Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...

Page created by Calvin Johnston
 
CONTINUE READING
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
WINTER 2021

Thousands                                 A FORCE FOR
                                          EDUCATION

of Paths                                  INVENTING NEW
                                          TOMORROWS

How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D.,   SPARTAN
find their passion and thrive             PROFILES
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
Spartans Helping
   Spartans HelpingSpartans
                   Spartans
For overFor81over
              years,   we have
                  81 years,      been
                            we have    ananintegral
                                    been             partofofthe
                                            integral part      the MSU
                                                                 MSU     community.
                                                                      community.
       During   this time, our partnership has grown  to include
During this time, our partnership has grown to include the Dean’sthe Dean’s Choice
                                                                                Choice
       Grant, virtual financial education sessions, and the MSUFCU Jazz Artist in
Grant, virtual  financial education sessions, and the MSUFCU Jazz Artist in
       Residency Endowment.
Residency Endowment.
       We also support the Broad Artist Studio Series, the MSU Museum, the
We alsoWharton
        support    the Broad
                 Broadway      Artist
                           Series, and Studio Series,
                                       many other       the MSU
                                                  educational    andMuseum,
                                                                     culturally–the
Whartonenriching
         Broadway programs thatand
                      Series,   provide
                                     manyMSU faculty,
                                           other      staff, and students
                                                  educational             with
                                                                    and culturally–
       exciting opportunities for growth.
enriching programs that provide MSU faculty, staff, and students with
excitingWith
         opportunities
             an account at for growth.
                            MSUFCU, you help continue the legacy of Spartans
       helping Spartans. Because of our members, MSUFCU is able to provide
With anphilanthropic
        account atsupport
                     MSUFCU, to MSU
                                 youthat advances
                                      help         on-campus
                                            continue              of Spartans
                                                             and community
                                                      the legacy
       programs, making  a positive impact on the MSU community .
helping Spartans. Because of our members, MSUFCU is able to provide
philanthropic support to MSU that advances on-campus and community
programs, making a positive impact on the MSU community.

        msufcu.org • 517-333-2424

msufcu.org • 517-333-2424
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
WINTER 2021

                                                  40 Thousands of Paths

                                                                                   How Spartans leverage their
                                                                                   MSU education, find their
                                                                                   passion and thrive

                                                22 Spartan Profiles
                                                Read about some wonderful Spartans who
                                                exemplify the Spartan Spirit...like the Spartan
                                                who came to MSU to become a veterinarian,                             30 Inventing New
                                                                                                                         Tomorrows
                                                became the first Black American to enroll in
                                                the Duke School of Human Medicine
                                                and was the 100-yard U.S.
                                                sprint champion in the early
                                                seventies. And that’s only                                       DEPARTMENTS                   ABOUT THE COVER: Iwan Syahril
                                                                                                                                               aims to transform one of the largest
                                                the beginning of his story!                                                                    education systems in the world:
                                                                                                                 3     FROM THE PRESIDENT
MSU / GETTY IMAGES / COURTESY DUKE UNIVERSITY

                                                                                                                                               Photo by Muhammad Fadli, Jakarta
                                                                                                                 5     LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
                                                                                                                 9     BENEATH THE PINES       Read, share Spartan online:
                                                                                                                                               go.msu.edu/Spartan-mag
                                                          The Marvelous                                          22    SPARTAN STORIES         Spartan is distributed three times
                                                          Dr. Del Meriwether                                                                   a year to alumni, donors and
                                                                                                                 30    FEATURES                friends who make annual gifts to
                                                                                                                                               MSU of $100 or more. To make a
                                                                                                                 51    GREEN & WHITE           gift, visit givingto.msu.edu.
                                                                                                                 53    CLASS NOTES
                                                                                                                                               Email address changes to: UADV.
                                                                                                                 55    IN MEMORIAM             Records@msu.edu. Or mail:
                                                                                                                                               UADV Records, 535 Chestnut Rd.,
                                                                                                                 64    FROM THESE SCENES       #300, East Lansing, MI 48824

                                                                                                                                                SPARTAN MAGAZINE                      1
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
FROM THE PRESIDENT

                                              Dear Spartans...

                                              T
                                                             he calendar has turned   focus on innovation, as you’ll read
                                                             and spring semester is   about in the pages ahead. From the
                                                             underway, again with     beginning, Michigan State was an
                                                             classes held mostly      educational experiment that quickly

                      “
                                                             online and only a        became a model for the nation’s
                                              portion of the students who would       land-grant colleges, opening access to
                          As we enter the     normally be on campus currently         opportunities to everyday people in a
                                              living here.                            period of rapid growth and change.
                          third decade of        It was a challenging 2020, and         Today, we’re proud of the research,
                          the 21st century,   I can’t give enough credit to the       development and creative endeavors
                                              students, faculty and staff whose       being pursued across the university
                          we are challenged   resilience has allowed the university   and how we’re working to transfer and
                          to perform at the   to maintain forward momentum            translate the fruits of that work into
                          accelerated speed   through the year. Likewise, our         outcomes for our many stakeholders.
                                              devoted alumni have continued to        Our entrepreneurship education
                          of society’s most   show support for MSU with financial     program is ranked among the top
                          urgent needs and    gifts, as advisers and mentors and      15 in the nation by the Princeton
                          most hopeful        in many other ways as the year
                                              unfolded.
                                                                                      Review, and our fast-growing minor
                                                                                      in entrepreneurship and innovation
                          expectations.          Our broad and diverse MSU            spans the university with more than
                                              community has put its collective        700 students enrolled.
                                              shoulder behind high-priority             As we enter the third decade of the
                                              initiatives, including our strategic    21st century, we are challenged to
                                              planning process; a thorough            perform at the accelerated speed of
                                              diversity, equity and inclusion         society’s most urgent needs and most
                                              assessment; our relationship            hopeful expectations. Our awareness
                                              violence and sexual misconduct          and engagement, imagination and
                                              prevention and response planning;       innovation, and knowledge and
                                              a multicultural center feasibility      discovery all matter more than ever
                                              study; and searches to fill key         —and all are part of what makes
                                              leadership posts. All these and         us Spartans. Go Green!
                                              more have moved steadily ahead
                                              and position MSU for continued
                                              achievement for years to come in our
GENNARA PHOTOGRAPHY

                                              scholarship, research, instruction,              Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.
                                              outreach and service.                                              PRESIDENT, MSU

                                                 Something else that has
                                              continued without pause is our

                                                                                                    SPARTAN MAGAZINE         3
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
COZ Y SPARTAN                      gear

         Don’t miss out on sales and
 new arrivals – visit ShopSpartanStore.com
           and join our email list.

