‘Considering the role we all play’

John M. Clements, associate professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, College of Human Medicine

The first day of the Spartan Bus Tour provided me with some reminders of the great things that can happen in rural communities. The mural in Cadillac showed me how the power of community and the power of art combine to bring a community together, to help them take pride in their community and to revitalize areas. The growth and success of Kalkaska Memorial Health Center showed what communities can do to enhance health care delivery in rural communities even in the face of nationwide rural hospital closures. Mammoth Distilling is evidence of how MSU’s expertise and resources can help rural businesses thrive.

Kate Fort, director of the MSU Law Clinic and Indian Law Clinic, academic specialist, College of Law

I have worked at Michigan State for 20 years now, and we’ve been through a lot as a university during that time. This felt like summer camp to me. The bus tour created an intentional community where we showed each other care and kindness while we were also treated with care and kindness by the staff and organizers of the tour. We were able to meet new people, have fun, share laughs and learn new things about ourselves and our state — and it made me proud to work here, and it gave me a lot of hope. In times like these, creating community and connection is so important, and I’m happy President Guskiewicz is making that a priority.

Joyce deJong, dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine

This trip through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been both inspiring and grounding — a vivid reminder of why we do what we do as Spartans. From learning about the cultural and ecological importance of wild rice at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College to seeing the incredible partnership between MSU and rural health leaders in Marquette, I was reminded that our reach truly spans the entire state.

At Kalkaska Memorial Health System, I met an exceptional leadership team committed to community health, and we look forward to exploring opportunities to expand primary care residencies and medical student training there.

Each stop reinforced that, as Michigan’s state university, we carry both the privilege and the responsibility to serve every community — from the bridges to the borders — with innovation, compassion and collaboration. I’m proud to be a Spartan.

Matt Anderson, professor, Broad College of Business

At the concluding reception of the Spartan Bus Tour, each participant was asked to provide a word that was

personally reflective of the experience. For me, the word was “Ubuntu.” This stems from the Bantu language and related African cultures, and is sometimes roughly translated as “I am, because we are.” This translation resonated deeply with me after the tour. Michigan State University is a “we” university. The bus tour simply illustrated the depth of the we — and how the “we” impacts the lives of those connected in some way to the university.

Observing the varied examples of Spartan life connections and transformations within communities was inspiring and, for me, reawakened a renewed sense of the possible. From the visits to regional health care facilities to the observation of farmland or forest rejuvenation projects or to the witnessing of the harvesting of wild rice by Indigenous people, one was struck by the profound role played by educational institutions in the change — or continuation — processes that play out in peoples’ lives. The sense of renewal, hope and vigor was palpable. The bus tour was filled with “Go Green” moments.

Harvi Hart, assistant professor, College of Education

As someone who has been at MSU for less than a year and is still new to Michigan, the Spartan Bus Tour to northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula was an incredible opportunity to explore the state and connect with a diverse group of Spartans and community members. I was inspired by the unique and meaningful projects happening across the region — from health care programs that go beyond the hospital to support patients at home to community arts initiatives that bring people together and educational efforts rooted in culture.

What stood out most was the passion and dedication of everyone involved — all committed to making a positive impact in these communities and continually finding new ways to address needs and create positive change. It was powerful to see how MSU’s research and outreach go beyond campus to actively serve people and places across Michigan, especially in rural areas facing unique challenges. The tour expanded my understanding of MSU’s important role statewide and the real impact it has on people’s lives. I enjoyed visiting many places and experiencing new things — like the Iron Mountain Iron Mine, crossing the Mackinac Bridge and trying a pasty — which made the trip even more memorable and helped me appreciate the uniqueness of the region.

This experience made me feel more connected, not just to Michigan, but also to the Spartans and community members who share a deep commitment to meaningful work that benefits others. It has motivated me to think about how I can contribute to that mission in my own way!

