Michigan’s bottle and can redemption rate has fallen to around 75 percent since the start of the pandemic, according to state data. Prior to 2020, the Michigan Department of Treasury’s bottle deposit information shows the state’s redemption rate was close to 90 percent. Tom Emmerich is chief operating officer for Schupan & Sons, Inc. and president of Schupan Recycling. Conversation highlights: (3:08) – “It really is a very popular piece of legislation. And if you poll Michiganders today, our...
Jun 12, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 106
Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff elaborates on some of the topics she covers in her May 2023 Spartan Community Letter, which you can read by clicking on the communications tab at president.msu.edu . Could you start by reflecting a bit on commencement? And it was cool to see you with the tiny mic going around Breslin Center talking to some of our grads. “Oh, it was so exciting, and I'd never known that tiny mic was a thing. I got to talk to a lot of students, and the...
May 24, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 105
This month’s State of the State podcast conversation from Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research focuses on the debt limit. Matt Grossmann , Charley Ballard, and Arnold Weinfeld welcome associate professor of economics Antonio Doblas Madrid to the discussion. Conversation Highlights : (1:46) – “The Federal Reserve has been trying for more than a year to slow things down. They’ve had some success. Inflation is not where it was several months ago, but it’s stil...
May 19, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 104
MSU Health Promotion guru Dennis Martell is retiring this summer following an impactful career promoting wellness among the MSU community. Martell reflects on his almost 40 years evolving health promotion initiatives at MSU. He describes how students have changed over the years, and he shares some of his fondest memories from his MSU career. He discusses the challenges and opportunities awaiting his successor and talks about the mission of The National Social Norms Center at Michigan State Unive...
May 10, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 103
Three-time MSU alumna Kathy Wilbur is senior vice president for Government Relations at MSU . Katie John is associate vice president for State Relations and an MSU alumna, too. Wilbur and John elaborate on the mission of Government Relations at MSU. They talk about Michigan’s Democratically controlled legislature, too, and about policy issues being discussed at the Capitol that could impact MSU. They update the latest state budget negotiations and reflect on the career of retiring Senior U.S. Se...
May 10, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 102
Led by partners Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha at the MSU-Hurley Pediatric Public Health Initiative and Dr. Luke Shaefer , faculty director of the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions center, Rx Kids is a transformational effort to address child poverty and health equity. Consistent with practices in other countries, Rx Kids boldly tackles a root cause of health disparities: poverty. A first-of-its-kind program, Rx Kids will provide unconditional cash allowances to pregnant moms and babies in Flin...
May 03, 2023•19 min•Season 3Ep. 101
For years, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine researchers in the Division of Public Health have been working with Flint Community Partners to improve the health of the community, improve access to healthcare, reduce health disparities, and advance policies and interventions that aim to eliminate structural racism in healthcare. And every step of the way the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has been a visionary partner by providing the funding for space and endowed faculty positio...
Apr 27, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 99
Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K Woodruff joins me on MSU Today to elaborate on some of the topics she covers in her April 2023 Spartan Community Letter, which you can read by clicking on the communications tab at president.msu.edu . “I love this time of year. Commencement is really one of my favorite days of the year. I'm excited for each of our students as they walk through that line and put on their gowns of green. It's a beautiful resplendent color, and they are beautiful...
Apr 26, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 100
MSU alumna Grace Wojcik is the director of Michigan State University's Gender and Sexuality Campus Center . Where did your original interest in and passion for advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community come from? “I started my path as an advocate for the community in high school. That was around the time of the 2004 marriage amendment in the state of Michigan. And I was also really active in trying to get a gay/straight alliance started at my high school at Lapeer East High School. So we had a joint...
Apr 25, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 98
When Vice President and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch joined his alma mater in February 2021, Michigan State University expanded the role of police chief in recognition of the broadening nature of proactive safety planning needs across the university beyond traditional law enforcement efforts. To strengthen and bolster these efforts going forward, Interim President Woodruff has changed the structure of Police and Public Safety ’s leadership to enable the accelerated expansion of university safety...
