Spartans,
As we close out 2025, it’s a time for reflection – both for what we’ve accomplished as well as what is yet to come.
Looking back, 2025 was full of Spartan success. Men’s basketball and hockey captured Big Ten titles last winter and brought our Spartan community together in support and celebration of their championship efforts. Women’s gymnastics and women’s soccer reached new levels of achievement, with both programs finishing among the top 8 teams in the nation. Individually, our student-athletes performed at exceptional levels, highlighted by Isaac Howard winning the Hobey Baker Award. These are just a few of the many Spartan teams and student-athletes who have made us proud on the field of competition.
In the classroom, our student–athletes reached new levels of achievement. After the fall semester, Spartans hold an all-time high cumulative GPA of 3.4866 for the department, with 12 programs posting all-time highs. Between spring and winter graduations, nearly 140 student-athletes earned their diploma and are ready to take on life after college.
At every opportunity, the Spartan community has been there to support us. Across our venues, your support has propelled our teams to even greater heights and provided a true home-field advantage. Wherever our teams may travel, from coast to coast, your Spartan pride is on display.
Fiscal year 2025 was a great step forward for the Spartan Fund, and we’re on pace to eclipse those totals in the year ahead. Our FOR SPARTA capital initiative is a bold, $1 billion vision to elevate facilities and the student-athlete experience and opportunities across all programs. Earlier this month, Michigan State announced a historic $401 million commitment from Greg and Dawn Williams, including $390 million in support of MSU Athletics. Although truly an inspiring amount, it is just one example of the generosity loyal Spartans have repeatedly shown. Your belief in our mission is extremely humbling, and it’s the proof that our aspirational dreams are in reach.
This past year brought transformational change to the college athletics model. In July, we entered the revenue sharing era and our department has been working tirelessly to create the structures and systems which will lead to success in our current and future landscape. We announced our plans to launch Spartan Ventures in summer 2026, modernizing MSU Athletics by aligning commercial operations to allow for increased efficiency and operational flexibility. While our business model and tactics might be new, our core mission of providing transformational opportunities for young people through intercollegiate athletics remains the same.
On a personal note, my highlight of 2025 was my family and I becoming Spartans. I am truly blessed to work with so many great people in our department, and to interact with so many passionate and loyal supporters in our community. Even before my first days on campus, Coach Izzo explained to me that there was something unique about the Michigan State Family. His words ring true every day. Our alignment and shared vision drive us forward. As Coach Fitzgerald explained at his press conference, success comes as we build together.
It’s for that very reason why as much as I enjoy reflecting on our past accomplishments, it’s the limitless possibilities that exist in the new year which excite me the most. The triumphs and lessons from 2025 provide the foundation for our future. I believe that athletic departments which are well capitalized, nimble and strategically aligned are positioned to take ground over the next year. That’s what I see as our goal as I look at MSU Athletics moving into 2026.
I hope each and every Spartan finds time in the weeks ahead to rest and recharge. For those who are celebrating, I hope your holiday season is full of joy. I truly believe 2026 can be a great year for all Spartans.
Go Green!
J Batt
Michigan State University Vice President and Director of Athletics