Emily Silver, associate chair of the Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

The Spartan Bus Tour ignited my Spartan pride and reaffirmed my commitment to serve Michigan’s communities with research, education and outreach. We connected with local artists, makers, manufacturers and growers, all of whom are interconnected by their care for rural communities and for the state’s natural resources.

As a forestry and policy scholar, and a former UP resident, I appreciated the opportunity to connect my fellow Spartans with places and people that support, cherish and steward Michigan’s beautiful forests. From maple syrup to sports flooring to healthy manoomin (wild rice) beds, these ecosystems provide countless services to Michigan communities. Over 1,100+ miles, we dreamed up new ideas, new partnerships and made new friendships that will inspire my work at MSU for years to come.

Phillip Delekta, assistant professor, College of Natural Science

The Spartan Bus Tour helped me discover powerful connections between two of my lifelong passions: Michigan State University and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The UP has always been my spiritual home, filled with cherished family memories, while MSU is my intellectual home, where I earned my bachelor’s degree and now have the privilege of teaching the next generation of Spartans.

I had always seen these places as separate parts of my life, but the tour revealed how deeply intertwined they are and how I can support both at once. The tour’s collaborative and curious spirit sparked several exciting new partnerships, including an unexpected initiative with art faculty to create a program that brings artists and scientists to remote areas of the UP to collaborate on scholarly work. As a microbiologist, that kind of outcome was beyond anything I had imagined, and it speaks to the transformative potential of this experience.

Nancy Grigg, fixed-term instructor, College of Arts and Letters

On the Spartan Bus Tour, I was warmly welcomed by faculty who have spent several years at MSU already, along with new faculty like me, also looking for community as we engage in our teaching and academic work. Many community partners opened their doors (and their hearts) as they welcomed us into their facilities and introduced us to innovative approaches to solving problems to help strengthen their own communities and beyond. I was particularly moved during our visit with partners from Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College in L’Anse, where we learned about manoomin (wild rice) and participated in processing a recent labor-intensive harvest of the sacred aquatic grain. While I stirred the harvested rice in a round, steel drum over an open fire, I felt the warmth not only from the fire, but from the community members who told us stories from their recent rice camp event, and how this camp connected them to their culture, their community and how food also serves as medicine. It was through this event that I also worked together with faculty members alongside Kevin and Amy Guskiewicz, as we separated the processed rice together, by hand, on paper plates gathered around a six-foot folding table in the parking lot at KBOCC. It was then that I realized that I had, in fact, found my community comprised of shared values: togetherness, inclusiveness, our interconnectedness and intertwined responsibility for one another, and Ubuntu.

The beauty of the Upper Peninsula cannot be understated, as the colors of the leaves and the landscape were breathtaking (as well as the Mackinac Bridge! WOW!) However, the most beautiful part of the Spartan Bus Tour was the friendships that were made between faculty, the cutting-edge innovation and vast knowledge shown by our Upper Peninsula community partners and how we are all interconnected and intertwined in building a sustainable community together in the future.

Erin Danes, District 2 director, Michigan State University Extension

The Spartan Bus Tour wasn’t just a road trip; it was a journey of connection between people, places and purpose. And for me, every single mile was worth it.

As the District 2 director with MSU Extension, I oversee programs and staff across six counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula. My work focuses on building relationships between MSU and local communities, so I already understood the importance of connecting Lansing to the UP. But being on the Spartan Bus Tour brought that connection to life in a whole new way.

There’s a saying I’ve heard many times during my time in the UP: “Lansing doesn’t care about the UP.” It’s something that has echoed across decades and counties. But what I saw on this tour proved the opposite. The Spartan Bus Tour was a strong message of connection, a sign that MSU does care and that the bridge between Lansing and the Upper Peninsula is alive and well.

As I drove back home to Marquette after the tour, the UP looked different to me. Traveling along Highway 2, a route I’ve driven countless times, I found myself smiling at new memories made along the way. I remembered places I’d visited on the tour, some right within my district, that I had never truly taken the time to experience. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a tourist in my own area, rediscovering the beauty and richness of the place I call home.