Apr 22, 2023•18 min•Season 3Ep. 97
Chip Amoe is Michigan State University's new director of sustainability , and he's leading the Office of Sustainability at MSU. What attracted you to MSU? “We’re the oldest land-grant university in the country, and so we've got a great history. You've got great proximity here to our state leaders, and we're doing all the things that are important for sustainability in the future. I truly believe that climate change is the biggest threat that we all face across the entire globe, and that it is th...
Apr 13, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 96
Michigan State University has integrated the MSU Student Organic Farm into the Division of Student Life and Engagement ( SLE ). This move reflects the university’s commitment to providing students with opportunities for hands-on learning and engagement with sustainable agriculture. The MSU Student Organic Farm is a valuable resource for all students to learn about organic food, farming, and the impact of food on the planet. As part of SLE, the farm will gain more resources and support to expand ...
Apr 12, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 95
Bringing with her a proven track record of success and program building, Robyn Fralick is Michigan State's new women's basketball head coach . Fralick becomes the sixth coach in Spartan women's basketball history. “I was born in Sparrow Hospital. We just drove by that the other day. I graduated from Okemos High School in 2000. I was born and raised here and have family here. It’s a wonderful place to grow up. I have so many good memories, and to come back feels a little surreal. It's been intere...
Apr 12, 2023•13 min•Season 3Ep. 94
Jamie Clarkson is a fellowship-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in the hand and a pioneer in the field of the use of virtual reality for patients in the office setting. He is the chief of the Hand Management Unit at MSU Health Care . He's also an assistant professor in the College of Human Medicine at MSU. “The largest number of people I see have peripheral nerve compression and carpal tunnel syndrome. The other thing I obviously treat is trauma. We see huge numbers of inj...
Apr 12, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 93
Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff elaborates on topics she covers in her March 2023 Spartan Community Letter , which you can read by clicking on the communications tab at president.msu.edu . Academics, athletics, and the arts are all important parts of the university experience. This month they brought Spartans together to cheer, to celebrate excellence, and to heal. Congratulations are in order for John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor Felicia Wu, appointed by Gove...
Mar 29, 2023•9 min•Season 3Ep. 91
MSU alumna Sheri Jones is a broadcasting and journalism icon in the Greater Lansing area. She's been anchoring the news at Lansing's CBS affiliate, WLNS-TV 6 for 35 years. And she's now also on Lansing's ABC affiliate, WLAJ. We last spoke in 2018 when Sheri was inducted into the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Now in 2023, Sheri is being inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame . “It feels great because of the true sense of the word journalism. I really believe that ...
Mar 29, 2023•13 min•Season 3Ep. 92
On this episode of MSU Today , we're talking about agricultural innovation .That's an area in which Michigan State University is a worldwide powerhouse. The world’s population is growing, and climate change is continuing to impact the crops we need to feed that growing population. The world's population is expected to increase by 50 percent in the next century, and demand for agriculture crops is expected to more than double by 2050. Our panel includes three distinguished Michigan State Universi...
Mar 27, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 89
Tawana Kupe is the vice chancellor of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. In December 2019, Professor Kupe was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Humanities by Michigan State University. He’s on the advisory board for the Alliance for African Partnerships . Founded by Michigan State University in 2016 in collaboration with African colleagues, the Alliance for African Partnership ( AAP ) is a consortium of MSU, ten leading African universities, and a distinguished network for African...
Mar 26, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 90
By: Alex Tekip When Mark Rucker ’s high school choir teacher told him he’d be performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York one day, he didn’t believe her. After all, he was a football player and saxophonist — not a singer — and was new to the choir, a reluctant baritone joining at his teacher’s behest. That teacher, Lena McLin, was in the front row as Rucker made his Met debut in 2004, a meaningful moment that signified his full circle of experience and inspired him to continue teaching the ...
Mar 22, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 88
$15 million state grant will support Center for Targeted Violence Prevention Michigan State University’s Department of Psychiatry is launching a pilot program – with a $15 million grant from the state of Michigan – to help curb acts of violence and spare families from unthinkable trauma before it’s too late. The Center for Targeted Violence Prevention is a collaborative program between the MSU Department of Psychiatry — a shared department in the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medici...
