Tagged: east lansing

A long stalled economic development project in East Lansing may get a push forward tonight.

The “City Center II” project has been in development for more than a decade.

This evening, the East Lansing City Council may decide to approve a pre-development agreement.  The agreement would set in motion a review of the $105 million project’s finances.

Mayor Diane Godeeris likes the development plan that calls for a hotel, theater and additional retail space in downtown East Lansing.

“We’re trying to look at this comprehensively," says Godeeris, "and (we) hope that we can have something that’s new and exciting down there.   But (we) want to make sure the risk to the city is minimal as possible.” 

Godeeris says it would probably take several years for the ‘City Center II” project to become a reality, if the project’s financing backing eventually wins the city council’s approval.

Michigan State University officials are stepping up their efforts to convince Congress to fully fund a major scientific project on the East Lansing campus.

MSU was expecting the federal government to provide 52 million dollars for the next construction phase of the ‘Facility for Rare Isotope Beams’, or ‘FRIB’ for short.  But the Obama administration is only budgeting $22 million. 

Mark Burnham is an MSU vice president for government affairs.  He says university officials are talking with influential members of Michigan’s congressional delegation , including the chairman of committee that control federal spending on technology.

"We have other members who are key important members of Congress, in both the House and the Senate, and so we want to make sure we’re working through the entire delegation," says Burnham.   

Today, a state senate committee passed a resolution encouraging Congress to fully fund the FRIB project.

Michigan State University wants the world to know that evolution science pioneer Charles Darwin was a rock star first.

The MSU Museum on Sunday afternoon presents its annual Darwin Discovery Day and this year's theme is "Darwin rocks!" It also marks the opening of a new exhibit entitled "It Started with a Rock Collection: Charles Darwin, Geologist."

Officials at the East Lansing museum say they have received a rock collection from the Shropshire Geological Society in England, where the young Darwin started his collection and scientific investigations.

The event is expected to include a Darwin re-enactor who will answer questions about his work. Other planned highlights: behind-the-scenes tours of MSU collections and a cake in honor of Darwin's birthday.

Michigan State University’s Human Medicine program is expanding its research facilities far away from East Lansing.

Last month, MSU announced its buying the old Grand Rapids Press building.  This week, developers say they hope to turn an old newspaper building in Flint into a home for MSU medical researchers.

Aron Sousa is an associate dean at the MSU College of Human Medicine.  He says expansions in Grand Rapids and Flint, as well as Midland and Traverse City, reflect the communities’ needs.

“Both the college [of Human Medicine] and the university want to be more active across the state.  We’re the land grant school for the state of Michigan.  We take that mission and that history seriously," says Sousa. 

 MSU is ending some medical programs in Kalamazoo and Saginaw, to make way for new medical schools at Western and Central Michigan Universities.

A new multi-million dollar art museum at Michigan State University will open months later than planned.   

The Eli and Edythe Broad museum was supposed to be dedicated in April on the East Lansing campus. But Michigan State University officials say supply problems are affecting work on the building.  

A university spokeswoman says the building’s specially designed glass windows are the source of the problem.   

Because of the building’s design, the large glass panels must be cut to very exacting specifications and that’s taking longer than expected.