Michigan State University celebrated breaking ground on renovations to the MSU School of Packaging building on April 19, following a fundraising campaign that raised more than $10 million.

“Michigan State’s School of Packaging is proud to be known as the first, the largest and the most comprehensive packaging program in higher education,” said MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. “We are excited that MSU’s tradition of excellence in packaging is being reinforced with donor support for a significant expansion and improvement of our facilities and addition of an endowed faculty chair.”

Last updated in 1986, the facility upgrades will help MSU remain a leader in the packaging field. The Packaging Building Renovation will help modernize teaching and learning. This includes flexible classrooms that encourage collaboration and integrate technology seamlessly, spaces that invite industry to engage and enhance the student experience and attract faculty with the proper space and tools to conduct world-class leading research. Learn more about the Packaging Building Renovation.

“Our upgraded facility will be a gathering place for the best and brightest packaging minds, and a place that brings together academia, industry, government and non-government leaders to solve the toughest packaging challenges,” said Matt Daum, Ph.D., School of Packaging director. “Updating and expanding the current facility to meet modern teaching and research needs will better reflect the rapidly evolving, technology-ready packaging workplace. This ultimately results in better-prepared graduates.”

The first phase of renovations should be completed by summer 2023. Watch the live video feed of the construction progress, provided by Christman Construction. 

The renovations are supported by commitments to the renovation project totaling over $10 million from alumni and donors including lead gifts from Amcor, Charles and Jackie Frasier and Ring Container Technologies.

• Amcor made a transformative gift to the School of Packaging to establish a partnership that allows the School of Packaging to begin renovations to create a modern, collaborative environment for our students and faculty that will be a hub for sustainable packaging thought leadership across industry, academia, governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The Amcor partnership also establishes an endowed chair position focusing on sustainable packaging solutions. This faculty member will have a unique platform to influence and lead the thinking around truly sustainable and scalable packaging solutions across the whole value chain.

• Charles and Jackie Frasier, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, made both the first gift to launch the renovation campaign and the last gift needed for the first phase of renovations to begin. Their gifts will name the Charles L. and Jacqueline C. Frasier Atrium, a focal point as you enter the building, and the Charles L. and Jacqueline C. Sustainability Lab in the School of Packaging building. Additionally, they committed another $1.5 million to endow a professorship through an estate gift.

• Ring Container provided support to renovate the main corridor, to be renamed the Ring Container Technologies Innovation Hall, re-imagined and redesigned with collaboration in mind. The new expanded space will connect to the Frasier Atrium. This exciting new space will nurture both large and small collaboration groups for students, faculty and industry partners. This prominent space will quickly become a preferred gathering location, not only because of its various collaboration spaces, but also because of its comfortable, bright and modern design.

“I am truly grateful for our donor partners. Their gifts demonstrate a spirit of cooperation with the School of Packaging and a willingness to pay it forward for the next generation of students who will benefit from this investment in outstanding facilities and new faculty,” Daum said.

The top-ranked MSU School of Packaging, housed within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is the first school of packaging in the United States and the largest packaging program in the country, with over 600 undergraduate and graduate students. It is the only school that offers a Ph.D. program in packaging and boasts 10,000 alumni worldwide.