A Dynamic University

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Michigan State University, three miles east of the state capitol, is the largest institution of higher learning in the state and one of the nation's leading cultural, educational and research centers.

It also is one of the most attractive, as the campus spans 5,239 acres of grass, trees and flowering plants on both sides of the Red Cedar River.

When it opened its doors in 1855, it established a new approach to education, research and public service, setting the pattern for the nation's 72 land-grant institutions that were to follow.

A total of 40,647 students from every county in Michigan, every state and 113 foreign nations pursue academic programs in any of 14 degree-granting colleges at MSU. The curricula range from agriculture and natural resources, arts and letters, communication arts and sciences, education and business to engineering, natural and social science, human ecology and James Madison, a college devoted to public policy and government. It is the nation's only university with three medical colleges graduating medical doctors, osteopathic physicians and veterinarians. It also has a college of nursing.

The College of Human Medicine is one of the top five in the nation among medical schools whose mission is the training of primary care physicians, according to a survey by U.S. News and World Report.

In 1995, for the 12th time since 1970, an MSU student won a Rhodes Scholarship. Computer science, chemical engineering and mathematics students have established exceptional records in national competition.

MSU is a leader in attracting national merit scholars and also in the number of students who win National Science Foundation fellowships.

Michigan State is at the forefront in international programs and studies, and conducts the nation's most extensive array of opportunities for study overseas -- 80 programs in 30 countries.

Throughout the curricula, there is an emphasis on lifelong education and meeting the needs of a highly urbanized society.

It was on the campus at East Lansing that research led to the development of hybrid corn and the process for the homogenization of milk. More recently, one of the world's widest-selling and most effective anti-cancer drugs -- cisplatin -- was discovered at MSU.

In 1993, a team of MSU students placed third in a national competition for production of a hybrid electrical vehicle, a car that can run on gas or electricity.

In 1994, the World Cup soccer games at the Silverdome were played on turfgrass developed by MSU turf management scientists. The field received raves from soccer players, who were playing on real grass indoors for the first time ever.

MSU By The Numbers

1 -- MSU: largest institution of higher learning in Michigan. In 1855, MSU opened its doors as the nation's first land-grant institution.
3 -- MSU: nation's only university with three medical colleges.
5 -- MSU's College of Human Medicine is among the top five in the nation in training primary care physicians.
14 -- Number of degree-granting colleges at MSU.
16 -- Number of Rhodes Scholars MSU has produced.
25 -- Number of varsity sports at MSU.
33 -- Miles of roadways, 98 miles of walkways and 12 miles of bicycle paths are on MSU's campus.
80 -- Number of overseas study programs offered through MSU in 30 different countries.
113 -- Number of foreign nations represented in MSU's enrollment of 40,647 students.
350 -- Number of registered student organizations on campus.
3,000 -- Number of research projects being conducted by MSU's faculty.
5,000 -- Number of acres on which this dynamic university thrives.
30,000 -- Number of MSU international alumni.
4,000,000 -- Number of volumes in Michigan State's library collection.

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