Hear the Show 53:57 – 30.8 mb mp3

Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis talk with MSU women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant and with Detroit Free Press Spartan sports beat writer Joe Rexrode.

Merchant talks about her greatest challenge as coach of the Spartans, the state of collegiate women’s basketball, and her outlook for the 2013/2014 Spartans.

Rexrode talks about how his job has changed over the years, primarily due to the rise of technology and the instantaneous media world in which he now operates.

And MSU Alumni Association Executive Director Scott Westerman shares his stirring “I Am A Spartan” essay.

Hear the Conversation 19:27 – 11.1 mb mp3

“Osteopathic medicine came out of the Civil War,” says Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean William Strampel. “MSU had the nation’s sixth college of osteopathic medicine and really began the explosion of osteopathic medicine colleges in the country, of which there are now 31.”

Strampel shares his views with Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis.

Strampel says MSU has always believed in community-immersed education.

“We train with 41 different hospital partners around the state,” says Strampel. “We’re spread out, and we train great students across Michigan.”

The College has just opened a new geriatric program in Detroit.

“Just like pediatrics is not taking care of small adults, geriatrics is a different kind of medicine than taking care of somebody who’s 40 or 50,” says Strampel.

Simon, Hollis and Strampel talk about the difference in philosophies between M.D.’s and D.O.’s. and discuss the Affordable Care Act.

“I’m a fan of certain elements of the act,” says Strampel. “I don’t think they need to repeal it. They need to go through it with a Marks-A-Lot and take out everything that has nothing to do with health care.

“There are some great things in it. Having everyone in the country get access to basic health care is a good thing.”

Hear the Conversation 15:27 – 8.9 mb mp3

“The outside and external element of the job was the biggest surprise for me,” MSU women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant tells Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis. “And then trying to balance all that with family and recruiting. And sometimes I’m playing all those roles at once.”

Her greatest challenge has been to let Team MSU help her with some of these duties. She maintains the most important thing for her to stay focused on is cultivating her relationships with her players.

Merchant says her sport has been stagnant the last 5 or 6 years and “needs to evolve.”

She says women’s basketball grew too fast after becoming popular initially through grass roots efforts. Managing the desires of fans at the game with those watching on TV is important, too.

“And we have to stop modeling our game after the men’s game,” says Merchant. It’s a different game with a different audience.

Suzy says she’s paid her dues with the injury bug and is looking forward to next season.

“We want to win national championships like Izzo, Mason, and others have.”

Hear the Conversation 19:43 – 11.2 mb mp3

“There used to be an off-season in beat reporting, but there’s no off-season anymore,” says Joe Rexrode, MSU J-school alumnus and Spartan sports beat reporter for the Detroit Free Press.

Rexrode joined Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis on their MSU Today show.

Rexrode says in today’s fast-paced, instantaneous media world he’s expected to produce a story from his beat every day.

“It used to be I might write three or four stories from my beat in the month of May,” he says. Read more »

Hear the Conversation 26:40 – 15.2 mb mp3

Spartan Dawgs Andre Hutson, Todd “T.J.” Duckett, and Tim Bograkos talk about transitioning from college to “the real world.”

“I had a great game in the Silicon Valley Bowl then left school and immediately began preparing for the NFL draft,” Duckett says. “I had to have my product looking good!

“I was pursuing my dream.”

Hutson says “I give a lot of credit to the universities around the country. MSU really prepared me to deal with life.”

The Dawgs agree: no one is holding your hand once you leave college, and MSU helped them learn to deal with the dog-eat-dog world of professional sports.

Bograkos packed his bags and bought a one-way ticket to Greece to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball.

“MSU put me in the position both physically and mentally to leave the country on my own without even knowing what I was getting myself into, and I felt like I could compete with anyone,” he says.

“The key is to have a plan and then stay focused on it,” adds Duckett. “It’s up to you; no one is there to make sure you’re doing what you have to do to achieve your goals.”

Please “like” and follow the Dawgs on Facebook.

Hear the Conversation 23:01 – 13.1 mb mp3

Spartan Dawgs Tim Bograkos, Todd “T.J.” Duckett and Andre Hutson talk about failure and the impact it has on champions. Failure, they say, is the key to success.

“It’s good to remember your failures as long as you use these moments as motivation to improve yourself,” says Duckett.

Hutson says that athletes learn to deal with failure early in life.

“I’ve learned from failure, and now I’m not afraid of it,” Hutson says. “That no-fear spirit has carried over into the business world for me now.”

Bograkos says he takes little daily failures as chips on his shoulder and uses them as motivation to improve and prove his doubters wrong.

“Failure shouldn’t define a person unless you let the failures bring you down or hold you back rather than motivate you to improve and get better,” Bograkos says.

