to address the historical imbalance in male and female student-athlete participation in intercollegiate athletics and voluntarily adopt participation goals for female student-athletes.
- Big Ten teams claimed at least three national titles in each of the last 10 seasons, and the Big Ten leads all conferences with national titles in 12 different NCAA-sponsored championships from 2002–03 to 2011–12.
- The Big Ten has some of the nation’s most supportive fans, with more than 10 million patrons attending conference home contests during the 2011–12 seasons for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball alone.
Michigan State University’s work to help veterans and their families
transition back into civilian life and the university’s 
partnership with The
MasterCard Foundation on its $500 million education initiative were among the
stories showcased when MSU
was featured on Big Ten Network’s new series, “BTN LiveBIG,” on February 16.
The program highlighted how the Spartan community is making an impact in East Lansing and around the world.
Other segments featured MSU alumna Jenn Gibbons’ efforts to raise awareness for breast cancer research through the Recovery on Water program she founded and former NBA player and MSU great Mateen Cleaves discussing the importance of giving back to the community during a visit to the Boys and Girls Club in his hometown, Flint.
“BTN LiveBIG” is the second BTN collaborative campus program series—the first was 2012’s “Impact the World”—produced in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference and its 12 universities.
Universities (AAU)
The Association of American Universities is a prestigious group of 62 public and private research universities in the United States and Canada widely regarded as among the top research-intensive institutions in North America. Members of the AAU are leaders in innovation, scholarship, and solutions that help society’s overall well-being.
Cooperation (CIC)
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation includes 13 world-class research universities—the 12 member universities of the Big Ten Conference and the University of Chicago. Together, CIC universities create unique experiences for students and faculty and support each other by sharing expertise, campus resources, and innovative program information.
Land-grant Universities (APLU)
The nation’s pioneer land-grant institution, Michigan State University is a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. APLU’s 218 members include public and land-grant universities, state university systems, and higher education-related organizations. Together, the members work to advance learning, discovery, and engagement.