Joanne Marciano, associate professor, College of Education

I especially appreciated hearing from artist Gabby Hanson about her mural in downtown Cadillac. She explained that the subject of the mural, Marion Nye, was an everyday worker at the local printing company whose relationships with his colleagues, family, friends and community are what he is remembered for. That focus on relationships was reflected in how the mural included the painted handprints of many members of the Cadillac community. It made me think about how they might feel a sense of belonging when they see this beautiful mural in the middle of their city that they helped bring to life, reminding me of the power of public art in fostering a sense of community.

I also really appreciated how Gabby explained that, at first, some of the children, youth and adults who participated in adding their handprints to the mural weren’t really sure how to do it, asking whether they could touch the paint with their hands. But once they got started, she said the joy they felt from painting together was clearly visible as they laughed and got paint all over themselves.

It made me think about how working collaboratively across age generates opportunities for learning in ways that teach us new ideas and practices while centering joy. Gabby also explained that two youths who had never participated in a public art project like the mural now plan to become artists. That really reminded me of the power we have as educators to encourage and support our students in gaining access to new experiences that may impact their lives in ways we never anticipated. To me, that was one of the most exciting parts of our visit to Cadillac: considering the role we all play as everyday members of our communities in building relationships with one another and contributing to new knowledge, experiences and joy.

Anthony Marasco, assistant professor of composition and technology, College of Music

I've been at MSU for about a year now and one of the things that impressed me the most about the university during my interview was the strong sense of community between the students, staff and faculty in the College of Music. When I started last fall, I quickly realized that that sense of shared purpose and support is common throughout campus. Traveling to northern Michigan and the UP on the Spartan Bus Tour, I was thrilled to see that the drive to create lasting friendships and collaborative networks here on campus extends far and wide across the entire state, too! At each of our site visits, I learned how organizations like the Forestry Innovation Center, the Up North Arts organization and the faculty and staff at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College were working to support their neighbor. My grandfather was a barber in my hometown for 62 years, and the idea of showing up on a daily basis to support your community resonates with me strongly. It was fantastic to meet so many people who give back to communities daily, including every one of my colleagues on the bus!

This was also my first time crossing over the Mackinac Bridge. I had been to Michigan and stayed on Mackinac Island on a family vacation when I was a kid, but we didn't have a chance to cross the bridge. I’m glad that we had some clear skies on our return trip so we could get a clearer view of the lake. Fun fact: having lived in Louisiana and South Texas and with family in Prince Edward Island, Canada, the Mighty Mac is now the newest addition to my list of very long bridges crossing lakes or bays!

Lorraine Robbins, professor and Ph.D. program director, College of Nursing

The strong bond between MSU and the communities that we visited is nothing short of extraordinary. It is obvious that this wonderful relationship is built on mutual respect, care and a shared sense of purpose — each side values the other deeply, and the synergy is palpable and inspiring. Through the visits at the various locations, I gained valuable insights and was consistently impressed by the level of preparation and hospitality.

Every stop felt welcoming, and I am thankful for the excellent food, beverages, snacks and small gifts received along the way. I am profoundly grateful to everyone who made this exceptional tour possible including the trip organizers, bus driver, faculty, my Spartner, the speakers (those on the bus and at the sites), food preparers and servers, individuals at the hotels, the hardworking members of these communities and all others who collectively contributed to the tour’s success. This unique, once-in-lifetime experience has enriched me in numerous ways that I plan to always carry forward with deep appreciation and pride. Thank you, MSU!

Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, dean and professor, College of Communication Arts and Sciences

What an incredible opportunity to experience Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula and see firsthand the range of community engaged programs having real impact on people around the state. Part of the magic of spending three days on a bus with 54 people who represent the spectrum of Spartan expertise is discovering future opportunities for MSU faculty to partner in service to our land-grant mission.