                          1 International Center
                          (517) 355-3450
                            @spartanbookmsu
                            @spartanbookstore
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
LETTERS

                                                                                                                               GAME CHANGERS
                 FALL 2020

PRSRT STD
 U.S. Postage
   PAID
Michigan State
  University

                                                            I do a lot of my best thinking just
                 VOL. 4 ISSUE 1

                                                       MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE   FALL 2020

                                                            by writing, and I’ve thought deeply
                                                            about the pandemic and how it is                                                                                              EXECUTIVE EDITOR

                                                            impacting Spartans—our alum-                                                                                        Stephanie Motschenbacher, ’85, ’92
                 SPARTAN MAGAZINE

                                                            ni, students, faculty and staff. A                                                                                                COPY EDITOR
                                                            key question being asked by many                                                                                               Linda Dunn, ’13
                                                            leaders here at MSU and at other
                     Beal’s                                                                                                                                                           CLASS NOTES AND BENEATH
                     Appeal                                 organizations is how the pandem-                                                                                              THE PINES EDITOR
                                    How a record-breaking,
                                    160-year-long experimentic can serve as a driver of change.
                                    keeps inspiring the curious
                                                                                                                                                                                          Alex Gillespie, ’17
                                    and scientific
                                                            When we decide to come together to                                                                                             ASSISTANT EDITOR
                                                            solve problems, we find that we are                                                                                          Liam Boylan-Pett
                                                                                                        9/25/2020 5:10:20 PM

                  Fall 2020 Spartan magazine content is
                  available online at: go.msu.edu/fall-2020
                                                            more creative and find new ways to                                                                                        ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER
                 reframe and create a new normal. We find that we are not alone;                                                                                                              Iain Bogle
                 we are in this together. Our founders had this in mind when they
                 established what is now Michigan State University.                                                                                                                             WRITERS
                                                                                                                                                                                         Devon Barrett, ’11
                    After all, stepping up to challenges and positioning education as                                                                                                     Lois Furry, ’89
                 an asset for great change in the world is built right into the Spar-                                                                                                      Daniel Smith
                 tan DNA—our Spartan Will that often drives us to tackle society’s                                                                                                      Russ White, ’82, ’01

                 unmet needs. The winter 2021 issue looks at our mission as well as                                                                                                    CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
                 the Spartan drive to find solutions and the courage to follow one’s                                                                                                       Kristin Baer
                                                                                                                                                                                      Courtney Chapin, ’98
                 passion.                                                                                                                                                                Matt Davenport
                    I hope you enjoy reading about the greatest contributions of our                                                                                                     Emilie Lorditch
                 faculty innovators and the inspiring Spartan alumni who follow                                                                                                          Sue Nichols, ’84
                 their hearts, and at times an unconventional path, to make a differ-                                                                                                Richard Seguin, ’90, ’99
                                                                                                                                                                                       Samantha Tricarico
                 ence in the world.
                                                                                                                                                                                            COPYRIGHT 2021
                                                                                                                                                                                     University Advancement
                                                                                                                                           Stephanie Motschenbacher, ’85, ’92          MSU Alumni Office
                                                                                                                                           EXECUTIVE EDITOR, SPARTAN MAGAZINE             Spartan Way
                                                                                                                                                                                        535 Chestnut Rd.,
                                                                                                                                                                                            Room 300
                                                                                                                                                                                     East Lansing, MI 48824
                                                                                                                                                                                          517-355-8314
                 INTERESTING & INSPIRING                                                                                          of MSU’s high rankings nationally and                  alumni.msu.edu
                    I had to write and tell you how much                                                                          in the world.
                                                                                                                                                                                        MSU is an affirmative-action,
                 I enjoyed the fall issue. I read every                                                                             But my favorite thing was from the                  equal-opportunity employer.

                 word. I have never felt so proud to be                                                                           article about the vet in Alaska who
                 an MSU graduate and academic spe-                                                                                named her Montessori-styled dog
                 cialist. The alumni and faculty profiles                                                                         school Muttessori.                             TO SUBMIT LETTERS Email SpartanMag-
                                                                                                                                                                                 azine@msu.edu. Or send mail to: Editor,
                 were so interesting and inspiring. And                                                                             Well done!!                                  535 Chestnut Rd., #300, East Lansing, MI.
                 I loved the side notes on little known                                                                                                 Frana Potter, ’64,’79
                                                                                                                                                                                 48824. We reserve the right to select and
                                                                                                                                                                                 edit letters for length and clarity.
                 facts. And I never realized the extent                                                                                                              BATH, MI

                                                                                                                                                                                        SPARTAN MAGAZINE                5
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
LETTERS

LOVE THE FALL ISSUE                              After months of protests and
I wish to commend you, and your staff,        stories of innocent African Ameri-
on the fall M.S.U. Alumni Magazine. It        cans being lynched, it’s harder to not
is the finest issue in the 55 years that I    lie awake at night, afraid that you
have been receiving it....in my humble        might lose a friend because of rac-
opinion.                                      ism. Safe at home we watched the
   Keep up the great work. I look             news reports about what happened
forward to meeting up with fellow             to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery,
Spartans when our world gets back to          Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Elijah
normal.                                       McClain and Philando Castile.
   Go Green!                                  Imagine what you might feel if that             To watch the Go Green, Go Live!
                    Donald Payne, ’63, ’65    happened to your best friend, your              Program featuring Phil Hart,
                       FARMINGTON HILLS, MI   favorite teacher, your family.                  visit us on Facebook at:
                                                 If the last few months have made                             GO.MSU.EDU/HART
RECOGNIZING SPARTAN TEACHERS                  anything obvious, it’s that people
I am a proud Alumni of MSU and a              who are Caucasian can no longer
Spartan for life.                             be silent. A great place to start is by       CONNECTED TO BEAL
   In August of 2020, I returned to the       confronting your own racial biases            Thanks for the article by Dan Smith
classroom and ventured into my 17th           and finding ways to overcome them.            on William Beal. My grandfather,
year in education as a state ranked                                   Taylor Casey, ’22     Huber Shull, graduated M.A.C in
level five teacher who will be on the          College of Osteopathic Medicine student      1906, with a B.S. in agriculture. I’m
frontlines educating in-person and                                      EAST LANSING, MI    sure he must have had a class or two
virtually during a global pandemic.                                                         with Professor Beal. Whenever I
   I would like to make a small request       BENDING TOWARD JUSTICE                        return to East Lansing, I visit the
of the MSU Alumni (Office); please            On July 9, I was a guest on MSU               botanical gardens, and try to imagine
consider focusing on educators and            Facebook Live program, Go Green,              what the campus was like when my
public servants in your next MSU              Go Live. The subject was a conver-            grandfather was there.
Alumni magazine issue.                        sation with MSU Today producer,                                       Roger Shull, ’62
   We are the real leaders.                   Russ White, about being ‘Black in                                         VOLENTE, TX
   I would like to stand with my MSU          America.’ On July 16 this interview
peers and honor those who keep                ran on WKAR-FM, the MSU 50,000                BEAL FAMILY
serving the community despite our             watt radio station. WKAR is where             Many thanks for the articles about
current historical challenges.                Tanya, my wife and fellow Spartan,            William James (WJ) Beal. My hus-
   We are Spartans. We are Spartan            started her broadcast career when             band, Allen Beal, also a MSU alum
strong.                                       we were both students. On July                (1963), is a distant cousin of WJ,
   Thank you!                                 22 I submitted an essay titled ‘An            whose father was the brother of Al-
                   Kelly Susanne Geer, ’91    American Reckoning on Race’ to be             len’s 2nd great-grandfather. WJ Beal
                                MEMPHIS, TN   published in the University of Col-           also loved researching family history
                                              orado ‘Coloradan’ magazine. This              and, as a genealogist, I’m indebted to
CONFRONTING RACIAL BIASES                     essay and my audio recording of this          him for some wonderful Beal family
As a current medical student, I felt          essay were published in November              stories. Many members of our Beal
compelled to write an open letter to          2020. From ‘Black in America’ to              family are MSU grads and proud to
the Spartan community regarding               ‘An American Reckoning on Race’               be linked by heritage to WJ Beal and
racial inequality and police brutality.       the long arc of history is bending            the beautiful Beal Botanical Garden.
   First, I see MSU as one of the most        toward justice.                               Thanks again! Go green!
culturally and racially diverse areas in
Michigan—it is one of the reasons why                     Philip S. Hart, Ph.D., ’70, ’74                            Julie Beal, ’63
I choose to study at Michigan State.                                    LOS ANGELES, CA                            ARIVACA, ARIZONA

6   WINTER 2021     A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
TOGETHER WE WILL

                                          IT'S NEVER TOO LATE FOR YOUR
                      OFFICIAL MICHIGAN STATE CLASS RING!
                   The official Spartan Ring represents all that Spartans hold dear. The official ring collection captures the
                      spirit of pride and promise that has built the Michigan State tradition of excellence since 1855. Your
                       official ring will keep you forever connected to the time and dedication spent earning your degree.

