Five faculty members from the Michigan State University College of Engineering joined the Spring 2026 Spartan Bus Tour on May 6-7, gaining a closer look at MSU partnerships across the Flint, Saginaw, and Bay regions.
Led by MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, the 222-mile journey brought faculty and university leaders to communities to learn more about MSU’s work in agriculture, public health, cultural preservation, and environmental restoration.
From witnessing the resurgence of the lake sturgeon to exploring public health initiatives that span generations, these Spartans found a renewed sense of purpose and connection with the communities they visited but also with one another.
Participating Spartan Engineering faculty members were M. Emin Kutay, professor of civil and environmental engineering; Janet Brelin-Fornari, director of the technology engineering program; Alyssa Ryan, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; Nelson Sepúlveda Alancastro, chairperson and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Jade Mitchell, professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering.
Three faculty members shared reflections on the Spartan Bus Tour experience:
Jade Mitchell
“There is something uniquely powerful about stepping away from our day-to-day work to learn from one another — in conversation, in communities and even on a bus. This experience gave me the opportunity to slow down, to truly see people, to hear their stories, and to better understand the partnerships that exist both within and beyond our institution.
Read more: What the Spartan Bus Tour taught me about leading with intention
M. Emin Kutay
Kutay said the tour highlighted the value of MSU’s work alongside communities, from MSU Extension visits to public health partnerships and environmental restoration. “We boarded the bus as colleagues unsure of what two days could hold. We returned as something more. We spent two days’ worth of salaries to remember why we earn them. I came back smaller — humbled — and somehow larger, too. Valued. Inspired. Proud. Michigan is not a backdrop to our work. Michigan is the work.”
Alyssa Ryan
“Having not grown up in Michigan, visiting some of the communities MSU serves was a powerful experience for me. Learning about everything from farming sugar beets to the theater scene in Flint at the Capitol Theatre — the range of stops demonstrated for me that being a Spartan is far more than just what happens within East Lansing. I left the tour with a significant appreciation for the people and the work they are doing across the Flint, Bay City, Saginaw and Frankenmuth communities.”
Story courtesy of MSUToday.
Photo courtesy of Derrick L. Turner.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page