Packaging 2.0

We Are Growing

The Michigan State University School of Packaging (SoP) has earned global recognition as the leader in delivering growth for the packaging industry. We’ve achieved elite status by providing outstanding undergraduate, graduate and professional education, conducting research of the highest caliber and advancing economic activities for industry.

A Historic Gift

MSU recently announced a transformational $47 million gift from SoP alumnus Charles (Chuck) and Jacqueline (Jackie) Frasier. This historic gift — the largest in the history of the top-ranked School of Packaging — is poised to redefine the global landscape of packaging education and research for generations to come.

On April 10, 2026, the MSU Board of Trustees announced that the exterior of the expanded Packaging 2.0 building will be named the Frasier Packaging Research Hub in recognition of this historic gift.

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By expanding the SoP building’s footprint, we can:

Scale up our faculty and graduate student populations
Build new research teams to advance sustainability industry-wide
Develop an in-demand workforce

As we look to the future, the university has approved the SoP to execute a new expansion initiative that will double our research spaces and double our research faculty.

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CAPITALIZE ON THIS ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF PACKAGING!

Realizing this bold vision will require additional support, and there are meaningful opportunities for alumni, friends and corporate partners to join us in advancing this expansion. Spaces in the current building and the expansion can be named for branding and legacy purposes

Key Naming Opportunities

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First Floor of the School of Packaging Building Addition

The first floor of the building expansion will house offices for faculty and graduate students, flexible-use spaces and specialized laboratories for food, human packaging interactions, machinery and paper/poly processing.

New Shared Laboratory Spaces

Our shared-lab model drives interdisciplinary research between SoP faculty and other MSU scientists. New labs will enable us to meet industry demand for increased collaborations and grow our grant-funded research activity.

New Classroom Space

This state-of-the-art classroom will provide tomorrow’s leaders in the packaging field with the latest in instructional technology and flexible learning spaces, ensuring unique brand exposure for the space’s naming partner.

Powerful Partnerships

Partnering with the SoP is an opportunity for a company to elevate its brand through association with the biggest, greenest program of its kind. Corporate partners will build career-long brand relationships with the brightest emerging talent in the packaging space. From their first days on campus to hanging diplomas on their office walls, space-naming partners will benefit from priority access to future industry professionals, educators and researchers.

If you are interested in learning more about how to support this project, please contact the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Advancement team.

CONTACT THE ADVANCEMENT TEAM

The Future Is Here

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MSU School of Packaging (SoP) leads the packaging industry, advancing sustainable packaging solutions through cutting edge partnerships. This expansion will advance sustainability efforts in the industry and develop tomorrow’s in-demand workforce. The SoP stands alone in our unprecedented reinvestment in spaces and people – no other educational institution has made such a bold claim on the future of packaging.

Built On Innovation

MSU created the packaging program in 1952 as a discipline in the Department of Forest Products to build professionals for the postwar global economy. Almost immediately, industry saw its potential, and by 1957, the “wooden box” program had been fully re-envisioned as the first independent school of packaging with a four-year curriculum. In the coming decades, the SoP would add graduate courses, faculty and laboratories, working alongside industry partners to ensure that its graduates – who comprise over 40% of today’s new packaging professionals – were prepared not only to lead, but to innovate. Our international graduate students go on to teach packaging in their home countries and stand out in their industries. Over 70 years after our founding, our partners are telling us what we’ve suspected: it’s time to grow.

Partner With Us

Individual and corporate partners will build career-long brand relationships with the brightest emerging talent in the packaging space. To learn more about how to support Packaging 2.0, contact the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Advancement team.

Get Connected

IMAGE GALLERY

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Building Our Momentum

Thanks to the generosity of donors individual and corporate donors, we successfully finished a multi-million-dollar addition to our campus facility that has already enhanced the student experience and accelerated high-impact research. Completed in April 2023, this comprehensive renovation created technology-first classrooms, collaboration spaces where industry partners can engage with students and new office space for graduate students and faculty.

Learn More About Phase 1