Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy

Highlights 56, Hephzibah Onyeje Obekpa, September 2019.

The Michigan State University (MSU) fall welcome program for new students held from August 25 to 28, 2019. I was privileged to participate alongside 2 other visiting scholars from Nigeria. It proved to me that MSU thrives with diversity and has staff, students and faculty from almost all cultures and backgrounds.

The program revealed MSU as a learning community providing opportunities and resources for her students to help them succeed academically, gain global perspectives, make connections, learn by doing and live a healthy life. Representatives of every unit in the school were present at different stands to create awareness about the services they offer students throughout their stay/career at MSU.

We started from the Student Union hall where there were many freebies and coupons to welcome students back to campus. Meijer, a supermarket company in Michigan, gave out free food, samples, prizes and much more. Additionally, they provided free on campus bus service to and from the store and then to the open field where we met a sea of students.

Fall Convocation was on August 26 at the Breslin Student Event Center. It was interesting to note the student organizations focusing on almost every interest imaginable, a great way to make new friends with fellow Spartans and develop one’s skills and abilities. A handbook was provided for every student. It contained information on every service and opportunity available at MSU. Some of the contents of the handbook included: arrival and orientation information, academic resources, technology at MSU, 2019 schedule, leadership and organizations, fun & recreation, student health and wellness services, financial aid, your career services network, “East Lansing is Spartan Country” and “Global MSU”. 

The fall welcome program was exciting and I learnt more about MSU as an ideal environment that inspires Spartans to grow. Below is a picture taken with Sparty (the mascot of Michigan State University depicted as a muscular male Spartan warrior/athlete dressed in stylized Greek costume) at Meijer.