Michigan State University is a leading institution, ranked one of the top 100 research universities in the world. Top-quality students, faculty, staff, and partners are drawn by MSU's strong traditional academic disciplines and professional programs. The university also offers a flexible, collaborative spirit that fosters cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and the application of knowledge.     MSU's commitment to national and international leadership is outlined in its strategic initiative, known as “Boldness by Design.” Five imperatives guide the university in fulfilling this commitment: Enhance the student experience Enrich community, economic, and family life Expand international reach Increase research opportunities Strengthen stewardship     These imperatives, built on MSU's historical strengths, will be used to align existing initiatives, guide new priorities, and focus energy in advancing the land-grant mission. MSU's goal by 2012 is to be the premier world-grant university, creating new heights of academic innovation, research and discovery, and engagement with society.     MSU is known foremost for the quality of its faculty, staff, students, graduates, and friends – the people of the MSU community. These people discover and apply knowledge, work productively, assume the responsibility of leadership, contribute to culture and tradition, serve others, and live by examined values. They define themselves, in part, from their experiences at Michigan State University.   MSU faculty have received Dreyfus, Fulbright, Guggenheim, MacArthur, Sloan, and other major fellowships and awards in recognition of their academic, artistic, and literary accomplishments. MSU maintains an outstanding record of students earning prestigious scholarships: Goldwater, 23; Rhodes, 16; Churchill, 15; Truman, 15; Marshall, 11; Udall, eight; Hollings, four; Gates, two; and Mitchell, one. MSU's GPA range for the middle 50 percent of the 2006 entering freshman class was between 3.4 and 3.8. MSU's graduate programs in medicine, business, and education each achieved top 25 rankings, according to the 2007 edition of “America's Best Graduate Schools” from U.S. News & World Report. The College of Education's graduate programs in elementary and secondary education were ranked No. 1 for the 12th consecutive year. MSU has 16 degree-granting colleges and an affiliated private law college. MSU is the only university in the country with three on-campus medical schools, graduating medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, and veterinarians. MSU is one of only 23 land-grant institutions belonging to the prestigious Association of American Universities. MSU is one of only 11 universities across the country asked by the Carnegie, Annenberg, and Ford foundations to take part in the “Teachers for a New Era” initiative, designed to strengthen K-12 teaching by developing state-of-the-art programs in teacher education.

MSU researchers explore unanswered questions about topics that range from plant biotechnology to nuclear physics to K-12 education. Always conscious of its land-grant mission, MSU boldly envisions what research is needed today to improve life tomorrow.     MSU is among the nation's top research universities, with approximately $389 million in research expenditures reported in fiscal year 2006, and research funding has been growing steadily over the past decade. MSU maintains a strong program of internal funding, much of it in competitive programs, to help launch new faculty's research and support other faculty to develop new research directions.     MSU is a founding member of the Core Technology Alliance (CTA), a collaborative network of advanced technology service facilities located at major research institutions across Michigan to support life sciences research. The Michigan Center for Structural Biology, a core facility of the CTA, is located at MSU and offers state-of-the-art instrumentation, including a 900 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer that examines the molecular structure and function of biomolecules. Developed the process used to homogenize milk Discovered Cisplatin and Carboplatin, two of the world’s leading anti-cancer drugs, as well as a compound with the potential to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments while reducing side effects Developed smart laser technology with the potential to analyze any molecular compound rapidly and accurately Identified a gene found in plants that helps them resist extremely cold temperatures Created an effective, economical pretreatment process called Ammonia Fiber Explosion, or AFEX, that makes it easier to break down complex sugars in biomass so they can be fermented into ethanol Developed processes to modify the starch in surplus agricultural products like corn and soybeans to produce new types of starches now used to make environmentally friendly products for packaging, toys, and “plastic” bags Introduced and advanced the concept of community policing National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory MSU/Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory National Science Foundation Center for Microbial Ecology Dow Institute for Materials Research National Science Foundation Food Safety and Toxicology Center SOuthern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope in Chile and remote observing room in the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building on campus Fraunhofer Center for Coatings and Laser Applications Energy and Automotive Research Laboratories Agricultural Experiment Station

Thinking globally always has been a priority at Michigan State University. The university is recognized in the international community for its work in many areas, including basic human needs, education, international trade, sustainable agriculture, human and animal health and welfare, and the environment. In 1956, MSU was the first major university in the United States with a dean of international programs. Nearly 1,400 faculty members are currently involved in international research, teaching, and service projects and programs in 176 countries. Since the 1950s, MSU has been the largest university recipient of U.S. Agency for International Development funding. MSU has the top study abroad program in the nation, as ranked by the Institute of International Education, with 2,787 students participating in study abroad in 2005-06. MSU is one of the nation's top 10 producers of Peace Corps volunteers among large colleges and universities. Since the inception of the Peace Corps in 1961, MSU has sent more than 2,000 volunteers to 135 countries.

MSU is among the most beautiful academic settings in the United States. It is adjacent to downtown East Lansing, which bills itself as the “unbeatable combination of small-town atmosphere and cosmopolitan sophistication.”     MSU offers its community members the following: A 5,200-acre campus, including 2,000 acres of existing or planned development Culturally rich and diverse environments On-campus performing arts center, art museum, and natural history museum Highly competitive intercollegiate athletics program Extensive intramural sports program     At its founding in 1855, MSU was a bold experiment in the democratization and redefinition of higher education. As the nation's pioneer land-grant university, MSU was created to embrace practical knowledge, as well as traditional scientific and classical studies, and to apply the rewards of higher education to benefit society and the public good. This philosophy still remains central to MSU's mission but has taken on global dimensions.     More than 410,000 alumni worldwide recall the MSU experience with gratitude and pride. The citizens of Michigan look to MSU for quality education and consider the university a vital resource for problem solving. Leaders throughout the world highly esteem MSU for the values it brings and the solutions it offers to regional, national, and global contexts.     Michigan State University is known and appreciated as a place and a community that makes a difference in the world every day by advancing knowledge and transforming lives.