                                                                   SAVE $50
                                                           on your qualifying College Ring purchase now through 2/28/2021.*

                                                                     WITH CODE: MICHIGANSTATE50

                                            Shop now at jostens.com/michiganstate
                                                     or call 616.322.7312
*Save $50 when you design and purchase a qualifying college class ring or jewelry item, through February 28, 2021 by using promo code MICHIGANSTATE50 at checkout on Jostens.com. Promotion applies to
college jewelry catalog offering only and excludes any other products. Product collections vary by school and offer not eligible at all schools. Offer excludes: keepsake jewelry boxes, nursing pins, watches,
military academy rings, and high school jewelry. Limit one promo code per order. Promotion cannot be combined with any other offer or discounts. Discount will not be applied to taxes, applicable shipping/
handling and other fees. Offer subject to adjustment due to returns, cancellations and exchanges. Not valid on prior purchases. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Valid only for online orders placed on
Jostens.com and shipped to U.S. addresses. Expires 2/28/2021 at 11:59pm CT. Offer may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice.

©2020 Jostens, Inc. 2040810
Thousands of Paths How Spartans, like Iwan Syahril, Ph.D., find their passion and thrive - Michigan State ...
“I chose to attend
                                                                                                                MsU becaUse It was
                                                                                                              soMethIng coMpletely
                                                                                                                        new for Me.”
                                                                                                                  – Valerie lerma, ’23

        KATRINA MASHACK, ’09, STEPPED UP ON GIVE GREEN DAY TO HELP STUDENTS LIKE VALERIE LERMA, ’23, ATTEND MSU.

A VERY GREEN CARE
PACKAGE FROM HOME
K  atrina Mashack, ’09, a marketing professional and officer of the Phoenix, Arizona,
   Spartan alumni club, was one of the more than 4,000 Spartans who made a
#GiveGreenDay gift to support MSU students last year.
                                                                                        THREE WAYS TO MAKE A GIFT
                                                                                        PHONE: (800) 232-4MSU
Her gift supported the AZ Spartans Scholarship fund, which was established to
encourage more local students to explore MSU’s educational opportunities.               ONLINE: go.msu.edu/winter-21

                                                                                        MAIL: University Advancement
Sophomore Valerie Lerma can attest that receiving the scholarship did exactly that.
                                                                                              Spartan Way
The Glendale, Arizona, native says she chose Michigan State to get out of her comfort         535 Chestnut Road, Room 300
zone and she was thrilled to find out Arizona Spartans had her back.                          East Lansing, MI 48824

“I love the beautiful campus, and I have met so many people from so many different
backgrounds, who have taught me more than I could ever imagine.”

Mark you calendars and make sure you visit givingday.msu.edu on March 16, 2021.

                              GIVINGDAY.MSU.EDU | TAKING PLACE MARCH 16, 2021.
Beneath Pines     the
          News & Views from MSU

                                  Getting
                                  Organized
                                  The original pipe organ in the
                                  MSU Alumni Chapel is being
                                  replaced with a beautiful, world-
                                  class and versatile instrument.
                                  Warping over time had rendered
                                  it silent. Private gifts are fund-
                                  ing the new organ built by
                                  Letourneau Pipe Organs, the
                                  College of Music and Residential
                                  and Hospitality Services. With
                                  the new organ installed, MSU
                                  continues to raise funds to
                                  support the restoration project.
                                      Learn more: go.msu.edu/chapel
MSU

                                                SPARTAN MAGAZINE       9
BTP        COVID-19 News

“
                                                                                        MSU PILOTS NEW
    The labora-                                                                         APP IN FIGHT
 tory has proven                                                                        AGAINST COVID
 invaluable                                                                                               MSU has a new
 to the state                                                                                              tool in the
 of Michigan                                                                                               fight against
 when we have                                                                                              the spread of
                                                                                                           COVID-19. The
 faced threats to
                                                                                                           MI COVID Alert
 animal health.                                                                                            app can notify
 Now, we can                                                                                               users if they
 provide sup-                                                                                                have recently

 port as we face                                                                                              been in close
                                                                                                              contact with
 perhaps the                                                                            someone who has tested positive
 greatest human                                                                         for the virus.
 health threat of                                                                          The app is the result of a
 our lifetimes.                                                                         partnership between MSU, the
                                                                                        Michigan Department of Health
                                                                                        and Human Services and the Ing-
                                                                                        ham County Health Department.
                           Vet Lab Processing Up to                                     The app is free to download on
                                                                                        Android and IOS devices.
                           1,000 COVID-19 Tests Daily                                      Thanks to high adoption
                              With the capacity to      “The laboratory has             during the pilot at MSU, MDHHS
                           analyze 1,000 human        proven invaluable to the          recently expanded the program
                           tests daily, the MSU       state of Michigan when we         to the entire state.
                           Veterinary Diagnostic      have faced threats to animal         MI COVID Alert uses Bluetooth
                           Laboratory is an import-   health. Now, we can provide       technology to detect nearby
                           ant component in MSU’s     support as we face perhaps        phones that are also running
                           COVID-19 Early Detec-      the greatest human health         the app. When a person tests

     97,000
                           tion Program.              threat of our lifetimes,” said    positive for COVID-19 in the
                              Uniquely positioned     VDL’s Interim Director            state of Michigan, they receive
                           to step in and support     James Averill. “We’re here        a pin number from the health
                                                                                                                              MSU / GETTY IMAGES / STATE OF MICHIGAN

       Number of           COVID-19 testing           and we’re ready.”                 department that allows them
     face coverings        requirements, the VDL        VDL is currently process-       to send an anonymous push
      distributed to       established new proce-     ing COVID-19 tests collect-       notification to alert others who
                           dures with the help of     ed at campus buildings with       they have had contact with and
         the MSU
                           leaders at Olin Student    results available to MSU          are using the app.
       community
       since March         Health Center and MSU’s    Health Care in 24 hours.          MORE ON       Learn more:

                           Biomedical Laboratory                                        WEB           go.msu.edu/mi-app
          2020.                                       MORE ON      Learn more:
                           Diagnostics program.
                                                      WEB          go.msu.edu/vet-lab

10   WINTER 2021   A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
BTP        COVID-19 News

      Improving Risk                                                         FACULTY VOICE

      Assessment of
                                                                             “Food insecurities can emerge
                                                                             at different points along the
                                                                             supply chain and we have to

      Infectious Diseases
                                                                             be ready to respond at each
                                                                             stage. With COVID-19, the
                                                                             issue wasn’t the absence of
                                                                             food in the supply chain; it
                                                                             was a baffling simultaneous
         MSU’s Department of               The new project, funded           combination: the disconnect
      Biosystems and Agricultural        by the National Institutes of       between supply and demand
      Engineering (BAE) is leading a     Health, will focus on mentoring,    led to a lot of food waste at
      project to increase knowledge      developing online coursework        certain points, and massive
                                                                             food insecurities in others.
      and availability of quantita-      and cyberinfrastructure, and        Let’s set an example for the
      tive microbial risk assessment     training faculty who have been      upcoming generation of supply
      (QMRA) models among profes-        keenly interested in QMRA.          chain professionals about the
      sionals in biomedical science,       Since the COVID-19 out-           expanded value we offer —
      microbiology, public health and    break, Mitchell has seen a          making social welfare a focal
                                                                             point in their education, work
      engineering backgrounds.           growing and immediate need
                                                                             and lives.”
         In comparison with other        for people to assess risk in many
                                                                                              - Yemisi Bolumole
      approaches like epidemiology,      different environments.
                                                                                           Associate Professor
      QMRA models show where
                                                                                    Supply Chain Management,
      pathogens are and how to avoid
                                                                                     Broad College of Business
      contact with them. They also
      help us determine what con-
                                                                             MORE ON       Learn more:
      trols, like engineering technol-
      ogy or policy changes, can be
                                                                             WEB           go.msu.edu/food-supply

      implemented so people
      don’t get sick,” said
      project co-director
      Jade Mitchell.

