The Michigan State University was founded in 1855. The school was first established as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, and the first class consisted of 24 students.
In 1870, the school became a land-grant institution and was renamed Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.). In 1948, M.A.C. was renamed Michigan State University (Spartan).
The first president was John C. Holmes, who served from 1855 to 1872. He was followed by James Madison Porter, who served from 1872 to 1879. It wasn’t until 1899 that President John Hannah became the first official president of MSU.
In 1956, MSU’s mascot became Sparty when a student contest chose it over names like “The Aggies” or “The Farmers.” The name came from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where Michigan Agricultural College had played in a football game against Furman University on November 6th, 1901 (though this isn’t considered the true origin of the mascot).
MSU has grown into one of America’s largest universities with more than 200 degree programs offered at its main campus in East Lansing and more than 100 additional fields available through its other four campuses spread throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Michigan State University has more than 40 research centers and institutes that focus on everything from public policy to environmental sciences to food safety issues.
