Photo by Derrick L. Turner
Charles (Chaz) Hong, MD, PhD, University Research Foundation Professor at Michigan State University, was born and raised in Chinatown near the Cass-Corridor in Detroit. He attended Burton Elementary School and went on to become a world-renowned researcher to help cure cancer. He was brought to tears as he spoke about his experience over the past two days, reflecting on his upbringing in Detroit but having diversity, arts, and culture in his “backyard.”
“It was really amazing. What we’re doing, and what’s happening in the city. We went to the Arab American Museum, and we learned about the diversity,” Hong said.
“Things that I never even knew about, and I grew up in Detroit. I think what was amazing about the trip was the people that I met in the bus.”
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz made his first official visit to Detroit since taking the helm at MSU in March, leading more than 60 faculty and staff on a two-day immersion tour designed to deepen the University’s engagement with Michigan’s largest city. From conversations at cutting-edge research hubs to intimate musical performances and reflections on civil rights history, the whirlwind visit marked a pivotal moment in the University’s relationship with Detroit.
“We have a responsibility to the people of Michigan if we’re going to be Michigan State University to deliver for them,”Guskiewicz said.
“This was about bringing together about 65 to 75 of our incredible world class faculty and senior leaders and staff to get out to communities in the metro area that we have a responsibility to be serving.”
The trip, held May 5–6, was anchored around three core goals: to learn more about MSU’s existing footprint in Detroit, to better understand the city and its communities, and to explore opportunities for new collaboration across sectors. Over the two days, MSU’s delegation visited a diverse slate of institutions, from cultural landmarks to healthcare systems, tech incubators to urban farms, spotlighting the University’s existing partnerships while planting seeds for future ones.
The visit began Monday morning at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills. Touring the center’s powerful new exhibit on resistance movements during the Holocaust, Guskiewicz and the faculty engaged in a conversation with Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the center, about shared goals in education and combating hate.
Discussions are already underway for potential collaborations in public history programming and student internships at the center. Next, the faculty traveled to the Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation (DPFLI) in northwest Detroit. Operated by MSU Extension and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, DPFLI serves as MSU’s first urban agriculture center, focusing on research and community education.
Faculty from MSU’s plant sciences and nutrition departments walked through urban test plots alongside Detroit residents who help maintain them. The stop reinforced how academic research can directly support food sovereignty in underserved communities.
The afternoon continued with visits to Library Street Collective’s Shepherd/LANTERN, the Motown Museum, Magna International, and the Apple Developer Academy. Each stop showcased a different facet of Detroit’s identity, from its rich artistic legacy to its role in shaping future industries.
At the LANTERN, Guskiewicz took time to speak with local artists and MSU alumni involved in community arts projects.
Dr. LeConté J. Dill, Associate Professor of African American and African Studies at Michigan State University, highlighted during this bus tour being immediately confronted with the hard truths of Space Station, violence, discrimination, and xenophobia.
“As we pass vacant lots, I want to invite all of us not to just think about the blight, the emptiness, but to remember the historical intentional disinvestment in many of those spaces,” Dill said.
Magna International, the auto supplier, hosted a panel on the future of mobility. MSU engineering faculty and Magna executives discussed workforce readiness and innovation pipelines.
The day wrapped up at the Apple Developer Academy, where students, many of whom were first-generation college-goers, demonstrated apps they built with support from Apple and MSU instructors.
Tuesday began with a visit to the MSU Detroit Center and Community Music School on Woodward Avenue, where MSU has maintained a visible presence since 2009. The delegation was treated to live student performances, including a standout set from 15-year-old jazz prodigy Malik Thomas, who earned a standing ovation.
From there, the group traveled to Henry Ford Health (HFH) for a milestone in the University’s 30-year partnership with the health system: a ceremonial beam signing for the HFH + MSU Health Sciences Research Center, a $335 million, 335,000-square-foot facility set to open in 2027.
Johnathan Choti, Associate Professor for the College of Arts and Letters, has taught Swalli at the University for almost 20 years. He emphasizes the importance of exposing students to the arts, culture, and world learning while they are young.
“It’s imperative to catch them when they are small; they brains are like sponges and they will create a hunger for learning outside of their homes,” Choti said.
In Dearborn, the delegation toured the Arab American National Museum, the only institution in the U.S. dedicated to the Arab American experience. ACCESS hosted a compelling panel featuring community leaders and MSU faculty discussing the need for more culturally competent research and education.
Guskiewicz spoke warmly about the people he met and the lessons he’s taking back to East Lansing.
“Most importantly, we’re taking back a lot of ideas about how we can build some of this into our curriculum,” Guskiewicz said.
“We can think about, you know, our research and the impact that we have for the metro Detroit area and the state of Michigan.”
As the evening wound down and MSU’s chartered buses prepared to head back, one faculty member turned to a colleague and said, “This trip changed the way I think about my role as a professor. It connected me to something bigger.”
“We’re going to prove to everybody that we are truly Michigan’s State University,” Guskiewicz said.
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