      Jade Mitchell,
      Associate Professor,
      Biosystems and Agri-
      cultural Engineering

                                                                                   71,580
                                                                                  Number of MSU
                                                                                  donors in 2020
MSU

                                                                                   SPARTAN MAGAZINE               11
BTP           News

Terms Begin for New Members                                                                      COLLABORATION
                                                                                                 BRINGS NEW PERRIGO
to MSU Board of Trustees                                                                         NORTH AMERICAN
                                                                                                 CORPORATE HEAD-
                                                                                                 QUARTERS TO
On January 13, the Board of Trustees welcomed two new members to its                             GRAND RAPIDS
team. Rema Vassar and Pat O’Keefe joined after winning races in the
                                                                                                 Global self-care provider, Perrigo
November 2020 election. Each will serve an eight-year term.                                      Company plc, will establish its new
                                                                                                 North American Corporate Head-
                                          Rema Vassar is a former K-12 public school             quarters in an office that will be
                                          teacher, counselor, administrator and parent           constructed within Michigan State
                                          organizer with over two decades of experience.         University’s Grand Rapids Innovation
                                                                                                 Park.
                                          With a focus on developing transformative
                                                                                                    The 63,550 square-foot office
                                          servant leaders, Vassar has been an assistant          space will primarily house corporate
                                          professor of Leadership and Counseling at              and functional leadership and certain
                                          Eastern Michigan University since 2016. She            administrative roles, and will feature
                                          offers a renewed perspective on making the             adaptable workspace to promote
                                          university more accessible and is committed to         collaboration
                                                                                                 opportunities.
                                          accountability and affordability. Her husband             “We are excited that Perrigo will
                                          is an alumnus and her daughter is currently a          be a major tenant in the MSU Grand
                                          sophomore at MSU.                                      Rapids Innovation Park,” said Norman
                                                                                                 J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MHS, Michigan
                                          4Parent of Current MSU Student
                                                                                                 State University executive vice presi-
                                          4Bachelor’s, Western Michigan University               dent for health sciences.
REMA VASSAR
                                          4Doctorate, University of California, Los Angeles         West Michigan’s life science and
                                                                                                 medical device industries are growing
                                                                                                 at a considerable rate of 18.5%, out-
Pat O’Keefe is an MSU alumnus and founder                                                        pacing the national average by more
and CEO of O’Keefe, a strategic and financial                                                    than double its growth rate of 9%.
consulting firm. For over 30 years, O’Keefe                                                         “The focus of the innovation park
                                                                                                 is to bring industry together with
has been active as a financial consultant and                                                    academic research and clinical care
turnaround adviser to under-performing                                                           along the Medical Mile in order to
businesses in various industries including                                                       transform health care together,”
retail, hospitality, restaurants, construction,                                                  said Beauchamp. “We are looking
automotive, manufacturing and real estate. He                                                    forward to significant opportunities
                                                                                                 to collaborate with Perrigo on efforts
is committed to better oversight and making
                                                                                                 to improve access to and affordability
MSU a safer campus. In addition, his priorities                                                  of health care.”
include college affordability and freedom of                                                        In addition to a capital investment
speech on campus. O’Keefe has volunteered                                                        of $44.7 million over the 15-year
for advisory boards in higher education with                                                     period of the lease, the expansion
Oakland University, University of Detroit                                                        will bring more than 170 new jobs to
                                                                                                 the area.
                                                                                                                                          SUPPLIED PHOTOS

Mercy and Cleary University.                                                       PAT O’KEEFE

4Bachelor’s, MSU Broad College of Business, ’76
4MBA, Wayne State University

12   WINTER 2021     A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
BTP   News

                                                                                                                   The Next
                                                                                                                   Leader of
                                                                                                                   Diversity,
                                                                                                                   Equity &
                                                                                                                   Inclusion
                          VISIT CAMPUS
                          VIRTUALLY
                          Get your dose of
                          campus trivia with
                          a new virtual cam-
                                                                                                                   is Named
                          pus tour. While the
                                                                                                                   Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D.,
                          experience is geared
                          toward potential                                                                         joined MSU as vice
                          Spartans, alumni will
                          enjoy it just as much,                                                                   president and chief
                          with refreshing videos                                                                   diversity officer on
                          and facts accompa-
                          nying highlights like                                                                    December 1, 2020.
                          Beaumont Tower, the
                          Spartan Statue and
                          more!
                          virtualtour.msu.edu

                                                     Following a national search, MSU Pres-           “This is an incredible opportunity to help
                                                   ident Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., named        advance inclusion efforts at MSU during this
                                                   Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D., as the university’s   critical time in the history of the institution
                                                   vice president and chief diversity officer.     and our nation,” Bennett said. “There is a rich
                                                   Bennett most recently served as North-          legacy here founded in the ideal that higher
                                                   western University’s inaugural associate        education should be accessible to everyone
                                                   provost for diversity and inclusion and         regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender
                                                   chief diversity officer.                        identity or expression, religion and other
                                                     As vice president and chief diversity         identities. I look forward to working with this
                                                   officer, Bennett reports directly to Stanley.   community to address unique challenges, find
                                                   He’ll collaborate with other university         common understandings and leverage collec-
MSU / JABBAR R. BENNETT

                                                   senior executives, deans, faculty, staff,       tive efforts to nurture a culture of inclusive
                                                   students and alumni to develop and imple-       excellence at the university.”
                                                   ment a comprehensive diversity, equity and
                                                   inclusion plan.                                 MORE ON      Listen to the podcast:
                                                                                                   WEB          go.msu.edu/bennett

                                                                                                                           SPARTAN MAGAZINE       13
BTP       Campus

NEW DOORS HONOR HISTORY
S
        ince its opening in 1940, MSU’s Auditorium doors have welcomed such
        dignitaries as Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr., and some of
        music’s greats—Bob Dylan, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis,
        The Beastie Boys, Prince and more recently Panic at the Disco, Drake and
John Legend. And along with them, hundreds of thousands of audience members
and visitors.
                                                                                        Steve Rondeau, IPF car-
  After 80 years of wear, tear and unforgiving weather taking their toll on the grand   penter II, was assigned
entryways to the MSU Auditorium and Fairchild Theater, replacement became               the task of recreating
necessary. Thanks to talented craftspeople like Steven Rondeau, an MSU carpen-          all 18 of the doors that
                                                                                        adorn the east and west
ter, and Pam Hebeler, an MSU painter, all 18 doors were recreated with an extreme       facades of the facilities.
attention to detail.

                                                                                        During construction, the
                                                                                        doors traveled between
                                                                                        Rondeau in the IPF Car-
                                                                                        pentry Shop and painter
                                                                                        Pam Hebeler in the IPF
                                                                                        Paint Shop.

                                                                                              192
                                                                                          Number of unique
                                                                                           wood pieces in
                                                                                           each of the new
                                                                                          auditorium doors

14   WINTER 2021   A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
BTP        Sports

                                                                         AS FOR THE
                                                                         OTHER RIVALRY
                                                                         TROPHIES...
                                                                         OLD BRASS SPITTOON
                                                                         This trophy was purchased
                                                                         for $25 in 1950 in hopes
                                                                         of firing up the Spartans
                                                                         before their contest with
                                                                         the Hoosiers. Found in a
                                                                         Lansing antique shop, the
                                                                         Spittoon is believed to date
                                                                         back to the early 1800s.
                                                                         Indiana curently
                                                                         holds the trophy
                                                                         after a Nov. 14
                                                                         loss to the No. 10
                                                                         ranked Hoosiers.

