As a land-grant institution, Michigan State University is actively involved in communities throughout Michigan. MSU is particularly connected to the communities in the mid-Michigan area, serving as an economic driver and regional partner to address the needs of the community. MSU ranked #14 globally for Sustainable Cities and Communities in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Government Relations serves as the university's liaison with our neighboring communities, connecting students, faculty, and staff with local officials, providing assistance with regional and local issues, and solving university-community matters.
In addition, the university is a member of the Capital Area Sustainability Partnership, which is a regional collaboration network of governments, non-profits and academia dedicated to promoting best practices and enable policy changes that demonstrate environmental stewardship, economic vitality, and social responsibility.
As the second largest employer in the region, MSU has been a key partner in supporting local governments and organizations like the Capital Area Housing Partnership to address housing issues. MSU has served as a key partner in two recent efforts to understand housing availability and affordability. MSU Government Relations was instrumental in providing data in support of these efforts including the recently completed housing study and housing strategic plan by the City of East Lansing, as well as the HousingDrives regional housing assessment by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.
MSU is a partner in the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management (GLRC), which is a guiding body for the region to collaborate on water resources management for the Grand River, the Red Cedar River and the Looking Glass River Watersheds. Seventeen communities, including MSU, are members of the GLRC. Members work together to reduce stormwater pollution, educate our residents, and improve watershed health throughout the region.
MSU has been a key advocate in expanding the regional trail system in the mid-Michigan area. MSU publicly supported an extension of the Lansing River Trail, a multi-use regional trail that encourages sustainable transportation and recreation in the community. MSU worked with the City of Lansing to move this forward, granting an easement on MSU property for the trail extension. After a multi-year effort, the extended trail construction was completed in 2021. In addition, MSU has publicly supported the extension of the Lake Lansing Trail to MSU, which the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance designated as a priority trail linkage. MSU has been actively engaged with Meridian Township on this trail extension to facilitate students and employees being able to commute to campus using non-motorized transportation.