“There isn’t anyone who’s ever achieved a dream without a few failures along the way. Failure is just a step toward success,” he adds.

The Dawgs agree it’s important to not lower your personal expectations or goals because others may be doubting you.

“Your success of failure at anything often corresponds to the effort you put into it,” says Duckett. “And you can’t lie to yourself; you know how much effort you put in.”

“The hardest thing for people to do is self-evaluate,” adds Bograkos. “No one has ever achieved anything without experiencing a few failures along the way.

Hear the Conversation 28:29 – 16.3 mb mp3

Spartan Dawgs Tim Bograkos, Todd “T.J.” Duckett, and Andre Hutson welcome Joe Eisenmann and Joe Carlson from Spartan Nutrition and Performance to the microphones. SNAPP has been providing sports nutrition for Spartan athletes since 2005.

“Everybody on our staff has a lot of passion for taking our knowledge in sports science, nutrition, and medicine and helping young athletes who aspire to play better,” says Eisenmann. “We focus on speed and general athletic enhancement.”

Carlson says a key goal is helping young athletes achieve their energy balance.

“Young athletes want to get ripped and get into better shape, but they shoot themselves in the foot by cutting back on calories instead of focusing on eating the right calories,” adds Carlson.

Other topics include overtraining, the psychological aspects of sports, and how to train like a Division 1 ahtlete.

The Dawgs and the Joes discuss the supplement world in depth. The bottom line: Carlson advises against supplements for young athletes.

“We’re providing an integrated, holistic approach to the care and the training of the young athlete,” says Eisenmann.

Hear the Show 54 min – 30 mb mp3

Russ White has wide-ranging, year-end conversations with Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis. Both look back on what Spartans should remember about the 2012/2013 academic year at MSU, and they look ahead to 2013/2014.

President Simon touches on the higher education budget situation, MSU’s Energy Transition Plan, the status of FRIB, and issues she and her colleagues are tackling in the Big Ten and NCAA.

Hollis says “MSU Athletics is in a great place.” He talks about Spartan Fund activity, Big Ten momentum, debriefs his first year on the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee, and talks about bringing the Disney philosophy to Spartan Athletics.

Hear the Conversation 27:06 min – 15.5 mb mp3

Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon looks back at the 2012/2013 academic year and talks about what’s important for Spartans to remember about what has happened at MSU this year.

The budget and funding situation has stabilized some, says President Simon.

“We continue to have to scrap for every dollar internally so that we can repurpose it toward the basic functions of the university in terms of teaching, research and service.”

Simon held a webcast conversation April 18 featuring an update on MSU’s Energy Transition Plan.

“We’ve made a very aggressive commitment to reduce our carbon footprint,” says Simon. “The challenge is to do so in a cost-effective way at time when we’re trying to hold tuition down.

“It’s the essence of Michigan State University that we’re prepared to take on the tough challenges and not do so by simply providing advice to others, but by trying to figure out whether we can do it ourselves.”

She talks about MSU’s presence in Detroit and its work to impact all of Michigan‘s future. Simon talks about developments in the Big Ten and about issues she’s confronting in her role as Chair of the NCAA Executive Committee.

And Simon provides an update on the status of MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

Hear the Conversation 21:35 min – 6.4 mb mp3

As the 2012/2013 academic year winds down, Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis looks back and ahead.

Hollis says he remains true to one of his main goals of making sure the athletic department remains connected to and engaged with the entire university. And he and his team are focused on raising the funds necessary to ensure that MSU remains competitive and viable in a growing Big Ten, including an emphasis on the north end zone renovation project at Spartan Stadium.

Spartans AD Hollis is pleased with the progress and momentum underway in the Big Ten and is looking forward to future road trips to Maryland and Rutgers.

Hollis says a couple of the issues that keep him up at night are maintaining and enhancing the MSU athletic department‘s revenue stream with integrity and doing things the right way.

There’s often an arms race referred to in intercollegiate athletics, but Hollis says it’s all about providing the best possible resources possible for MSU’s student athletes.

A challenge Hollis and his colleagues around the country are facing is competing for fans – particularly students’ – attention with the barrage of entertainment options fighting for our collective attention. Today’s kids often are engaged with multiple screens at a time with iPads, smart phones, and there’s increasingly more demands for our attention in the digital age we’re now immersed in.

Mark Hollis is concluding his first year as a member of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee. He feels his role on the committee brings a lot of positive benefits back to MSU.

As Hollis looks ahead to the 2013/2014 academic year at MSU, he says Disney will provide a lot of inspiration for an increasingly positive MSU experience for all Spartan fans.

Overall, Hollis says MSU athletics is in a great place.