                                                                         LAND GRANT TROPHY
                                                                         This trophy honors
                                                                         Michigan State’s and Penn
                                                                         State’s unique places in
                                                                         history as the two pioneer
                                                                         land-grant institutions in
                                                                         the U.S. The trophy came
                                                                         about in 1993, when
                                                                         the schools
                                                                         started a run of
                                                                         playing season
                                                                         finales against

                Big Win Brings Paul Bunyan Home
                                                                         each other. Penn
                                                                         State took home
                                                                         the trophy with a
                                                                         win on Dec. 12.
                Spartan nation celebrated Michigan State’s 27-24
                                                                         MEGAPHONE TROPHY
                upset over No. 13 Michigan in October, bringing          The Spartans and the

                home the coveted Paul Bunyan trophy and mark-            Fighting Irish have com-
                                                                         peted for the Megaphone
                ing Mel Tucker’s first win over our in-state rival. It   trophy since 1949. Intro-
                                                                         duced by the Alumni
                was also the latest reminder for football fans that      Clubs from both
                                                                         schools, one side of
                the 2020 season was anything but predictable.            the trophy is blue,
                                                                         while the other side
                The four-foot tall wooden statue of Paul Bunyan,         is green. The last

                or the Governor of Michigan Trophy, has been             match up was in
                                                                         2017. Notre Dame
                presented to the winner of the MSU versus U-M
MSU ATHLETICS

                                                                         currrently holds
                                                                         the trophy.
                football game since 1953.
                                                                         SPARTAN MAGAZINE            15
BTP          Research

                                  Researchers Work to Keep
                                  Michigan Hopping

“
                                  As Michigan’s hop industry
                                  grows, many of the state’s craft
        This isn’t                brewers would prefer to use
     going to threaten            locally-grown hops for their
                                  pilsners, ales and stouts, but a
     our supply of                new species of fungus is threat-
     hops, but it hurts           ening that prospect.
     our ability to sup-             The good news is that MSU research-
     ply locally grown            ers are already working on strategies to
                                  manage what they’re calling halo blight,
     Michigan hops.
                                  the disease caused by the fungus. There
            - Timothy Miles,      also shouldn’t be a hop shortage while they
         Assistant Professor      develop those strategies. Although Michi-
              Plant, Soil and     gan is the nation’s fourth largest producer
          Microbial Sciences      of hops, the Pacific Northwest grows the
                                  lion’s share of the crop.

                                                                       Greener Pastures
                                                                          MSU researchers have      ture’s Natural Resources
                                                                       garnered a nearly $2.6       Conservation Service.
                                                                       million grant to work          Basso and his team
                                                                       with farmers across the      bring expertise in what’s
                                                                       country to make their        known as digital agri-
                                                                       fields more eco-friend-      culture to the program.
                                                                       ly while boosting their      Using images of fields
                                                                       farms’ bottom lines. Led     captured by drones,
                                                                       by MSU Foundation            planes and satellites, the

      10TH
        Michigan
                                                                       Professor Bruno Basso,
                                                                       the team is developing
                                                                       conservation practices
                                                                       that cut losses on unpro-
                                                                                                    researchers create maps
                                                                                                    of different fields of the
                                                                                                    same farm. These maps
                                                                                                    help farmers and re-
          ranks                                                        ductive plots. The grant     searchers develop plans
       10th in the                                                     is part of a nationwide      for each location, such as
        nation for
                                                                                                                                 MSU / DOUG HIGGINS

                                                                       initiative called On-Farm    which crops to plant and
        craft beer                                                     Conservation Innovation      what management strat-
       production                                                      Trials, funded by the U.S.   egies to use for maximum
                                                                       Department of Agricul-       savings and profit.

16    WINTER 2021      A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
BTP     Research

               A multi-disciplinary team of Michi-
               gan State University scholars has been
               awarded $3.2 million from the National
               Science Foundation (NSF) to deliver re-
               newable energy to off-grid communities.
                  This five-year project will deliver transforma-
               tive advances in science and technology to com-
               munities where energy is too expensive or unreli-
               able. These energy solutions could transform the
               lives of over 650 million people across the globe
               who are currently saddled with expensive and
               unsustainable off-the-grid energy options.
                  The project, led by Emilio F. Moran, John A.
               Hannah Distinguished Professor in Geography,
               spans across four MSU colleges—social science,
               engineering, agriculture and natural resources
               and communication arts and sciences—with par-
               ticipation of faculty from engineering, journalism,
               community sustainability and sociology.
                  By engaging stakeholders from the outset, the
               project will map the informational ecosystem of
               off-grid communities and empower local resi-
               dents with choices about what energy sources
               could best serve them. The work will focus on
               communities in the Brazilian Amazon, but it will
               have broad relevance in the U.S. and across the
GETTY IMAGES

               world.                                                MORE ON   Learn more:
                                                                     WEB       go.msu.edu/nsf-grant

                                                                                                      SPARTAN MAGAZINE   17
BTP        Arts & Culture

INTERSTATES
OF MIND:
REWRITING
THE MAP OF
THE UNITED
STATES IN THE
AGE OF THE
AUTOMOBILE
A new exhibition
on view at the MSU
Broad through April 10
unpacks our fascina-
tion with the automo-
bile and the different
ideals that continue
to shape our visions
of the United States
today. The show pays
special attention to
the roles played by
Detroit, Flint and
Lansing in shaping this
history. Drawings and
sketches by Michael
Burton, a Lansing na-
tive and the first Black
designer to work for
the top three—Ford,
Chrysler and GM—will
also be on display.

                            MSU ARTISTS EARN TWO LATIN
                            GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
                            Three MSU faculty members and the MSU Wind
     ALBUM ART              Symphony have earned two Latin Grammy nom-
      The album
   artwork for King         inations for Best Classical album and Best Clas-
  Mangoberry was
 created by seventh
                            sical Contemporary composition. MSU faculty
  and eighth grade          and student musicians “from the Michigan State
                                                                                COURTESY COVER ARTWORK

    students from
  Chippewa Middle           University College of Music wrote, performed and
  School, Okemos,
       Michigan
                            produced the album titled ‘King Mangoberry.’” The
                            2021 Grammys will be held January 31.
18   WINTER 2021     A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
BTP     Giving

                                                                                             “
HELP FOR STUDENTS WITH FINANCIAL                                                                 I have watched my
CHALLENGES DURING PANDEMIC                                                                       mother work one full-
Zach Collen doesn’t mince words about             Zach wasn’t alone. Collectively, donors        time and three part-
how hard he and his family have had to         gave more than $763,500 to college-level          time jobs so that I could
work in order to pay for his education.        emergency funds this past year—which              concentrate on my
   While a pandemic demonstrated the           went right to work, helping students over-
value of nurses in our society, MSU nurs-      come financial challenges.
                                                                                                 studies and not have to
ing student and senior Zach Collen told           As Zach prepares to make the leap into         worry about finances.
us, “I have watched my mother work one         the workforce, gratitude is top of mind,

                                                                                                    41%
full-time and three part-time jobs so that     and someday he hopes to pay it forward
I could concentrate on my studies and not      financially. Until then, he plans to pay it
have to worry about finances.”                 forward through his actions: treating his
   The COVID-19 pandemic forced many           patients with respect and dignity, making
students into difficult financial situations   them feel special and taking extra care               The increase in
taking away from their ability to focus on     with those who are most in need. And                  applications to
completing the school year. That was true      during a pandemic, that’s an extremely                 MSU College
for Zach, and that’s why a scholarship         reassuring thing to hear.                             of Nursing BSN
from the Nursing Student Emergency             MORE ON       Learn more about emergency               program for
Fund couldn’t have come at a better time.      WEB           student support funds:
                                                             go.msu.edu/help-students
                                                                                                      Spring 2021.

