Rarely are students given the means to step outside the classroom and gain hands-on experience in their field of study. But for several students in MSU's School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC), that opportunity came in the form of Sparty's Cabin, a 177 square-foot tiny home built over spring semester in 2016. The project involved more than 100 students and faculty across campus departments, academic units and disciplines, and was entirely designed, funded, planned and built by those SPDC students.
On Friday January 6, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, June Youatt, passed the keys to Sparty's Cabin to their new owner and MSU alumna, Debra Levantrosser. Moving from a 3,000 square-foot home in the metro-Detroit area, Levantrosser expressed her excitement to downsize and begin pursuing new adventures in Sparty's Cabin. As a graduate of MSU, Levantrosser also feels a great appreciation and connection to the students who built her new tiny home.
This collaborative sustainable development project reflects MSU's commitment to providing students with the expertise needed to succeed beyond the limits of campus. All proceeds from the sale of Sparty's Cabin will benefit the MSU SPDC, supporting programs in Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Urban Planning.