News - College of Arts & Letters

Colorful text on a black background reads "Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition." Details about the event, reception, and juror are displayed below.

Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition Celebrates LGBTQ+ Artists from Across Michigan

June 11, 2026

Pride takes many forms — celebration, resistance, remembrance, self-discovery — and in the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition, it takes shape through art. Scheduled for June 11-July 23, 2026, at (SCENE) Metrospace, the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition, presented in partnership with MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design and the City of East Lansing, celebrates the creativity, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ artists from across Michigan.

A photo of Michigan State University's Beaumont Tower rising through the trees. To the left of Beaumont Tower is the text: "#32 worldwide in arts and humanities research" with the Spartan helmet below the text.

MSU Ranks No. 32 Worldwide in Arts and Humanities Research

June 11, 2026

Michigan State University (MSU) ranks No. 32 worldwide and No. 15 in the United States in arts and humanities research performance, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities for 2025-2026. Overall, MSU ranks No. 133 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities listing for 2025-2026, which encompasses the top 2,250 universities across 105…

Bold text on a black background reads "Michigan State University Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration" in yellow, red, and green.

Faculty

MSU Juneteenth Celebration to Feature Events Led by African American and African Studies Faculty

June 9, 2026

Michigan State University is hosting its sixth annual MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration June 15-19, 2026, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alums and community members. Two faculty members from MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies — LeConté Dill and Liv Furman — are leading events during the weeklong celebration. Juneteenth marks the day enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their…

Student

Beyond Words: MSU Students Gain Translation Experience While Serving Communities

June 8, 2026

Translation is about more than converting words from one language to another. It requires cultural understanding, empathy, and an ability to connect people with information that matters. At Michigan State University, students in the College of Arts & Letters are developing those skills through a partnership that pairs hands-on translation experience with meaningful community engagement. Through this partnership between the…

A person smiling stands beside a library book display featuring various graphic novels. The shelves are filled with colorful covers, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.

News

MSU Students Partner with Capital Area District Libraries to Enhance Summer Reading Challenge

June 4, 2026

As readers across the Ingham County area take part in the Capital Area District Libraries’ (CADL) Summer Reading Challenge, Michigan State University students are helping guide the way — one graphic novel at a time. During the Spring 2026 Semester, students in the Readings in Graphic Narratives (ENG 325) course taught by Julian C. Chambliss, Professor of English, partnered with the CADL to create a comics-focused display.

Two women are standing in an indoor setting. One looks concerned with her hand on her forehead, while the other gently touches her shoulder, offering comfort.

Arts MSU / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre

Medical Simulation Center Transformed into Immersive Theatre Production

June 3, 2026

For a recent theatre production presented by members of the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, audience members became part of the performance, one that transformed a healthcare simulation center into a deeply intimate, immersive theatrical experience that blurred the line between actors and audience. This production of "Mary Jane" was not confined to the stage, nor was the audience confined to their seats.

A person in glasses and a dark sweater speaks into a microphone, set against a wooden paneled wall. The tone is confident and engaging.

Award / English / News / Student / Student

Sixth in MSU History: Commitment to Housing Justice Earns Student National Beinecke Scholarship

June 1, 2026

Michigan State University student Roberto “Marcos” Garcia received the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship, becoming the sixth MSU student to receive this prestigious award. He was one of only 16 recipients selected from 93 nominees nationwide. The scholarship provides graduate school funding for students intending to pursue research-focused graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences and is valued at $35,000.

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AAHD / Art, Art History, and Design / Arts MSU / Award / News / Philosophy / Student / Student

Award-Winning Art and Interdisciplinary Research Earn Scholars Varg-Sullivan Awards

May 29, 2026

This year's Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award winners are Niloufar Fallahfar, a Spring 2026 MFA in Studio Art graduate, who is the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Jonah Branding, a graduate student pursuing a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, was named the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented…

An energetic outdoor theatrical performance takes place on a stage featuring a backdrop shaped like an open, illustrated children's book. In the foreground, an audience seated in lawn chairs raises their arms to mirror the choreography of the actors on stage.

Theatre

Summer Circle Theatre to Offer Free Outdoor Performances at MSU June 4-21

May 26, 2026

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is preparing for the 2026 Summer Circle Theatre season, which runs June 4-21 and will feature three productions, along with pre- and post-show performances, including lively cabarets and improv. This marks the 64th year Summer Circle Theatre (SCT) has offered free outdoor performances for the public to enjoy. "In the past six decades,…

A composite image featuring a portrait of Ellen VanderMyde, a woman with blonde hair smiling in front of a colorful abstract painting, alongside an aerial, high-angle view of a vast agricultural research site, featuring a grid of vibrant green crop plots separated by dirt paths, with a distant treeline, a blue lake, and a bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds.

African American and African Studies / Arts MSU / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship

Humanizing the Science: W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Artist-in-Residence Program Marks Fifth Year

May 21, 2026

The Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artists-in-Residence Program is entering its fifth year, featuring Kalamazoo-based visual artist Ellen VanderMyde as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence and the debut of the program’s first group exhibition showcasing the work of last year’s cohort of Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters artists.