Cover Story: A New Home for Your Alumni Association
In late April we completed our move from the MSU Union to One Spartan Way, a move that has been anticipated for years and one that will mean, ultimately, better service to our alumni and to Michigan State University.
As you can see from the photos and renderings, our new home at 242 Spartan Way dominates the scene and its vicinity. The structure boasts eight towering floors, with the original Spartan ceramic statue standing ready to welcome you in the building’s first floor atrium.
For all of this I extend a very special thank you to Vice President Fred Poston for his decision to have the alumni association housed in the structure, and to the numerous folks in our physical plant and the architectural consultants who all played significant roles in the planning and construction of this impressive facility. Our new quarters are attractive, efficiently designed, and well appointed.
That we have as our neighbors University Development, Career Services and Placement, the Ralph Young Fund, and Varsity “S” Alumni will only foster even closer working relationships with these other units of Team MSU.
I am proud to say that the facility will also allow ease of access to the services we provide to our alumni.
For starters, we have a brand new Internet-based telephone system that can do more things more efficiently than our previous system. If you call us during a busy time, for example, instead of receiving a busy signal, you’re far more likely to be attended by a real person. We can receive four calls at once, with each being answered by a person. The system can handle virtually an unlimited number of simultaneous calls.
We also have better phone conferencing technology, so that we will have more flexibility in setting up meetings with alumni groups and alumni leaders.
Those of you who visit us will find ample parking space just south of the Stadium, a dramatic improvement over the conditions around the MSU Union in the heart of downtown East Lansing.
Our new headquarters also boasts a merchandise store and will soon boast a reading room, where you can peruse old yearbooks or magazines and retrieve memories from your college days. And should you have an appointment with our career professional, for example, you will find a dedicated space to conduct your meeting.
I can tell you our staff are very appreciative of the new quarters. They are excited about the move, and are performing their tasks with renewed enthusiasm. Our graphic designer, for example, now has the advantage of being able to perform his work under natural lighting.
One Stadium Way is an imposing structure. The second and third floors are dedicated to university office space. The Alumni Association is located on the second floor. Above us, on the fourth floor, is the LaSalle Club, where many functions take place. During home football games, this area is for the use of those with club seats. At other times, the space will be available for small to large events. On the top two floors are the football suites and the press box.
Not all our units have moved into the new quarters. Our Alumni Lifelong Education unit, which organizes Evening College and such programs as Odyssey to Oxford, will continue to reside at Kellogg Center. And the Student Alumni Foundation—which runs campus tours, Parents Weekend, the Sparty mascot program, and spirit groups like the Izzone and the Corner Blitz, will remain on the third floor of the MSU Union.
When I arrived as executive director in 1995, one of my dreams was to have a Michigan State University Alumni Center, where we consolidate all alumni relations activities, as they are in our sister institutions in the Big Ten. I am pleased to say that our new home approximates that dream in ways that make me proud to be a Spartan. I look forward to welcoming you to your place at Michigan State University.
Go Green.