Much like the Y2K aesthetic, life at Michigan State University in the early 2000s was iconic.
From 2000 to 2010, MSU would have some of its most famous wins, welcome remarkable new monuments and buildings, and continue growing into the global brand it is today. Let’s look back at some of the biggest moments.
Interested in diving deeper into the MSU time capsule? Check out our 1980s and 1990s features.
Legendary national victories
The early 2000s were marked by notable victories for MSU teams at the national level.
First, in just his fourth season as head coach, Tom Izzo led the men’s basketball team to a national championship during the 2000 NCAA Tournament. On April 3, 2000, the Spartans took on the Florida Gators in the finals, emerging victorious with an 89-76 win. This was the program’s second national title.
Then in 2007, Spartans found glory on the ice as they won the NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament under Head Coach Rick Comley. The team defeated Boston College, 3-1, to secure its third national hockey title.
A new Spartan statue comes to town
The original Spartan statue, officially dedicated on June 9, 1945, was showing signs of significant wear. Made of terra cotta, the ceramic monument was beginning to crumble after years of harsh weather and vandalism.
After several major restorations, it was determined that a new statue needed to be installed. In the early 2000s, the Sparty Project was established to lead the development of a new replica statue, preserve the original, build a new plaza and create an endowment for the long-term care of the monuments.
During Welcome Week on Aug. 25, 2005, the new bronze Spartan statue was unveiled. The original ceramic statue now stands inside Spartan Stadium, where it is protected from the elements.
A sesquicentennial celebration
In 2005, MSU reached its 150th anniversary. The sesquicentennial milestone provided much history to celebrate, from MSU’s start as an agricultural college in 1855 to its growth into one of the world’s leading public universities.
Several projects were completed in recognition of the anniversary. A new birthday cake–inspired ice cream flavor was developed by the MSU Dairy Store; the iconic Water Carnival, a once-annual float contest held on the Red Cedar River, made a one-time comeback since the tradition ended in 1969; and University Archives and Historical Collections completed the Michigan State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project.
Through audio interviews conducted from 1999 to 2005, the endeavor sought to document the lives and careers of MSU presidents, faculty, staff and trustees.
Big wins in the Big Ten
Spartan women dominated the Big Ten Conference across several sports.
Women’s cross country earned a Big Ten champion title in 2001, their first since 1981.
2001 would also be a conference champion year for the women’s golf team, its first since 1982. The team would claim the title again in 2007.
In 2005, the Spartan women’s basketball team won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history. The team would go on to make it to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, the deepest run the team ever had, but ultimately fell to national champion Baylor.
Record enrollment
In 2005, MSU reached a new record enrollment of more than 45,000 students. Since a significant increase in student population in the 1960s, MSU’s enrollment had not reached another milestone until the fall semester of 2005.
In fall 2026, the university welcomed 50,941 students, including 10,984 new undergraduate students. Of those new undergraduates, 8,541 are from Michigan, reaffirming MSU’s reputation as the No. 1 choice for Michigan students.
A record donation expands access to art on campus
In 2007, MSU alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, gifted $26 million in cash to the university, allowing it to establish a modern art museum on campus.
Opened in 2012, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum spans 46,000 square feet and was designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Zaha Hadid. The museum is free to all and features local, national and international artists, with a permanent collection of more than 10,000 works.
Continued advancement and record investment in nuclear physics
As a new century dawned, MSU’s history of excellence and innovation within nuclear physics continued.
In 2004, scientists at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory produced and observed a new rare isotope of the element of germanium, called Ge–60.
Then on Dec. 10, 2008, a groundbreaking announcement was made: MSU would serve as the site for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB.
Since the early 1990s, nuclear physicists had been discussing the need for a facility to produce intense beams of rare isotopes. In 1999, a task force presented its recommendations for such a facility to DOE; recommendations that aligned significantly with plans for NSCL. The laboratory’s leadership and scientists created a detailed pitch for DOE for the new facility to be located at MSU. After a rigorous competition, DOE-SC awarded the project to MSU in 2008.
FRIB was completed in January 2022, on budget and ahead of schedule. Today, FRIB hosts scientists from around the globe who conduct experiments and define the next frontier of nuclear physics.
New inclusive programs and resources
The early 2000s also brought the establishment of notable new programs and resources on campus.
First, in the fall of 2000, the American Indian and Indigenous Studies program was established. Now housed in the College of Arts and Letters, AIIS courses and affiliated courses seek to deepen how we understand American Indian and Indigenous cultures, identities and the many roles of American Indian and Indigenous peoples in today’s world.
In 2007, MSU became the first university in the Midwest and second in the nation to establish a doctoral program in Chicano/Latino studies. The program, housed in the College of Social Science, still operates today and prepares scholars, researchers and teachers in the social sciences and humanities to develop expertise in the historical and contemporary experiences of Chicanos and Latinos in their social, cultural, political and economic contexts.
The year 2007 was also when the Center for Gender in Global Context was established. This unique program emphasizes women and gender through a global lens, with distinctive programs that promote teaching, research and outreach relevant to 21st-century concerns.
Video by: Jacob Templin-Fulton and Caitlyn Wolter
