Michigan State University (MSU) recently celebrated the opening of its newly renovated MSU School of Packaging, following a fundraising campaign that raised more than $10 million.
“This significant expansion of our facilities, enabled by the generosity of donors and stakeholders, will reinforce MSU’s longstanding leadership in packaging education,” said MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., in a news release. “These improvements anchor our commitment to the excellence of our School of Packaging and will help us prepare the next generation of leaders in packaging science.”
Established in 1952, the MSU School of Packaging was the first school of packaging in the United States and now is the largest packaging program in the country, with over 600 undergraduate and graduate students, according to the university. The School of Packaging is housed within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). The university offers a doctorate program in packaging and has 10,000 alumni worldwide.
Amcor, a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, was one of the major donors to the renovation project.
“Each year our program graduates a large portion of all packaging engineers in the U.S.,” said Matthew Daum, MSU School of Packaging director and CANR assistant dean of corporate relations and strategy, in a release.
“We have a long history of successful packaging alumni, and this renovated facility honors our legacy and positions us for continued excellence,” Daum added. “The remodel was designed with collaboration in mind, not only for our students but with industry and nongovernmental organizations.”