Preserving the MSU Union’s history 

For more than a century, the MSU Union has served as one of campus’s most important gathering places — a hub of student life and shared experience for generations of Spartans. Over the years, the iconic building has hosted countless activities and events, shaping memories that stretch across decades.

Throughout its history, the union has been a constant home for students and student organizations, accommodating everything from dances and meetings to organizing and protests. It also has housed key campus institutions, including the Alumni Association, the State News, MSU Yearbook, and Fraternity and Sorority Life, to name a few.

As part of ongoing efforts to preserve and highlight that legacy, the MSU Union now features two prominent memorials: a historic plaque commemorating Spartan service members and a newly installed memorial at the west entrance steps. These markers not only acknowledge the building’s past but also reaffirm its enduring significance within the MSU community.

Cathy Fitzpatrick, the director of the MSU Union and MSU Alumni Memorial Chapel, emphasized the importance of these memorials in preserving institutional memory, noting that they focus on “some of the most important pieces of the history of the MSU Union.”

M.A.C. Memorial Union plaque

The MSU Union was built in the years following World War I. After a period marked by war and hardship, universities across the country began constructing union buildings to serve as centers of campus life. Spartans, too, needed a place to gather — a place to celebrate current and future generations while honoring Spartan veterans.

The new M.A.C. Memorial Union plaque, mounted on the exterior wall on the south side of the west entrance to the MSU Union, commemorates the 1,400 MSU students and alumni who served in the Great War. The inscription recognizes the union as a “gathering place for all Spartans,” honoring the spirit of camaraderie and unity that has long defined the MSU community.

Fitzpatrick partnered with Patrick Forystek, director of the Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students at MSU, on the plaque. “CVMAS is honored to partner with the MSU Union to recognize the history of our beloved union,” says Forystek. “Recognizing our shared history in this way is important to our campus and community, and it shows MSU’s commitment to honoring the sacrifices so many of our Spartans have given in service to our country.”

Alumni Association War Memorial plaque

Most recently kept at the Alumni Memorial Chapel, the Alumni Association War Memorial plaque was a gift from the Washington, D.C., M.S.C. Association (a regional alumni club) and honors lives lost in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I. Weighing over 200 pounds, the plaque was first displayed in the union before updates to the building resulted in it being moved to the chapel at an unknown time. The plaque has now been returned to its original home at the MSU Union in the main concourse.

In honor of the building’s recent centennial celebration, Fitzpatrick felt like it was the right time to move the plaque back to the MSU Union. As she puts it, “It’s the union’s history,” and she’s proud to have this important historical marker back at the union. The plaque has led Fitzpatrick on a deep dive into the union’s history. “When you uncover pieces of history like that, you can’t help but honor it,” Fitzpatrick says.

These historical markers serve as an important reminder of why the MSU Union was built 100 years ago, the building’s connection to Spartan service members and veterans, and what the MSU Union continues to stand for to this day.