For decades, Michigan State University has been working with partners in Detroit to support the city’s economic development, advance the arts, transform schools, improve health and protect the environment. And, after a successful and illuminating trip with visits along the western Lower Peninsula of Michigan in the fall of 2024, this May, the Spartan Bus Tour headed to Detroit.

Just as the inaugural Spartan Bus Tour demonstrated how Spartans are making a difference across the state, a tour of metro Detroit illustrated how the partnerships between the city and Michigan State are changing our state for the better.

Taking place May 5 and 6 with stops at 12 locations in the Detroit area, the tour was led by MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, and included a delegation of 50 faculty and administrators who explored the breadth and depth of the university’s research, outreach and education impact in a city that, like MSU, values resilience, hard work and a commitment to solving problems and empowering people for better lives.

Conversation Highlights:

(1:20) - President Guskiewicz sets the scene. 

(2:00) - The Zekelman Holocaust Center opened its doors in 1984 in West Bloomfield and relocated to the current Farmington Hills location in 2004. It was the first stop on the tour. The center is home to the Holocaust Museum exhibit and an extensive research library, archives and special exhibit galleries. Each year, more than 150,000 people visit the center, whose mission is to engage, educate and empower by remembering the Holocaust. Eli Mayerfeld is CEO of the Holocaust Museum.

(6:35) - The second stop on Day 1 was at the Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation, or DPFLI: The DPFLI was founded in 2017 and is MSU’s first urban agriculture center. Housed within MSU Extension, the partnership in northwest Detroit focuses on research and education to improve the lives of Detroiters and serves as a community space for residents. Naim Edwards directs DPFLI, George Smith directs MSU AgBioResearch and Dave Ivan directs the Community Food and Environment Institute.

(16:07) - The third stop on Day 1 was at The Shepherd and LANTERN, which are part of Library Street Collective’s ongoing artistic commitment to Detroit’s Little Village neighborhood. Anthony Curis is co-founder of The Shepherd and Library Street Collective. 

(21:30) - The fourth stop on Day 1 was a visit to Magna International: Magna International is the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North America with its U.S. headquarters in Troy. Heather Holm is talent attraction and employer brand manager.

(23:44) - Stop five on Day 1 was at the Apple Developer Academy: Partnering with MSU, Apple’s first U.S.-based academy was launched in 2021 in Detroit where participants learn the essentials of coding, design and business with Apple tools. The academy offers free programs of 10 months and four weeks, and, to date, has graduated more than 1,000 learners from the metro Detroit area. Sarah Gretter is director of the academy, and Anny Staten is assistant director.

(27:10) - The final stop on Day 1 was at the iconic