Michigan State University Spartans work to advance the common good in uncommon ways. The nation’s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world—on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation—and is home to a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders. But MSU wasn’t always MSU. Michigan Agricultural College was founded in 1855 and was a pioneer in everything from its origin to the way it operated. Look into Beal’s work and learn the depths of the history of the beginnings of MSU.