Michigan State University is receiving $423 million as part of the state of Michigan’s 2023-24 fiscal year education budget signed into law Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The state education budget includes $318.6 million in base operations funding, a 5% increase over last year’s investment from the state and 5% funding increases for MSU Extension and AgBioResearch, amounting to $33.2 million and $38.5 million in funding, respectively. 

“I appreciate the Legislature and Gov. Whitmer for their continued investment in higher education,” said MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. “Our elected state leaders play a critical role in the allocation of funding to MSU, its programs and critical projects which collectively strengthen our state’s competitiveness and build a pipeline of leaders, innovators and problem solvers to fill key roles at companies here in Michigan.”

Engineering and Digital Innovation Center

The new education budget also helps prepare Michigan for a 21st century workforce by investing $30 million in the construction of a new Engineering and Digital Innovation Center on campus.

The new center will be a collaborative effort among six MSU colleges and will harness research, innovation and discovery across multiple disciplines to ensure students are prepared to thrive in a competitive state and global economy.

Engineering Dean Leo Kempel said the College of Engineering is very pleased with this investment by the state of Michigan.

“This funding will allow MSU to more rapidly serve the growing materials-based industries, such as semiconductors and electric vehicles, and the growing number of computer science students at MSU,” Kempel added.

Apple Developer Academy 

The Detroit Apple Developer Academy is receiving $3 million in continued state funding. The academy recently celebrated its second graduating class. The academy offers students an opportunity to become entrepreneurs and app developers by learning the fundamentals of coding, design, marketing and project management. Graduates ages 18 to 70 have secured employment or internships with companies such as Ford, GM, Little Caesars, Rocket Mortgage and others. Some students are remaining with the academy to participate in its second-year internship program, while others are continuing their higher education.

Continued funding

MSU received continued funding for increases of up to $500,000 for MSU’s research evaluation of the Great Start Readiness Program, or GSRP, Michigan’s statewide preschool program. MSU’s WKAR-TV, celebrating its 100-year anniversary is part of the Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide public television partnership offering instructional content to support the education of students and to provide alternative resources for families and teachers. The partnership is receiving $5 million in continued funding through the state education budget.

The majority of MSU's funding from the state comes from the education budget, which was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer Thursday. MSU stands to receive an additional $22.9 million in funding through the state omnibus budget that awaits the governor's signature. This funding includes:

RX Kids

State funding of $16.5 million will help launch Rx Kids, the first citywide effort in the U.S. aimed at tackling poverty to improve health outcomes for Flint mothers and babies.

Led by Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician and associate dean for public health in the MSU College of Human Medicine and director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, the Rx Kids program prescribes unconditional cash allowances to all pregnant mothers and babies in Flint.

“Building on global evidence, Rx Kids sparks a powerful vehicle for equity and opportunity,” said Hanna-Attisha. “As a pediatrician, Rx Kids is the science-based and prevention-driven answer to treat the pathogen of poverty. We are beyond grateful to the Michigan Legislature for boldly supporting a new vision of how we can best care for each other.”

MIDOCs

MSU stands to receive $1.6 million in continued annual funding for Michigan Doctors Improving Access to Care, or MIDOCs, as one of four medical schools working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to recruit and retain medical providers with the goal of increasing access to care in underserved rural and urban communities across the state.

Soil health programming

MSU will partner with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which is expected to receive $6 million in state funding, to develop, implement and evaluate a soil health, regenerative agriculture and climate resiliency program.