Michigan State University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

The PSCD, https://pscd.isp.msu.edu/about/about/, is a long-term collaborative alliance of local and international organizations dedicated to improving local livelihoods. The partnership was established at MSU in 2007 as a means to improve community well-being and promote resilient communities in developing countries and create a model for sustainable prosperity. The strategy is to acknowledge interdependency and create long-term partnerships among local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, private corporations, universities, and invested individuals to address local challenges and response to emerging opportunities in economic development, food security, public health, education, and community empowerment. The mission is to find long-term solutions, build capacity, and create collaborations that promote resilient and sustainable communities. To unite development, education, and research that boldly pushes the frontiers of knowledge and the role universities play in transforming local communities and the lives of individuals. The Tanzania Partnership Program (TPP) is the first initiative of the PSCD. Tanzania was selected as the initial location for PSCD based on need, potential for success, university experience in the region, and an array of interested partners. A core principle of the TPP is to ensure sustainability by increasing communtiy strengths, enhancing community resilience, and promoting community empowerment while maintaining economic well-being, environmental health, and social equity. Other core principles include committing to an integrative approach, engaging in interdisciplinary research, promoting participation, using adaptive learning and establishing long-term commitments. Each year new projects are undertaken in the two villages participating in the TPP: Milola and Naitolia. Sample projects include: school gardens, cattle dip operations, water management, health services, and education programs. Refer to the 2020 TPP Annual Report for more details (see link or refer to additional documentation). http://pscd.isp.msu.edu/resources/reports/

The Center for Community and Economic seeks to advance MSU's land-grant mission by creating, applying, and disseminating valued knowledge through responsive engagement, strategic partnerships, and collaborative learning-empowering communities to create sustainable prosperity and an equitable economy. The CCED focuses its resources on the unique challenges of distressed communities throughout the state of Michigan.

A notable and successful program through the CCED is the MSU EDA University Center for Regional Economic Innovation (REI) – a network that works with Michigan’s most economically vulnerable communities, turning them into economically vibrant places creating sustainable new-economy jobs and encouraging high growth entrepreneurial development. The REI Network is a diverse collaboration of over 1,000 individuals from the public and private sectors that promote innovation within Michigan’s regional economic ecosystems. Through annual solicitations and funding, REI is engaged in strategic partnerships and collaborative learning to develop and share the most innovative development tools, models, policies, and practices. Between 2013 - 2021, the REI Center has funded over 140 research projects in Michigan, 40 of which have specifically focused on sustainable and green practices for communities. 46 of Michigan’s 83 counties have been impacted by REI’s research projects, resulting in over $60 million in economic impact in the state. https://reicenter.org/projects/success-stories. REI projects has had projects in Flint, Detroit, Lansing as well as rural distressed communities. Example projects include:
---Fighting Hunger and Reducing Waste in Michigan by Addressing Strategic and Operational Challenges in Measuring Food Accessibility (2020)
---Indigenous Food and Economic Systems for Michigan Tribes (2021)
---Strengthening Michigan's Infrastructure and Sustainability: How Master and Capital Improvement Plans Can Help Build Sustainable "Green-Blue" Communities (2018)

A new project under REI is the Comprehensive Economic Recovery Initiative (CERI), established in July 2020 in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, to advance Michigan’s long-term economic recovery from COVID-19. The four strategic pillars of CERI include: Resiliency Planning, Circular Economy, Financial Resiliency, and 21st Century Communications Infrastructure.

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Government Relations serves as the university's liaison with communities in Michigan, connecting students, faculty, and staff with local officials, providing assistance with regional and local issues, and solving university-community matters. MSU is particularly connected to the communities in the mid-Michigan area, serving as an economic driver and regional partner to address the needs of the community. The university works closely with surrounding communities including East Lansing, Lansing, and Meridian Township as well as local organizations like the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, and the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. Community service and engagement is a key part of the university's community relations. https://govrelations.msu.edu/mid-michigan/index.html

MSU also has a long-standing history of collaborating through partnerships to advance health care globally, nationally, and locally. MSU has health partnerships in East Lansing (With Mclaren Health Systems); Detroit (With Henry Ford Health Systems); Flint (with Hurley Medical Center and Hurley Children’s Hospital) and Grand Rapids (with Spectrum Health). In East Lansing, the new $450 million McLaren health care campus is built on land purchased from the MSU Foundation in its Corporate Research Park on MSU's south campus. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2018/msu-and-mclaren-break-ground-on-new-hospital-research-partnership

MSU has been an institutional member of the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (WMSBF) since 2019 and has collaborated with the forum and members on various initiatives, including participating in the forum's Sustainability and Equity Work Group and serving on planning teams for events such as Earth Day 50.5. The Forum is Michigan’s leading organization for beyond-compliance sustainability practitioners, with a membership program serving our region’s most recognizable brands, largest employers and most innovative entrepreneurs, advocates, and educators. WMSBF is the flagship Michigan Sustainability Forum, with satellite programs in Southwest Michigan, the Lakeshore, the Bay area, and other sister programs across the state. The forum supports professional and organizational growth, the development of new relationships, and the co-creation of initiatives that enhance environmental stewardship, economic vitality, and social justice.