Michigan State University will receive several million dollars under the recently passed fiscal year 2023 federal omnibus budget signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 29. The funding supports community outreach program expansions and critical research funding that will further MSU’s academic and research excellence.
Among the funding, MSU will receive about $3.6 million for two community projects. The university’s public media station, WKAR, will receive roughly $1.42 million of the funding to complete its partnership with the Lansing School District, leveraging unique television technology to develop and deliver educational content to underserved families across mid-Michigan. The remaining nearly $2.2 million supports the expansion of MSU’s Child Development Labs through the opening of a new Lansing-based site serving the families of up to 144 infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
“Thanks to the support of senators Stabenow and Peters and Rep. Slotkin, these community initiatives will expand MSU’s outreach and engagement efforts with our local community,” said MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. “We are both one of the largest employers in the community, with employees who need these supports for themselves and their families, and we are also a community partner committed to helping those around us — creating a strong educational foundation for Michigan’s young people.”
The university also received $5 million in support of the Flint Lead Exposure Registry.
"The Flint Registry has proven to be a powerful tool to understand, measure and improve the lives of the Flint community and communities everywhere that continue to suffer from preventable lead exposure and drinking water crises,” said director of the MSU-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative Mona Hanna-Attisha. “I applaud the entire Michigan delegation, especially senators Stabenow and Peters and Rep. Kildee, for their steadfast leadership in championing this critical public health infrastructure.”
Other significant new funding from the enacted budget bill supports key federal research agencies that provide critical financial support for cutting-edge research conducted by MSU’s world-class researchers across campus, including:
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
- Plant Research Laboratory
- Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
- Long-term Agroecosystem Research network’s sustainable agriculture research at the MSU Kellogg Biological Station
- The university’s Cooperative Research Unit partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and United States Geological Survey on conservation and protection of the state’s wildlife and natural resources
- Federal research opportunities through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and the National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships
“I greatly appreciate the long-standing strong support of all our Michigan delegation members in securing this important funding for MSU, allowing us to continue supporting the success of our students and moving innovative research forward,” Woodruff added.
