News – College of Arts & Letters

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MSU English Professor Receives National Award to Support Book about South Asian American Experiences

January 23, 2025

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University Associate Professor Divya Victor received a national Creative Capital Award for literature to support development of her upcoming book of essays, “Kin.” Victor is part of the MSU Department of English and Director of the Creative Writing program. Creative Capital awarded $2.45 million in project grants to 55 artists, including Victor, to support…

Alumni / Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / News / Religious Studies / Scholarship

Religious Studies Alum Awarded Prestigious International Fellowship

January 21, 2025

Mustafa Syed, a Michigan State University alum who graduated in Summer 2024 with a B.A. in Religious Studies, has been named a Schwarzman Scholar and will join an elite group of future global leaders selected from around the world for this prestigious graduate fellowship program. He is MSU’s second Schwarzman Scholar in the 10-year history of the award.

A picture of a woman with short, brown hair, and pink glasses. She wears a burnt orange sweat and grey scarf embroidered with red floral patters. In the background, there is shrubbery and a brick wall.

Donor / English / Faculty / Faculty / Fundraising / News

English Professor Emerita Celebrates Retirement with Endowment Supporting Early Modern Texts

January 16, 2025

In her 25 years at MSU, Jyotsna Singh, Professor Emerita in the Department of English, made certain her students recognized the importance of primary source materials in their studies of English literature. As she celebrated her retirement, she unveiled the Jyotsna G. Singh Endowment in Early Modern Studies: Race, Empire, and Global Connections, aimed at enriching the MSU Libraries’ collection of…

Read more about the article African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

African American and African Studies / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Event / Faculty / Faculty / News / Student

African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

January 15, 2025

The inaugural MLK Student Symposium that is set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the MSU Union will give students the chance to discuss the challenges faced within systemic barriers, to share their experiences, express their identities, and promote inspiration for change. The keynote speakers for this event are Department of African American and African Studies faculty leaders Ruth Nicole Brown and LeConté Dill.

Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / News / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Exhibit Invites Public to Participate in Creation of Community Art Projects

January 14, 2025

Reclaiming Space, the current exhibit at the MSU Union Art Gallery, calls upon the community to come together to reflect, respond, and heal through artmaking. Now through Saturday, Feb. 15, the public is invited to add their personal touch and creativity to the murals and sculptures that make up this exhibition, and as the show progresses, the artwork will evolve with each new day.

AAHD / Faculty / Faculty / News

College Mourns Passing of Retired Professor

December 19, 2024

The College of Arts & Letters is mourning the passing of Phylis Floyd, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) who retired in 2022. Floyd passed away on Dec. 13, 2024. She was 72 years old.

Faculty / Grant / News / Research

Several College Projects Supported by HARP Development and Production Awards

December 13, 2024

Projects by College of Arts & Letters faculty, ranging from a linguistic course, to traveling exhibitions, to books on a range of subjects, received support this year from Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) Development or Production Awards. Funding for these HARP Grants is provided, in part, through the Michigan State University Research Foundation.

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International Impact / News / Performance / Research / Student / Theatre

MSU Faculty, Students Support U.S. Embassy Climate Project with International Ballet Company

December 12, 2024

At Michigan State University, faculty and students are using theatre and dance to illuminate the effects of climate change through a project in partnership with Bullfrogs Ballet artists, educators, and students in North Macedonia. The Ripple Effect project was funded in part by the U.S. Embassy, MSU Office of Research and Innovation’s Climate Justice and Environmental Ethics Award, MSU College…

Two students with laptops sit on a cozy green couch in the MSU Writers' Studio on campus. In the background is a wallpapered wall showing trees and birds and two bookcases with books.

English / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Student / Student

New Writers’ Studio on Campus Gives MSU Students Space for Creative Work and Community

December 11, 2024

Michigan State University Associate Professor of English Divya Victor had long noticed that writing students didn’t have a space on campus where they could feel comfortable and centered to fully concentrate on their thoughts and words. “Writing is a somatic practice, which means it integrates the body, the mind, society, and the environment we live and work within,” Victor said.…

English / Humanities-Prelaw / Internship / News / Student / Student

Student Gains Experience as a Legislative Intern

December 10, 2024

Marion Reilly, who is a senior majoring in English and Humanities-Prelaw, worked as a Legislative Intern with Senator Veronica Klinefelt at the Michigan Senate. She wrote about this internship experience in this Q&A that originally was published by the Excel Network.