A new way to serve Spartans: Spartan One-Stop opens to support students

When a group of Michigan State University leaders cut the green ribbon for Spartan One-Stop, located in Room 140 of the Hannah Administration Building, it signified the beginning of a new and improved way to serve MSU students.

Spartan One-Stop brings together the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Financial Aid and student accounts within the Office of the Controller to create a centralized hub to make it easier and faster to resolve questions. Students can get assistance over the phone, through email and, now, in person with the official opening of the Spartan One-Stop office.

Spartan One-Stop launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 30, marking the completion of a vision that was years in the making.

“When we imagined Spartan One-Stop, we asked ourselves one simple question: How can we make it easier for students to get the help they need when they need it, without the confusion or frustration of going from office to office?” said Colleen Thoman, Spartan One-Stop director. “Our students are here to learn. They’re here to chase their dreams. They’re here to grow and not get lost in the administrative processes. So, we set out to create a place that feels welcoming, supportive and focused on helping Spartans succeed. The result is what you see here today.”

After benchmarking national One-Stop models and engaging campus stakeholders in 2022, the Spartan One-Stop collaborators dedicated two years of research, planning and preparation to serve students. Virtual and support services launched in August 2024, followed by the opening of the physical space in June 2025.

Since opening the space, Spartan One-Stop’s team of 24 full-time staff and up to 30 student employees has provided face-to-face support to students through more than 5,700 in-person appointments. As of Oct. 27, Spartan One-Stop has resolved 60,381 cases. These figures reflect high demand as well as a positive response from students who now have a singular path to resolve administrative questions.

Some of the most common issues and questions students pose include transcript requests, FAFSA assistance, scholarship searches, enrollment verification and account balance resolution, among others.

When students first walk into the new Spartan One-Stop space, adorned with green and a giant Spartan helmet logo, they discover an open space where key support offices converge. Kiosks await the students, as do Spartan One-Stop specialists who are on hand to serve students in several confidential yet welcoming office spaces.

Addressing problems or questions regarding financial aid, enrollment and other struggles can be incredibly stressful for students who already have demanding schedules with little time to visit multiple offices to receive the assistance they need. Spartan One-Stop is already making students’ lives easier.

“I could not have had a better experience at One-Stop,” said Sydney Sherd, a sophomore studying zoology. “The walk-in aspect really made it especially easy during a busy work week when I felt like I did not have enough time to get the questions I needed answered. And the woman who helped me was really nice and knowledgeable and definitely calmed me down during my moments of great stress about the whole process of financial aid.”

From her experience as a student and now as a student colleague working at Spartan One-Stop, senior Asha Harper has seen for herself how the three offices within Spartan One-Stop are interconnected. If a student had issues with financial aid not disbursing, not only would they connect with the Office of Financial Aid, but they also likely would have issues with their student account, necessitating a visit to the Office of the Controller.

With Spartan One-Stop, students can have many major issues addressed in one space.

“One-Stop is really important in that way,” Harper said. “It can be hard navigating college, and you don’t want to stress about your finances, how you’re going to pay for things, how you’re going to take care of things. A lot of students really appreciate the breakdown that is very specific to them, and that it’s not something that is generalized from the internet.”

Spartan One-Stop is another critical piece in the university’s work to help students thrive at MSU, according to President Kevin Guskiewicz.

It also directly connects with MSU 2030, the university’s strategic plan that outlines a variety of key goals such as bringing the university graduation rate up to 86% by 2030. Spartan One-Stop provides the resources and tools to help students get to that point.

“We talk so often here at Michigan State University about being strategic, being bold, and we always end with being student-focused. I think this is a perfect example of just that,” Guskiewicz said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This is strategically built

and thought out. It was a bold initiative. And it will lead to many student success initiatives and help our students.”

Dave Weatherspoon, vice provost of enrollment and academic strategic planning, called Spartan One-Stop not only a new space, but a new way of serving students.

“This has been a culmination of a lot of investments and making sure our students are successful at Michigan State University,” he said. “The One-Stop is more than a place. It’s a promise to meet every student where they are throughout their Spartan journey. Guided by research and inspired by our peers, this space embodies an unwavering commitment to putting students and their families first with intentionality.”

Looking ahead, the Spartan One-Stop team will evaluate and enhance its services, digital tools and partnerships across campus to evolve alongside students’ needs and remove barriers to success.

“This is not only One-Stop, it’s also ‘One MSU’ and a ‘One Team’ exemplar,” said Laura Lee McIntyre, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Innovative

and forward-thinking in its approach to thoughtfully and intentionally align services and resources, it serves as a model of how to holistically serve our students.”

Learn more at onestop.msu.edu. The new location is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Contact Spartan One-Stop at 517-432-8000 or onestop@msu.edu.