Daniel Latham had the opportunity to meet some of our Beal Scholars in 2025. The discussion inspired him to increase his support of the Beal Scholars program with an additional gift. Read his story to discover how he feels about this unique MSU opportunity.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
Our family moved from California to Saline, Michigan when I was ten. It was there that I gained appreciation and respect for those who work in agriculture. At home, my Mom could make anything grow and she had a vegetable garden. There is something very gratifying about planting your own garden in the spring and picking something for supper on a summer afternoon. It was a great place to grow up and I've carried that with me moving between Massachusetts and California over the years.

What is your connection to Michigan State University?
I became interested in computers during High School and came to MSU to get a degree. In those days, we wrote our code on paper, entered it via punch cards, ran the cards through a reader, then waited for the CDC mainframe for a printout of our run. We were limited to three runs a day to get our assignments to work (or not). It was through a connection with my classmate at MSU that I was able to graduate with a job at Digital Equipment Corporation to begin my 42-year career in software. My connection to MSU in a word would be Gratitude.

What inspired you to donate to the Beal Botanical Garden?
I'm interested in donating to areas that can help students gain life experience that otherwise might not be available to them. I considered what has made a difference in my life and what might affect a student's life in a positive way independent of their major. The Beal Botanical Garden was an easy choice and as a bonus, it is situated in my favorite part of the campus near Beaumont Tower, aging trees, and sprawling landscape. The garden offers something for everyone.

What is it about the Beal Scholars program that speaks to you? Is there something about the program you feel is unique that benefits our students?
I was fortunate to grow up where I did, but I think, increasingly, many people are insulated from the natural world. Though we each have an individual career path, learning about plants through hands-on work has the power to change one's perspective about the world.

Regardless of a student's major, they can contribute and benefit from their experience as a Beal Scholar. Over the last three and a half years, there have been 76 Beal Scholars from 35 majors that include: Environmental Studies, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Computer Science and Engineering, Music Composition, Advertising, Human Biology and many more.

As a land-grant college, MSU has a unique opportunity to provide its students with this experience. The Roman philosopher Cicero said it simply: 

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

You had the opportunity to speak to some of our Beal Scholars in 2025. How did that meeting impact you? Did the meeting influence your decision to support the Beal Scholars program again?
Yes. I had the opportunity to visit with some of the Beal Scholars and hear about their projects that summer. I was so impressed with how thoughtful and passionate everyone was about what they were working on. I value what they are doing to carry on the tradition and history of the Beal Botanical Garden, and they each deserve credit for the garden's accreditation from Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Why do you feel that it's important for Michigan State University to have professional development experiences like the Beal Scholars program?
At the time, the College of Engineering offered computer programming consulting to Engineering students and I was extremely fortunate to fill one of those positions during my senior year. Even though it was only eight hours a week, it was immensely helpful. It gave me an opportunity to apply what I had learned to help others, the experience of reporting to a manager in a technical environment, and, as someone with student loans, it really helped to pay for books and food. Finances are even more difficult today and it's very important that MSU provides as many paid, on-campus work experiences as it can for students to apply what they learn in the classroom.

Is there anything else you would like to share?
When planting a tree, Zen Monk Thich Nhat Hanh has this saying:

I entrust myself to earth,
Earth entrusts herself to me.

The Beal Botanical Garden continues to be a place to remind ourselves of this truth.