From the mid-nineteenth century when Michigan State opened its doors to educate those who would go on to build the nation to its role today as one of the world’s top research universities, MSU has changed lives and helped change the world. Through the years, the university and its campus also have been transformed.
As Michigan State and the nation observe the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Morrill Act, which democratized higher education, we reflect on MSU’s history and destiny in working for the common good.
Photo Gallery
A glimpse of the MSU campus—then and now:
Archival photos courtesy of University Archives and Historical Collections
The Nation Celebrates
Celebrate at the National Mall
June 27–July 8
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will feature the program “Campus and Community: Public and Land-grant Universities and the USDA at 150” to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of land-grant universities and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Celebrate in East Lansing
2012 Great Lakes Folk Festival
August 10-12
The program “Campus and Community: Public and Land-grant Universities and the USDA at 150” is part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, curated by MSU’s Kurt Dewhurst, director of arts and culture initiatives and curator of the MSU Museum, and cosponsored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Visit the Morrill Act sesquicentennial website for more information.