The Lansing School District, one of the largest in the state of Michigan, is administered by an elected nine-member, non-partisan board of education that appoints a superintendent. Board members serve six-year terms and receive no salary for their positions. In 2002, Superintendent Dr. E. Sharon Banks was recognized by the Michigan Association of School Administrators as "Superintendent of the Year." The district has witnessed steady improvements in the students' standardized test scores since Banks assumed office in 2000.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Lansing public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 16,939
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 29
middle schools: 6
senior high schools: 3
other: 4
Teacher salaries
average: $54,020 (state)
Funding per pupil: $5,887
In addition to the public system, church-affiliated schools provide K-12 education, and independent private schools and charter schools offer elementary education. Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties have 25 private and parochial schools with an enrollment of approximately 3,500 students; denominations include Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, and Seventh Day Adventist. There are also five non-religious private schools, and charter schools enroll about 1,700 students.
Public Schools Information: Lansing School District, 519 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48933; telephone (517)325-6200
Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing is the largest institution of higher learning in the area, with an enrollment of 44,836 students as of the fall of 2004. It maintains 660 buildings on about 5,200 acres of land for its diverse curriculum of more than 200 programs. According to a 2005 survey by U.S. News & World Report, MSU ranks 71st among the nation's top schools. The university has gained an international reputation for research and its sponsored funding topped $300 million in the 2003–2004 school year.
Cooley Law School in Lansing serves working professionals with a program leading to a Juris Law degree. Great Lakes Christian College offers undergraduate programs in theology, fine arts, and interdisciplinary studies. Lansing Community College in downtown Lansing provides vocational and technical curricula as well as training programs in more than 300 areas of study for its 40,000 annual students. Other schools in the three-county region are Olivet College, Davenport University, Capital Area Career Center, and Harry Hill Vocational Center.
About 25 libraries located in Lansing are maintained by educational institutions, government agencies, and hospitals. The Lansing Library and Information Center is part of the Capital Area District Library. The Lansing branch houses about 400,000 items for patron usage including books, periodical titles, microfilm, audio and video tapes, maps, and art reproductions. Materials pertaining to local history are among the special collections; the district library operates 13 branches and a bookmobile. Michigan State University maintains a main library and nine branches on campus with a collection of 28,000 periodicals, 200,000 maps, and 40,000 sound recordings.
Established in 1928, the Library of Michigan maintains holdings of well over five million volumes and special collections in such fields as Michigan local and family history and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century periodicals. The library also provides Braille and large-type books and serves as a depository for federal and state documents. Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing Community College, and Great Lakes Christian College also maintain campus libraries.
World-class research is conducted at Michigan State University (MSU) in diverse disciplines related to communications, packaging, food science, and environmental engineering. MSU is home to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), the Composite Materials and Structures Center, the Crop and Food Bioprocessing Center, the Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology, and WKAR, a top public broadcasting center. Adjacent to MSU, the University Corporate Research Park is comprised of building sites on four to 40 acres. Resident companies, including Montell's Research Headquarters for North America, enjoy access to MSU's scientific and technical facilities (laboratories, libraries, computerized data and research networks, closed circuit TV, and satellite systems).
The Composite Materials and Structure Center is a research partner with the Michigan Molecular Institute, the National Science Foundation, the Ford Motor Company, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The Pesticide Research Center works with pesticides and pest control. The Michigan Bio-technology Institute, a non-profit corporation, applies recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid, plant tissue culture, and immobilized enzymes to the commercialization of biotechnology in the state of Michigan.
Public Library Information: Lansing Library and Information Center, 401 S. Capitol Ave., PO Box 40719, Lansing, MI 48901-7919; telephone (517)367-7919; fax (517)367-6363