The malaria center is at the heart of the kind of work Michigan State University's (MSU) African Studies Center has been engaged in on the African continent since it was founded half a century ago. The university is marking the center's 50th anniversary this year with a series of events that include large photo exhibits at one of the university's museums. The African Studies Center is the most comprehensive of its kind. Unlike many African studies programs that are rooted in liberal arts subjects like literature and history or in the social sciences like sociology and anthropology, MSU's center has a wide-ranging focus. It works with more than 150 faculty specialists from 45 departments throughout the university, including nursing, medicine and engineering. The center's activities in more than 30 African countries have included partnerships and collaborations aimed at lowering incidents of river blindness and elephantiasis. It has offered training in medical ethics. Its specialists have engaged in epilepsy treatments in Zambia and sought to treat rare forms of ulcers in Ghana. It has worked to improve teacher education and math instruction in places like Egypt, Tunisia and South Africa. It also has participated on dozens of agricultural projects. Center officials say its biggest legacy may be the production of the nation's largest number of Ph.D.s who specialize in Africa.