Michigan State University Trustees are sounding the alarm over the university-affiliated, tax-exempt, non-profit, Spartan Ventures.
According to Sports Business Journal, the university Board of Trustees agreed to initiate Spartan Ventures in Oct. 2025 and voted in Dec. 2025 to allow president Kevin Guskiewicz to partner with Spartan Ventures to “seek additional sources of revenue through the nonprofit for the benefit of the athletic department, including investment capital.”
When the partnership was first established, Michigan State University vice president and director of athletics, J Batt said, “College athletics is evolving rapidly, and this model allows Michigan State to remain proactive. We will continue to prioritize our student-athletes' experience, education, and well-being while building a sustainable future for the next generation of Spartans.”
However, the Trustees have raised new concerns about the lack of oversight by university leadership over the hundreds of millions of dollars generated through Spartan Ventures. Specifically, the trustees pointed to for-profit arms within the organization.
For example, Spartan Media Ventures was created by Acrisure CEO Greg Williams and his wife through a $100 million investment. Spartan Media Ventures has not been voted on by the Board of Trustees, and so far, Spartan Ventures has taken sole responsibility for the new arm, leaving the trustees in the dark.
A recent MSU board resolution said the details of the partnership may be “worked out as time goes on,” and that Spartan Ventures ultimately allows the university to “seek additional sources of revenue to support athletics through the expansion of business activities, new business lines, investment capital and other activities to increase the value of the athletic brand.”
In early January, a board of directors was established for Spartan Ventures that includes MSU’s athletic director and president, among others. That board, not the university Trustees, will work to appoint a CEO of Spartan Ventures.