                                                                                                    SPARTAN MAGAZINE     19
BTP      Action of Change

MSU goes virtual with sexual assault
prevention programming
In the midst of a global pandemic, MSU’s Prevention, Outreach and Education Department is
finding innovative ways to keep students engaged with relationship violence and sexual misconduct
prevention programming through virtual events.

                                                                                                     “
  Traditionally, POE hosts a series of in-person       Author Chanel Miller delivered a keynote
events and educational trainings on campus          speech in a fireside chat webinar during last
aimed at preventing relationship violence and       fall’s Week of Action. She discussed her crit-
                                                                                                             I am really
sexual misconduct. When the university shifted      ically acclaimed memoir, “Know My Name,”
almost entirely to online education last year       in which she tells her story in the aftermath     proud of the way
to prevent the spread of the virus that causes      of a high-profile criminal sexual assault case     POE staff came
COVID-19, POE acted quickly to engage stu-          against a classmate and college athlete.                 together to
dents with interactive training.                       The novel is a New York Times bestseller,           redesign and
  By the end of fall semester, more than 20,000     a New York Times Book Review Notable
students received POE training using Zoom and       Book, and a National Book Critics Circle
                                                                                                       adapt all of our
other virtual platforms.                            Award winner, as well as a best book of 2019               in-person
  “I am really proud of the way POE staff came      in Time, the Washington Post, the Chicago            programs to a
together to redesign and adapt all of our in-per-   Tribune, NPR and People, among others.              virtual format.
son programs to a virtual format,” POE Director     Miller is a 2019 Time Next 100 honoree and
                                                                                                       We are commit-
Kelly Schweda said. “We are committed to con-       a 2016 Glamour Woman of the Year honoree
tinue to engage and have conversations about        under her pseudonym, “Emily Doe.”                   ted to continue
gender-based violence, even if that means we all       “We were excited to virtually welcome             to engage and
have to learn new ways to do that.”                 Chanel Miller to MSU for It’s On Us Week of            have conver-
  In addition to ongoing prevention training, the   Action,” said Damaris Crocker DeRuiter, a
                                                                                                         sations about
team hosted a series of programs, one of which      peer educator coordinator in POE. “Chanel’s
was the It’s On Us Week of Action that allowed      writing focuses on how personal narrative             gender-based
students to show support to survivors of sexual     and empowerment play a role in survivors           violence, even if
assault and raise awareness of gender-based         finding their voice and reclaiming them-         that means we all
violence.                                           selves and their stories, and I believe MSU      have to learn new
  The White House initiated It’s On Us in 2014      students, faculty, staff and community mem-
to encourage campus communities to take a           bers were incredibly inspired by her words.”
                                                                                                       ways to do that.
stand against sexual violence. National weeks          Throughout the week, POE held a virtual            - Kelly Schweda,
of action each fall and spring involve student      trauma-informed yoga session, and collect-                POE Director
groups and university units, and support multi-     ed letters to survivors in partnership with
ple MSU RVSM programs.                              MSU’s Center for Survivors.
  “Through It’s On Us Week of Action, we can           POE plans to coordinate another It’s On
continue to empower our campus on different         Us week during Sexual Assault Awareness
ways to prevent sexual and relationship violence    Month in April. The department will also
and grow as a community,” Schweda said. “It is      continue to offer workshops for specific
important to join together in supporting sur-       audiences through the end of the academic
vivors who are healing, especially during this      year. A list of these workshops can be found
critical and stressful time.”                       at poe.msu.edu.

20   WINTER 2021   A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
Good things happen
                     when we work together.

                     We’re proud to partner with the MSU Alumni Office. To learn more about Liberty Mutual auto
                     and home insurance, please call us at 1-800-469-6720, or visit libertymutual.com/msuaa.

AUTO             |            HOME               |           RENTERS               |            UMBRELLA               |            MOTORCYCLE                 |           CONDO               |            WATERCRAFT
Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. Equal Housing Insurer. ©2019 Liberty Mutual Insurance 12756008
                                                                                                                                                                                              AFF686950-26 CW 2019/10
SPARTAN STORY                   Impossible dreamer

Living History
An excerpt from Eric Marshall’s journey from
Mississippi to Michigan State to Vietnam
and beyond. BY TOM SHANAHAN

W                                                                                        “
                        hen I was in            American history found him again,
                        sixth grade, we       disrupting his plan for graduate                  When you’re in the
                        had to give a         school with an Army draft notice.
                        speech about            Marshall arrived in Vietnam 50                  infantry, you’ve got
                        what we wanted        years ago, serving 13 months, from                to fight together
to do in life,” Eric Marshall said.           July 1970 to August 1971.
“Mine was about how I was going to              Maybe the local draft board                     to stay alive. You
Michigan State University to play             thought he was just another Black                 understand bullets
football and graduate. The other kids         body to send to the front lines—they
laughed at me. It was the impossible          went in disproportionate numbers—                 don’t discriminate.
dream. No one we knew was able to
go to a Big Ten school.”
                                              but Marshall was a college graduate.
                                              That qualified him for Officer Candi-
                                                                                                - Eric Marshall
   Marshall’s story is a life lesson for      date School.                               foreign soil; he commanded a melt-
today’s COVID-19-impacted athletes.             “I was going to Vietnam anyway. I        ing-pot platoon.
He adapted to history’s twists and            might as well go as an officer. I signed      Marshall, 77, eventually retired
turns, living through the Ole Miss riot       up for Ranger training, jump training,     from two careers. First, as an Army
of 1962, escaping segregation through         jungle training. It was a good thing,      Lt. Col., having served 24 years
Coach Duffy Daugherty’s effort to             too. When you first get there, your        around the world, including a diplo-
integrate his team, serving as a young        men think you’re some lieutenant           matic trip to Moscow while stationed
lieutenant in Vietnam and retiring            that doesn’t know what’s going on          in West Berlin. Next, as a high school
from a second career as a high school         over there. My training gained their       principal in the San Francisco Uni-
principal in San Francisco.                   confidence.”                               fied School District.
   Marshall was never more than a               Only in America can history flip            After all these years and events,
backup quarterback for MSU, but all           circumstances so quickly and dramat-       throughout the twists and turns, he
that mattered to him was fulfilling his       ically.                                    is proud of his life’s journey. Today’s
dream of earning his political science          In 1962, Marshall was a bystander        COVID-19-impacted athletes can
degree. He had the last laugh on his          on racially blood-stained Mississippi      learn from him—that life can still
sixth-grade classmates as a high              soil; he watched the Army protect a        turn out fulfilled.
school senior.                                descendant of slaves from Confed-
   “I read them my scholarship letter         erate progenies. Eight years later, he     MORE ON     Read the full story about

from Duffy.”                                  was an Army officer on blood-stained       WEB         Eric Marshall:
                                                                                                     go.msu.edu/marshall

22   WINTER 2021    A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

                                                             Eric Marshall wears his Spartan #19 jersey in his official team portrait.

                                                             Eric “Ruben” Marshall on the run during his senior year.

                                                             Notre Dame and Michigan State quarterbacks at the 2017 joint
                                                             reunion (L-R): Eric Marshall (1963-67), Steve Juday (1963-65, 1965
MSU / COURTESY PERSONAL PHOTOS

                                                             All-American; Michigan State Hall of Fame), Jimmy Raye (1965-67,
                                                             1966 All-Big Ten; Michigan State Hall of Fame), John Mullen (1964-
                                                             1966) and Notre Dame’s Terry Hanratty.

