The Spartan Success Center will be a hub of student support, bringing together resources from across campus to improve access and drive student success.

In April 2026, the MSU Board of Trustees approved the $5.2 million, 12,500-square-foot project coming to Suite 150 in the Hannah Administration Building. The redesigned, first-floor space will support meaningful student engagement and house a wide range of academic, belonging and well-being services, including advising, strategic retention, success coaching, career services, tutoring, academic success workshops and more, all in one central campus location.

“We’re shifting the experience from students having to navigate all these systems, to systems better supporting students on their path to success,” said Christina Bridges, project co-lead and strategic retention manager for the Office of Undergraduate Education. “We’re really trying to be very student-centered in terms of service delivery, the physical design of the space, and emphasizing ease of access, coordinated care and reduction of barriers as much as we can.”

The Spartan Success Center will also be home to the Transfer Student Success Center and the First-Gen Center. President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., identified the creation of a First-Gen Center at MSU as a presidential priority, and the Spartan Success Center grew out of that work.

The Spartan Success Center is being designed to support the whole student — academically, personally and professionally — while fostering a sense of belonging and community that contributes to retention and graduation.

On a campus where students often must travel to multiple offices and retell their stories to receive support, the Spartan Success Center will work to change that dynamic.

“We’re trying to create more equitable experiences for our students by creating a central space for students, where we can address all their needs in one location instead of making students go from place to place,” said Renata Opoczynski, assistant provost for undergraduate student success and executive lead for the project.

Spartan Success Center: Serving all Spartans

Once open, all students entering the center, whether in need of support or just looking for a place of connection, will be greeted by a success coach or navigator who will work to understand their needs and connect them to the appropriate services or resources through a “warm handoff,” offering an introduction, context or explanation of next steps.

Staff housed at the center will include First-Gen Center and Transfer Student Success Center staff, academic advisors, career services advisors and success coaches, as well as a series of rotating partners who will be in the space part-time or on a seasonal basis. Students will also have access to a study lounge, active lounge, private meeting rooms, conference rooms and a multipurpose room.

The Spartan Success Center will also offer programming and workshops focused on student and career success, as well as resources presented by partners, like Residence Education and Housing Services, Office of Financial Aid, Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students, Office for Education Abroad, and Fraternity and Sorority Life, among others. While designed with the needs of first-generation and transfer students in mind, the Spartan Success Center will be a space where all Spartans can find belonging, support and connection.

Proactive, not reactive

At the core of the Spartan Success Center is proactive support. Rather than waiting for students to seek help during a crisis, the center will emphasize early engagement and outreach.

“It’s not just about a crisis response. It’s really about that early engagement and proactive outreach,” Bridges said. “So, shifting the support that we provide to students and the timing of that support will be key.”

Digital displays throughout the space will share timely reminders about important deadlines, events and requirements, like Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, completion and course enrollment.

“By housing rotating offices focused on just-in-time needs of students and proactively pushing proven student behaviors that support students’ ability to learn, thrive and graduate, we hope the Spartan Success Center becomes a valuable resource for students, especially first-gen students and others who may benefit from additional institutional knowledge or supporters who can guide them,” Opoczynski said.

Opportunities for student success

The Spartan Success Center project team used the Five Areas of Student Success as a design framework: self-discovery of purpose, educational success, developing sense of belonging, contributing to an empowered community, developing well-being.

“We’re envisioning this as the physical location where those five opportunity areas are made tangible and real for students,” said Heather Shea, project co-lead and director of the Pathways Persistence Programs in the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Inspired by the recently opened Spartan One-Stop, the Spartan Success Center aims to provide seamless referrals and coordinated care in one location. It will be located directly across from Spartan One-Stop on the first floor of the Hannah Administration Building in a repurposed space, reflecting MSU’s commitment to student success, sustainability and stewardship.

With board approval secured, construction commenced in April, with plans to welcome students into the space in January 2027.