Michigan Government Semester Program participants celebrate another successful spring

May 1, 2025 - Karessa Weir

Photos by Jackie Belden Hawthorne, College of Social Science

Participants in the Michigan Government Semester Program (MGSP) were praised and celebrated for their hard work and dedication to the immersive Lansing internship program at this year’s MGSP Spring Reception.  

The 24 students, many PLS majors but others from different departments and colleges at MSU, came into MGSP with vastly different experiences. While in the program, they worked in legislative offices, judges’ chambers, law firms, lobbying firms and non-profits for a collective total of 6,480 hours of public service. 

“You’ve drafted legal briefs and memos, attended courtroom proceedings, staffed legislators on the floor late into the evening. You didn’t just show up for class but deepened your knowledge,” said program director Dr. Marty Jordan. “Along the way, you engaged with three dozen speakers in and around government and expanded your networks. We didn’t shy away from the tough topics. We debated the size and scope of government and you thoughtfully weighed with civility and respect. We salute you for your hard work representing MSU with distinction. We hope you have the courage to fulfill your purpose and remake this world.” 

MSU Political Science (PLS) Chair Jeff Conroy-Krutz said the spring reception is one of his favorite events of the year.  

“There is an infectious energy in the room with students just completing their programs, and being surrounded by all these people dedicated to public service,” Conroy-Krutz said, praising Jordan’s dedication to the internship program and public service.  

Jordan quoted New York Governor and presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt who told graduates of Oglethorpe University: “We need the courage of the young. Yours is not the task of making your way in the world but in remaking the world.”  

“Those words could not be more true now. We need to make public service more attractive again and more accessible to students, to make government look more like the people it serves. To have young people not just make your way in the word, but improving it,” Jordan said. “Others may be questioning the value of public service, we are challenging that notion. 

Speaking before the interns and their sponsors, Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel thanked them for the work they did this semester and urged them to consider future careers in public service.  

“Work in public service is valued, it’s important, it is critical to maintain a civil society and all the things that are truly great about America. It’s going to continue with all of you understanding the difference you all can make in the lives of so many people if you choose that path. I hope you will love working for the government as much as I have,” she said. 

There are now more than 270 alumni of this program around the world. For more about MGSP and how to support, go to https://polisci.msu.edu/undergraduate/internships/mgsp/mgsp-donate.html