                                                             A 2015 snapshot of Eric and two-time All-American, Bob Apisa.

                                                             Eric Marshall graduated in 1968 with a degree in political science
                                 Eric Marshall, ’68          and plans for attending graduate school when the Vietnam War
                                 College of Social Science   intervened.

                                                                                                       SPARTAN MAGAZINE                  23
Jazmin Bailey, ’11
      College of Communication
      Arts and Sciences
                                                 WESH TV

24   WINTER 2021       A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
SPARTAN STORY                 Truth teller

Making News Personal
As a news anchor in Orlando, Jazmin Bailey speaks publicly about her personal life while
bonding with viewers and keeping them informed. BY TOM KERTSCHER

S
            partan tough love, you         of breaking news in Orlando.           walk around with all their chal-
            might call it, steeled           Bailey discovered as a young TV      lenges and they hold them inside
            Jazmin Bailey to compete       reporter in Virginia that her work     and never tell anyone because of
            for a shrinking number of      could make a difference beyond the     fear or shame; the thought that
            jobs in television news.       news desk.                             someone will judge them.

                                           “
  The journalism graduate was                                                        “And being a news anchor who
stunned shortly after arriving                                                    shows up on TV every day that you
on campus.                                                                        recognize and you think probably
  “I just remember one of the coun-              Modeling vulnerabil-             has this amazing life, and you’re
selors saying, ‘Well, this is a sink-or-         ity is a very powerful           like, wait a minute, you were
swim program. We will teach you; we
will equip you with the knowledge to
                                                 thing that you can do,           getting abused at home and then
                                                                                  showing up at work? Yeah, I was;
go out and to be a great journalist, but         because most peo-                that was happening.”
you are going to have to do the work.’”          ple just kind of walk               Bailey said her memoir, “The
  “That sticks out to me because I                                                Woman With The Oil: Baring All
took it seriously.”
                                                 around with all their            and Healing From The Inside
  The courses in the MSU School                  challenges and they              Out,” and speaking publicly about
of Journalism taught Bailey tough                hold them inside and             her abuse experience bonded her
lessons. She vividly remembers failing                                            with viewers in a different way
one of her first reporting courses be-           never tell anyone.               than broadcasting does.
cause of a factual error on a weighted                                               “I tell stories and I make sure
assignment. That moment taught Bai-           “You realize this is much bigger    that people are informed every
ley that fact-checking was essential to    than me and I have the opportunity     day, and that’s great. But now I am
journalism. She took this knowledge        to share stories with people that      more than a pretty woman on TV
into her career and cited it as a lesson   could end up changing someone’s        who reads the news. I’m the wom-
she would never forget in the future.      life,” she said.                       an who’s bold enough to speak her
  In April 2020, Bailey received              Bailey has also connected with      truth and be unapologetic about
the Rising Star award from MSU’s           people by bringing her authentic       maintaining her peace.”
College of Communication Arts and          self to the job and opening up about
Sciences in recognition of her success     a toxic marriage and the domestic
                                                                                              Learn more:
early in her career. She is currently an   abuse that accompanied it.             MORE ON     Twitter: @jazminmbailey
anchor at WESH, a Hearst television           “Modeling vulnerability is a very   WEB         Jazmin’s funny Facebook video:
station in Central Florida, where she      powerful thing that you can do,                    go.msu.edu/jazmin

won a 2017 Emmy Award for coverage         because most people just kind of

                                                                                             SPARTAN MAGAZINE             25
SPARTAN STORY                  Design driver

Passion for Design
Spurred by a desire to be the best, Ralph Gilles designs
vehicles that people love to drive. BY TOM KERTSCHER

M
                      any of the best-look-     Then, in high school, his class-
                      ing cars of recent      mates decided that a new student
                      times owe some of       had supplanted Gilles, who was de-
                      their appeal to Ralph   signing and redesigning cars through
                      Gilles, MBA ’02, and    sketching, as the best in the school at
to what he observed as a boy.                 drawing. “It was the best thing that
   “I joke that I grew up in the ugly ’70s    ever happened to me, because then I
and ’80s,” said Gilles, global president of   really took it seriously,” he said.
product design at Fiat Chrysler Au-             Gilles is proud of his work on a
tomobiles. “In the mid- to late-’70s, a       Dodge sports car, the “Gen 5 Viper,”
lot of cars got really funky-looking; we      at a time when the company was de-
thought the muscle car was gone, back         ciding whether to bring the car back.
then. So, anything fun was quite rare.          “Even to this day, it has a hero-
   “Once in a while, when you saw some-       icness about it, an outrageousness
thing like a Porsche 911, or even an older    that’s attractive,” he said. “It com-
’Cuda or something like that, it really       bines many of my loves. I like muscle
stood out; it was really special. And so      cars, the idea of power, I love the
it made me notice the contrast between        driving and I love the styling. It had            Ralph Gilles, ’02
the mundane cars and these cars with          all those things. And the later models            Eli Broad College of Business
spirit to them.                               are outstanding track cars. I’m an
   “I noticed that even at 7-8 years old,”    amateur racer. Driving your own
Gilles continued. “I was like, ‘Why           brand on the racetrack and having it         As for African-Americans advanc-
am I feeling such an attraction to this       dominate is so much fun.”                 ing in the corporate world, Gilles
machine?’ It made me hyper-tuned-in             Gilles said he is also proud of his     said:
to that feeling of the contrast between a     work with the Pacifica minivan,              “I think, in general, whether it’s at
boring car and an awesome car.”               the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the           the board level of companies or the
   Gilles, who joined Chrysler Corp.          Ram truck. “We happen to have             (executive level), definitely I think
in 1992, recalled that the fascination        these amazing brands that also have       the top of companies need to look
led him to magazines such as Car and          great car clubs behind them. Having       like the market. I think America is
                                                                                                                                   FIAT CHRYSLER

Driver and Road & Track. “I would read        brands that people create commu-          getting more diverse every day, just
them back-to-back like a minister reads       nities around is huge. You don’t see      naturally. I stop short of promoting
the Bible,” he said.                          that with too many brands.”               affirmative action, because I think it

26   WINTER 2021    A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
“
could be very organic once you give it
a second thought.”
   His own career will remain on the             Once in a while, when you saw something
same track.
   “The visceral part is something, I
                                                 like a Porsche 911, or even an older ’Cuda or
don’t know where it comes from, but              something like that, it really stood out; it was
to this day, I still have that feeling. It
never gets old.”                                 really special. And so [even as a child] it made
              Twitter: @RalphGilles
                                                 me notice the contrast between the mundane
                                                 cars and these cars with spirit to them.
 MORE ON
 WEB
              Video: How he made his dream
              a reality: go.msu.edu/gilles

                                                                               SPARTAN MAGAZINE   27
SPARTAN STORY                   Dr. Do-It-All

Renaissance doctor
Whether as a public health official or a track star, Delano Meriwether knows how to
get the job done. BY LIAM BOYLAN-PETT

G
                rowing up Black in            he had nothing but good things to        American Veterinary Medical
                segregated Charles-           say about his time there. “MSU was       Association for his research on
                ton, South Carolina,          a joyous place for me,” he said.         internal parasites found in dogs—
                there were certain               Meriwether left MSU and be-           MSU recruited him because of the
                places Delano Meri-           came the first Black American to         award. After beginning his studies
wether simply could not go. When              enroll at Duke University School         at MSU, however, Meriwether
Meriwether came to MSU in the                 of Medicine, and by 1976, he was         decided he wanted to be a medical
fall of 1960, however, he felt like he        appointed the director of the U.S.       doctor.
had entered a whole new world.                Public Health Service’s immuni-             The veterinary world’s loss was
   For the first time, Meriwether             zation program. On top of that,          a gain for the world of medicine.
could go to the movies and any                Meriwether became a track star,          Meriwether graduated from Duke
restaurant he wanted to. He even              winning the 1971 national champi-        in 1967, and then earned a master’s
joined an intramural volleyball               onship in the 100-yard dash.             degree in public health from Johns
team. “It was very clear to me when                                                    Hopkins University. Soon after,

