Bringing Israel to MSU
Each day, Nimrod Kozol offers a slice of Israeli culture
This is the fourth year that MSU Hillel has welcomed a
and tradition to the Michigan State University campus
shaliach, the result of a partnership between Hillel
community.
and the Jewish Agency. Kozol is the only shaliach in
As MSU Hillel's shaliach—the Hebrew word for
emissary—he is a resource for faculty on campus,
Michigan and one of only 40 such emissaries across
the United States and Canada.
speaking to classes about life in Israel, and tutors
Kozol, who recently graduated from Ben Gurion
students in Hebrew through a program called Hebrew
University and completed his army service in Israel,
Café.
brings a firsthand perspective of Israeli culture and
"I enjoy how students maintain a Jewish identity here,"
Kozol says. "It's really nice to see when people want to
express their Judaism and learn about Israel."
customs to MSU Hillel and the MSU campus.
"I especially enjoy the interaction with the students and
trying to understand their perspective," he says. "A few
days ago someone was talking to me about the
relationship with other Jews and how they feel a
connection."
Kozol also guides MSU Hillel's four Israel-focused
interns and volunteers, who help bring Israeli culture,
discussion of political issues, and travel opportunities
to student life.
"It's awesome to watch the students grow and to see
them put on outstanding programs to show campus
what Israel is all about," says Audrey Bloomberg,
Joining the fun at MSU Hillel's Get Back to Israel barbeque on
September 28 are (from left) Casey Weiss, a West Bloomfield,
Michigan, senior and MASA Israel intern; Nimrod Kozol, MSU
Hillel's shaliach; Avery Mendelson, a Farmington Hills, Michigan,
junior and Grinspoon-MZ Foundation intern; and Ariel Sindel, a
Claremont, California, senior and Emerson fellow. Event
participants, who have already been to Israel, learned about the
variety of options—including MSU study abroad programs—
available to them for visiting again.
director of student life at MSU Hillel, who supervises
Kozol and the interns. "To be passionate about a cause
at 20 years old is impressive!'
•The MASA Israel intern helps students return to Israel
on short- and long-term programs.
•Volunteers with Team Israel Programming Committee,
or TIP-C, create cultural events such as Israel Fest, a
campuswide event offering students a look into
Israeli customs and life.
•The Grinspoon-MZ Foundation intern creates cultural
and educational programming.
•The Emerson fellow (funded through Stand With Us)
and Camera interns (funded through the Committee
for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting) provide
programming centered on speakers, education, and
advocacy.
The students begin planning for programming in the
summer by attending leadership training conferences
and bring back an excitement for showcasing the
many diverse aspects of Israel.
Cindy Hughey, executive director of MSU Hillel, is
proud of the strong student interest in promoting
Israel on the MSU campus.
"Our students like to highlight the fact that Israel is a
wonderful country that's very diverse and offers many
resources to the world," she says. 02
Together, interns and their committees engage
hundreds of students on campus through their various
programming efforts:
Spartans share their Sagas continued
MSU launches entrepreneurial education
end support network
Although students traditionally receive their
Students also may seek funding of as much as
diplomas before getting jobs, MSU students now
$5,000 to take such experiential learning from idea
have opportunities to become entrepreneurs even
to prototype, thanks in large measure to a
before they graduate.
$600,000 endowment from the Rollin M.
A student business incubator and an entrepreneur-
Gerstacker Foundation in Midland.
ship certificate program will help anchor MSU ENet,
The Hatch, a new business incubator in East
a new program connecting university and commu-
Lansing's Technology Innovation Center, will allow
nity resources into an innovation ecosystem for
students to launch new ventures for their
entrepreneurs.
entrepreneurial capstone projects under the
"It's not just for students, but for anyone in the
community," says program director Bryan Ritchie, a
mentorship of ENet.
serious entrepreneurial ideals," says Douglas Estry,
codirector of the Michigan Center for Innovation
associate provost and dean for undergraduate
and Economic Prosperity.
education. "We have a commitment that includes
enroll in a new course, Venture Creation and the
Innovative Mindset, which will be highly
interactive and tap instructors from several MSU
"My Saga shows other Spartans some of the
opportunities that we have available to us and that
experiences like the ones that I have had are possible,"
she says. "This will hopefully encourage students to
. strive for more out-of-the-ordinary college
experiences."
Visit spartansagas.msu.edu to see the newest Sagas,
to upload a Saga, to nominate a Spartan to be
featured, and to learn more about the work Spartans
are doing to solve some of the world's greatest
challenges.
both industry and faculty representatives who will
look at proposals that come in and listen to
students' pitches."
For more information about ENet, visit
colleges. Enrollees can earn a certificate in
entrepreneurship.msu.edu and follow it on
entrepreneurship with more course work and,
Twitter at @msuENet.
sometimes, entrepreneurial experience.
study how marine pollution travels the globe.
"We're looking to invest in students who have
professor in MSU's James Madison College and
Undergraduates and nonstudent learners alike can
who talks about her journey around the world to
A professionally produced Spartan Saga features Gabrielle Kleber, an
MSU senior who traveled the world to study ocean pollution.