Tim Potter is the sustainable transportation manager for the MSU Bikes Service Center, and has spent the past 24 years with Michigan State University. He also serves as a member of the MSU Bikes Advisory Committee, as well as co-founder of the national Campus Bike Programmer’s Network. He also serves on the board of the international Ride of Silence board. A lifelong cyclist, Potter started tinkering with bikes as a 12-year-old. He has biked all over the United States, met his wife through bicycling and even working in the bicycle tourism industry in Japan.
During my early years with MSU, I spent much of my lunch hours and weekends volunteering across campus. I had always been active in my volunteering, however in 2003 I discovered a chance to exercise one of my passions with the newly formed MSU Bike Project, and I became one of the first of a small group of volunteers to join. As I would come to learn, this new opportunity would become a career-long journey building MSU Bikes into what it is today.
The operation was very small at first. We started by fixing up 25 abandoned bikes from the impound lot for faculty and staff to encourage them to bike as a healthier and more enjoyable option to driving on campus during their workdays. By the second summer, we had 125 bikes, with demand coming from more of the campus community—namely students. We expanded the project as demand grew, and it eventually became my full-time job in the summer of 2006 to help the MSU and surrounding community discover the joys of biking.
I realized early on that through my volunteerism, I was making a difference in the lives of many people on our campus. My passion for biking pushed me to volunteer and sharing that passion with the community eventually evolved into a new position within the university. By investing my free time into promoting biking on campus, I had gradually shaped my professional path.
I think nurturing that desire to help others is one of the core values here at MSU, and it encourages people to think outside of their normal role and discover how their passions can positively impact their community. You might be able to create a position for yourself that you might enjoy a lot more than just what you’re currently doing. Even today, it’s something I put a lot of my time into—I do a lot of advocacy work outside of my day job. To eventually be rated as a Platinum Bike Friendly University, I believe it will take a lot of institutional change.
If there’s any lesson I’ve learned, it’s that there's not always going to be an organization out there that's ready to just take your extra hour—you might have to create it. I encourage all Spartans to be tenacious in applying their passions. It can create opportunity and more joy for both you and your community.
To learn more about MSU Bikes, please visit their website. For more information, tips and advice on bicycling on campus, please read their blog.
Every April, MSU’s Office of Sustainability highlights stories and events across campus to celebrate Earth Month. To learn more about Earth Month at MSU, please visit sustainability.msu.edu.