Posted on September 3, 2012

Kellogg Foundation Awards $1 Million Endowment to Michigan State University

Michigan State University has announced a $1 million endowment gift from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to ensure the maintenance of the Kellogg Manor House and Estate, MSU's largest off-campus education complex.

The endowment will fund the upkeep of the property in Hickory Corners, where the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station is located, as well as internships for MSU students. Interns will undertake projects to enhance the property and help develop programs that highlight the history of the estate. KBS is the university's largest research center and includes an Academic Center, the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, the Kellogg Experimental Farm, and the Manor House and Conference Center at Gull Lake. KBS faculty develop programs in research, education, and outreach that focus on understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes in natural and managed ecosystems and applying that understanding to conservation efforts and sustainable agricultural practices.

The manor house was built as a summer home for W.K. Kellogg and his wife, Carrie Staines Kellogg, in 1925-26 and subsequently was used as a Coast Guard induction and training site, served as a rehabilitation unit, and housed medical personnel and servicemen wounded in World War II from 1942 to 1952, when it was deeded to MSU. A $3.5 million grant from the foundation in 1999 enabled the university to restore the property.

"We are glad to provide a way to enhance the educational experiences for students of Michigan State University and Kellogg Biological Station," said James McHale, the foundation's vice president of program strategy, "while at the same time preserving the legacy of the W.K. Kellogg family."