Every day, my team and I love hearing from you and about the work you do to make the world a better place.
If this were a normal year, I would be telling you about things happening on campus like move-in day, and how alumni came back to East Lansing to help students start their collegiate journey in the dorms. Or about a bustling Homecoming, and all the festivities around it. But life is very different on campus this fall due to the coronavirus’ drastic impact on our lives.
Things are different in the MSU Alumni Office, too, where we are postponing or transitioning our signature events to a virtual format for the rest of the calendar year.
We still have a very active fall on tap. Because we cannot bring you to campus for events or tailgates, our goal is to bring campus to you. We are excited about the possibilities. As we explore digital spaces, we are discovering that we can reach alumni in new and engaging ways.
In fact, at Alumni University—our regularly scheduled on-campus event filled with lectures and museum tours that brings together 150 to 200 alumni each year—we had over 900 Spartans participate. Because we were not constrained to campus, our community extended worldwide for sessions that ranged from a tour of the MSU Beef Center to a discussion on the MSU and Africa Partnership.
Without the regularly scheduled football season, Homecoming was different, too. Still, with Sparty as our Grand Marshall and 10 outstanding seniors serving on the Homecoming Court, we shared the traditions of Homecoming in virtual spaces and created some more MSU memories along the way. From East Lansing, we hosted virtual events that included a conversation with President Stanley and the program From Home with MSU Athletics—where many of our coaches connected with the community, who were missing out on some of our regular summer events due to the pandemic.
We are adapting some of our global events, too. Namely, we are moving MSU’s Give Green Day to the spring—please mark your calendars for March 16, 2021. We will still be participating in the national day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving but moving Give Green Day to the spring will give us a great opportunity to focus on MSU’s most vital necessities.
While things are different on campus, I remain thrilled to be a part of this alumni community—and share your enthusiasm that football is back in competition! Though health-related safety measures prevent us from currently hosting fans in the stands or permitting tailgating on-campus this season, please join us in wearing your green and white while cheering on the Spartans. Until we can see you in-person again, rest as sured that the MSU Alumni Office is proud to support you as Spartans, wherever you may be and however we may connect.
Go Green!
Nick McLaren, ’99
Executive Director, MSU Alumni Office