                                              “
I went out to Michigan State, I had                                                    he oversaw the immunization
to make the most of it,” Meriwether                                                    program, where he was tasked with
said. “But how can you make the                     It was very clear to               leading the team in charge of im-
most of something when there are                    me when I went out                 munizing over 100 million people
so many distractions?”                              to Michigan State,                 against the swine flu in a span of
   Those distractions did not end                                                      six months. Because he was also a
up slowing Meriwether down.
                                                    I had to make the                  track star, Meriwether was profiled
Instead, after three years, he left                 most of it.                        by Sports Illustrated, Time and
MSU without a degree, but with a                                                       People, among others. The more
glowing resume. His only bad expe-               Living a full life has never been a   publicity regarding the vaccine,
rience, he said, was informing his            problem for Meriwether.                  Meriwether thought, the better.
favorite professor he was leaving                Ten years prior to becoming an           Today, as the world begins the
MSU’s veterinary program. “I don’t            integral part of the immunization        rollout of a vaccine for the corona-
normally quit things,” Meriwether             program in the 1970s, he enrolled        virus, Meriwether is hopeful the
said, “but once I had Michigan                at MSU with the plan of becoming         process goes as well as it did for
State’s blessing, I felt ready to apply       a veterinarian. He had worked            him back in 1976—even if he has
to medical school.” His career at             in a veterinary hospital in high         his worries. “We need to approach
Michigan State came to an end, but            school and won an award from the         and address the whole issue of

28   WINTER 2021    A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
The 2021
                                                                                                                     ALUMNI
                                                                                                                     GRAND
                                                                                                                     AWARDS
                                                                                                                     MIC HIGAN STATE UNIV ERS ITY

                                                                                                                      MERIWETHER NAMED
                                                                                                                      ALUMNI GRAND
                                                                                                                      AWARD WINNER
                                                                                                                      On Friday, Oct. 22, 2021,
                                                                                                                      Delano Meriwether will be
                                                                                                                      among 12 other Spartans
                                                                                                                      who will be honored during
                                                                                                                      the Grand Awards Gala
                                                                                                                      in East Lansing, Michgan.
                                                                                                                      This signature event,
                                                                                                                      hosted by the MSU Alumni
                                  Wilhelm Delano Meriwether                                                           Office, recognizes alumni
                                  College of Natural Science
                                                                                                                      and friends who positively
                                                                                                                      reflect the values of MSU
                                                                                                                      through their inspiring
                              the current pandemic on the basis of     down the track, Meriwether is still
                                                                                                                      contributions of service,
                              sense,” Meriwether said. “Common         trying to live a full life, just like he
                                                                                                                      excellence and generosity.
                              sense, as well as scientific sense.”     did at MSU.
                                 After his work on the vaccine,           Like the young man who came to              Nominations are currently
                              Meriwether spent much of the 1980s       MSU and faced distractions, Meri-              being accepted for the
COURTESY OF DUKE UNIVERSITY

                              in South Africa, working as a doc-       wether remains open to anything                2022 awards. If you know
                              tor for millions in the region. Now      and everything. “I still have a lot to         a great Spartan, please
                              77, he lives in Maryland with his        learn,” he said. It is very likely he will.    consider submitting a
                                                                                                                      nomination by Sept. 1 at:
                              wife, just outside of Washington, D.C.
                                                                                                                      go.msu.edu/grand-awards
                              While he is no longer running a pub-     MORE ON        Learn more:
                              lic health program or running sprints    WEB            go.msu.edu/meriwether

                                                                                                                             SPARTAN MAGAZINE       29
INVENTING
     TOMORROW                                MSU faculty’s ability to keep coming up
                                             with groundbreaking ideas and take them
                                             to the marketplace has greatly helped
                                             improve the quality of life in communi-
                                             ties near and far and has helped Michigan
                                             and the United States compete in a
                                             global environment.

                                             BY LIAM BOYLAN-PETT

30   WINTER 2021   A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
GETTY IMAGES
I
                                              n 1929, MSU Professor G. Malcolm Trout did
                                              not like the taste of milk. Back in 1864, Louis
                                              Pasteur had discovered that heating milk—or
                                              wine or beer—killed most of the bacteria in the
                                       liquid, thus creating the process of pasteurization.
                                       Then, in 1899, Auguste Gaulin patented a “homogeniz-
                                       ing machine” that emulsified milk and gave it its rich,
                                       creamy, white color.
      Thanks to MSU Professor G.
      Malcolm Trout, homoge-
      nized milk became feasible,
      and combined with pas-
      teurization, it became safe        Until Trout, however, no      MSU faculty members are         Development at MSU and
      and appealing to drink.
                                      one thought to link the two      credited with over 2,700        MSU Innovation Center
                                      processes. His research at       inventions.                     executive director, said at
                                      MSU led to the discovery            The university takes its     the 2015 Innovation Center
                                      that homogenized milk            propensity for invention        Celebration. “The process
                                      needed to be pasteurized         and innovation seriously        of bringing technologies to
                                      first. Thanks to Trout, milk     and proudly, showcasing         market is a long road, filled
                                      was safe to drink, and it        the vital work its faculty is   with trial and error, but
                                      looked appetizing; plus, it      doing. In fact, beginning in    we provide the necessary
                                      tasted good. He wrote “Ho-       2011, the MSU Innovation        resources and support to
                                      mogenized Milk,” which           Center began hosting an         make this possible for both
                                      became a respected book in       annual Innovation Celebra-      MSU faculty and students.”
                                      the dairy industry. To this      tion. The event, a network-       The 2020 Innovation
                                      day, Trout is credited with      ing reception that showcas-     Celebration was canceled
      William J. Beal invented
      hybrid corn at MSU in 1872,     helping to make homoge-          es innovative technologies      due to the COVID-19
      leading to higher yields and    nized milk feasible.             developed in campus labs        pandemic. Even if unable
      better-quality corn.
                                         Trout was not the first in-   and beyond, honors the          to do so in person, the MSU
                                      novator on campus, and he        university’s greatest inno-     Innovation Center still
                                      certainly was not the last.      vators and innovations.         honored the “Innovation
                                      Famed botanist William J.           “To create something         of the Year” virtually. The
                                      Beal invented hybrid corn        new, it requires an in-         team looks forward to the
                                      in 1872 while at MSU. In         credible amount of labor,       next decade of innovation.
                                      the early 1970s, Dr. Barnett     perseverance and creativity.      Over the following pages,
                                      Rosenberg and his team on        The innovation, invention       you will find a few of MSU’s
                                      campus invented Cisplatin        and research created at         greatest innovations hon-
                                      and Carboplatin, two of the      MSU are something that          ored at previous innovation
     Dr. Barnett Rosenberg and
                                      world’s leading anti-cancer      needs to be shared with the     celebrations. They are some
     his team on campus invented      drugs. Those are only a few      world,” Charles Hasemann,       of MSU’s greatest gifts to
     Cisplatin and Carboplatin,
     two of the world’s leading
                                      examples of discoveries          assistant vice president for    the world.
     anti-cancer drugs.               in East Lansing. In fact,        Innovation and Economic

32   WINTER 2021         A LU M N I . M SU. E DU
You can also read