Mar 22, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 87
Breast health is the topic on this episode of MSU Today . MSU Health Care breast surgery oncologists Jessica Henderson and Harvey Bumpers talk about risk factors and their treatment and practice philosophies. Conversation highlights : (3:03) – “We’re both breast surgery oncologists, specifically that means that we primarily treat breast cancer. Breast surgery as an umbrella also focuses on benign breast disease. And we make sure we’re screening the women who are high-risk for developing breast c...
Mar 21, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 86
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is observed in March to highlight the importance of screening for colorectal cancer, as well as to promote healthy lifestyle habits that can decrease a person’s risk of developing cancer of the colon, rectum, or anus – the three distinct cancer types referred to collectively as colorectal cancer. Jacquelyn Charbel, DO, FACOS, FACS is an assistant professor of osteopathic surgical specialties in Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine , and sh...
Mar 07, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 85
Michigan State University is on the cusp of making history, with construction of the university’s first free-standing multicultural center set to begin this spring. This month, the Board of Trustees gave the university the green light to break ground this spring on the $38 million 34,000 square foot facility on the corner of North Shaw and Farm Lanes. The announcement comes during Black History Month, a time to recognize the inequities and triumphs generations of African Americans in the U.S. ha...
Feb 10, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 83
A sweeping community development sponsored by Henry Ford Health, Tom Gores and the Detroit Pistons, and Michigan State University intends to invest $2.5 billion over the next decade to turn Detroit’s New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable community with state-of-the-art residential, commercial, retail, recreational and health care components. The development will be anchored by a reimagined Henry Ford Health academic healthcare campus, the highlight of which is a major expansion of Hen...
Feb 10, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 84
“Assuming the interim presidency at MSU has reinforced for both Tom and me just how great and welcoming the Spartan community is. We’re poised and ready to take the next step on behalf of this great university, our students, and the future of the state of Michigan. We’re honored to be a part of this community.” Woodruff talks about her relationship with the MSU Board of Trustees and says she looks forward to continued collaboration with the board to move the university forward. She points out th...
Jan 30, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 81
Topics in this episode of the State of the State podcast include negotiations around raising the debt ceiling and Governor Whitmer’s State of the State address. Conversation Highlights : (2:17) – “Best case scenario, there is a lot of drama and a lot of headlines and eventually we raise the debt ceiling. Worst case scenario, and we came close to a default in 2011, defaulting on our treasury obligations would be catastrophic for the world economy.” (4:42) – “Most analysts believe that in 2023 eit...
Jan 27, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 82
In leading the new division, Dr. Travis will provide strategic vision and leadership for a comprehensive health and wellness approach that meets the diverse needs of students, staff, and faculty. “I'm originally from the United Kingdom, born and raised in England, and I've lived in the U.S. for 16 years. I moved here with my husband, who's an American. And most recently I've been at the state of Michigan working in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. I've led the Public Health ...
Jan 10, 2023•14 min•Season 3Ep. 80
“I graduated from Michigan State University in 1992. I met my wife, Raina, here, and we graduated together. We both live about a mile from campus. I worked in the Michigan legislature as a staffer for 17 years, all for legislators from Detroit or Flint. I was communications director for the House Dems, communications director for the Michigan Democratic Party, and started my own PR campaign consulting company in 2004. We do a lot of surveys all over the country. I also have a small gig as a civi...
Jan 03, 2023•7 min•Season 3Ep. 79
“I have been researching music and religion for most of my career. I’m especially interested in the study of religion through the experience of people. It’s called lived religion. It’s not as much the sacred texts and the books, but how people experience religion and how they act it out. Music is very important to that experience. It’s a big part of why people stay connected to churches. “In this season, we’re all aware that religious music is never heard more often than during the holidays. Eve...
Dec 21, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Ruvio is an associate professor of Marketing at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and the director of the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program. Her research focuses on the wellbeing and behavior of consumers and employees. Morgeson is an assistant professor of Marketing at the Broad College. His research focuses on customer-firm relationships and the financial value of both customer and employee assets to firms. “Inflation is absolutely impacting h...
Dec 09, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 77
