From October 19-21, a group of Michigan State University faculty, staff, and senior leaders embarked on the third annual Spartan Bus Tour, visiting more than a dozen sites across the Upper Peninsula to see how MSU is making an impact in the region.
Dr. David Baylis, assistant professor in MSU’s Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science, was among the 60 delegates on the bus.
Over three days and more than 1,100 miles, the group visited 15 locations, including the MSU Forestry Innovation Center, the MSU College of Human Medicine's U.P. Campus, and MSU’s Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center. The tour also included stops at Mammoth Distilling, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, and Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, among others.
Part of the goal of our bus tours is to learn how MSU’s research and other services support the community economies and quality of life for fellow Michiganders. “Michigan State maintains partnerships across the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan that, in some cases, span generations, and I’m eager to build on these connections,” said President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “We’re working with communities to address health disparities, education, prosperity, sustainability and more as we work together toward a better future for all.”
For Dr. Baylis, the trip was a powerful reminder of the real-world impact MSU has on the region.
“As a rural Michigander transplanted to the urban south (Memphis) before returning to Michigan a couple of years ago, it was encouraging to see that the University remains committed to its land grant mission,” he said. “Our primary purpose should always be to help our local communities thrive.”
Reflecting on his travels across Northern Michigan, he shared that while many excellent conversations with colleagues stood out, it was the interactions with younger employees at both the Forestry Innovation Center in Escanaba and at Connor Sports Flooring in Amasa that left the deepest impression.
“These young men exuded passion and a deep interest for their work and were excellent models for the diversity of opportunities that exist for our students around the state.”
As for what he’ll take back into the classroom? Dr. Baylis noted that his deep commitment to community-based learning and career readiness curriculum, especially in IDS 299 (Introduction to Interdisciplinary Inquiry), will be further enriched by the insights and experiences he gained during the trip. “This experience provided me with additional ways to communicate with students about finding purpose and value within themselves, perhaps in spaces, settings, and jobs that they previously had never even considered.”
See Dr. Baylis in the official Spartan Bus Tour: Upper Peninsula recap video and view some of his personal photos from the trip on Facebook.
Photo credits: Derrick L. Turner, David Baylis
