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Spring 2006

Welcome

A note from MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon
This is an appropriate time to focus on the international dimension of Michigan State University as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of International Studies and Programs, reflect on more than a century of global engagement, and look ahead to a future where MSU’s historic land-grant mission and values are being expanded and translated to a new idea we call “world grant.” Go to Full Story

Campus News and Announcements

News briefs
Online Chinese language instruction comes to MSU, new photo book tells university’s international story, study abroad seeks new involvement from alums, and readers of MSU Today International are invited to share their stories and inspire their fellow Spartans.
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MSU hosts conference on global AIDS pandemic
“No Place to Hide: Student Activism and the Fight Against the Global AIDS Pandemic” was held in the Union March 24-25. The event attracted some 600 people, according to Jeanne Gazel, class instructor and faculty advisor to the planning committee. “We had expected around 350 people, so the conference obviously struck a chord,” Gazel said. Go to Full Story

MSU Museum showcases two international exhibitions
The MSU Museum has developed two major exhibitions that draw from ongoing field work around the world in traditional arts, culture and creative expression. Both exhibitions, which are currently on display, feature artworks created in response to tragic circumstances – wars on several continents and AIDS in South Africa. Go to Full Story

Features

MSU celebrates 50 years of International Studies and Programs
When then-MSU President John Hannah appointed Glen Taggart as first dean of international programs at Michigan State in 1956, Hannah was declaring international engagement to be a university-wide priority. Today, MSU has a solid reputation as a leader in international education. Go to Full Story

New Beijing office expands MSU's international reach
MSU now has a bricks-and-mortar presence in China. “The MSU-China Initiative may well furnish a template for MSU strategic engagement across the missions of research, teaching, and outreach in full partnership with universities abroad, expanding and deepening our collaborations,” said ISP acting dean Jeffrey Riedinger. Go to Full Story

President, provost engage in sesquicentennial travel to Japan, Thailand
MSU celebrated its 150th anniversary last year and senior campus leaders included international travel in their schedules of commemorative activities. President Lou Anna K. Simon made two trips to Japan during summer 2005 and Provost Kim A. Wilcox led a delegation to Thailand in January 2006. Go to Full Story

Study Abroad

Study abroad shines in 2005 rankings
MSU students have more than a passing interest in study abroad. About 25 percent of them actually choose to attend the university because of its nationally recognized study abroad program. No wonder, then, that MSU is the top U.S. public university for study abroad according to Open Doors 2005, the annual report of the Institute of International Education.
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Students

International students share stories through annual essay contest
The beautiful pearl results from the pain of the oyster. Reading the essays selected each year as winners in the International Student Essay Contest is a bit like examining beautiful pearls. But these pearls actually tell the stories of their creation, typically a result of their authors’ ups and downs adjusting to life at a new university in a new community in a new country.
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Alumni

Joon and Zaiga Moon create a legacy
Talk and laughter filled the third floor of the Delia Koo International Academic Center as approximately 200 guests arrived and mingled before the 16th annual International Awards Ceremony on March 29. “When these awards began, there were few ways to recognize those who applied globally what they learned as students,” said Moon, a U.S.-based Korean-American businessman, of the honor that bears his name. Go to Full Story

India-based entrepreneur receives Distinguished International Alumni Award
Surinder Kapur, founder, chairman and managing director of India-based Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd., is the recipient of the 2006 Joon S. Moon Distinguished International Alumni Award. Kapur, who earned his bachelor’s (‘64), master’s (‘65) and doctoral degrees (‘72) in mechanical engineering at MSU, is helping India emerge as an exporter of quality engineering goods, particularly automobile components. Go to Full Story