Faculty Stories

Read more about the article Ryan Claytor’s 20-Year Legacy as a Comics Education Trailblazer
Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Publication / Publishing, Editing, and Authorship / Scholarship

Ryan Claytor’s 20-Year Legacy as a Comics Education Trailblazer

March 11, 2025

Ryan Claytor is a trailblazer in comics education whose passion for teaching and talent as an award-winning comics artist and creator is fueled by his love of the expressive medium. Since joining Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design in 2008, Claytor has built a thriving academic and creative comics community at the university, having launched the first comics studio course in MSU’s history and later establishing the interdisciplinary Comic Art and Graphic Novels minor.

Continue ReadingRyan Claytor’s 20-Year Legacy as a Comics Education Trailblazer
Read more about the article Faculty Invited to Teach at International Winter School for Language Testing Research
Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / International Impact / Linguistics / News / Research / Scholarship

Faculty Invited to Teach at International Winter School for Language Testing Research

February 20, 2025

Assistant Professor Koen Van Gorp and Professor Paula Winke from the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC) at Michigan State University were two of five international professors invited by the European Association of Language Testing and Assessment and the Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck to teach at a Winter School for language testing research that was held in the…

Continue ReadingFaculty Invited to Teach at International Winter School for Language Testing Research
Read more about the article Faculty Voice: I’m a Maker and a Storyteller
AAHD / Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Michigan Impact / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Faculty Voice: I’m a Maker and a Storyteller

February 14, 2025

Teresa Dunn is a Mexican American artist raised in rural southern Illinois. Her identity life and art are influenced by her racial and cultural heritages and the complexities of being a brown woman in the Midwest. She's a Professor of Painting and Drawing in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design in the College of Arts & Letters. Dunn wrote the…

Continue ReadingFaculty Voice: I’m a Maker and a Storyteller
A collage of five photos. At the center is the MSU Libraries Special Collections logo, with a green shield, white text, and the Spartan helmet. Surrounding it are four portraits of individuals. Top left: a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and a white blouse in a yellow-lit hallway. Top right: a man with a beard, wearing a blue plaid shirt and gray cardigan, standing outside a wooden building. Bottom left: a woman with gray hair and a blue shawl in front of a wooden door. Bottom middle: a woman wearing glasses, a red sweater, and a patterned scarf, standing outdoors. Bottom right: A man with a shaved wearing a grey shirt and back suit smiles in front of a stained glass window.
English / Event / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Lecture Series / News / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship

Lecture Series Showcases Strong Connection Between Religious Studies and MSU Libraries’ Special Collections

January 29, 2025

Religious Studies faculty will discuss how the MSU Libraries' Special Collections informs their teaching and research as part of the Collecting Religion Lecture Series offered this semester. Hosted by MSU Libraries and organized in collaboration with the Department of Religious Studies, the series will highlight how rare and historical primary sources bring Religious Studies to life. The series kicks off…

Continue ReadingLecture Series Showcases Strong Connection Between Religious Studies and MSU Libraries’ Special Collections
A composite image of three individuals. From left to right: A person with short, wavy dark hair, wearing a green blouse and bright magenta lipstick; a person with curly brown and blond hair, wearing glasses, a white blazer, and a colorful beaded necklace; and a person with short-cropped hair, wearing a burgundy shirt and a navy blazer.
Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News

College of Arts & Letters Faculty Awarded for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

January 29, 2025

Three faculty members from the College of Arts & Letters are being honored by the university as recipients of 2024-25 Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards. These awards, presented by MSU's Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, recognize exceptional and innovative contributions that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Michigan State University through their teaching, research, programming, service, community…

Continue ReadingCollege of Arts & Letters Faculty Awarded for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A picture of pair of hands carefully holding a circular piece of fabric featuring an intricate design of a yellow and purple flower with green leaves, surrounded by a red beaded border.
Alumni / Arts MSU / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Linguistics / Michigan Impact / News / U.S. Impact

Preserving Native American Culture and Traditions Through Language and Craft

November 22, 2024

Ellie Mitchell is on a mission to preserve Indigenous languages, arts, and crafts to ensure that Native American culture and traditions remain vibrant for future generations. A member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and a Michigan State University alum with a B.A. in Linguistics, Mitchell is using her MSU education to support tribal language programs across the country as…

Continue ReadingPreserving Native American Culture and Traditions Through Language and Craft
Read more about the article Professor Shines Spotlight on Women of Color with State and International Award-Winning Work
AAHD / Arts MSU / Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Michigan Impact / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Professor Shines Spotlight on Women of Color with State and International Award-Winning Work

October 3, 2024

Teresa Dunn, a Mexican American artist and Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University, is using her artistic talent to shine a spotlight on women of color who are often overlooked or diminished. Dunn is now being honored with statewide and international awards for this work.

Continue ReadingProfessor Shines Spotlight on Women of Color with State and International Award-Winning Work
A picture of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue shirt with a pink flower on one of the arms.
Arts MSU / Award / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Theatre / U.S. Impact

Theatre Professor Receives National Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship

September 18, 2024

As the 2024 recipient of the Betty Jean Jones Award, Ann Folino White, Associate Professor of Theatre Studies at Michigan State University, joins the ranks of a select group of scholars honored by this prestigious national award for excellence in teaching and mentorship in theatre. Presented by the American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS), an international body of scholars dedicated…

Continue ReadingTheatre Professor Receives National Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship
Read more about the article English Professor Honored for Equity, Social Justice, and Community Engagement Work
Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / International Impact / News

English Professor Honored for Equity, Social Justice, and Community Engagement Work

August 30, 2024

Assistant Professor Leonora Souza Paula is being recognized for her gender equity and social justice work as the 2024 recipient of the Inspiration Award for Community Engagement. This award, which is sponsored by the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen), recognizes individuals who have made exceptional global contributions to gender equity and have demonstrated inclusive action and leadership in advancing social justice.

Continue ReadingEnglish Professor Honored for Equity, Social Justice, and Community Engagement Work
A child watches while an adult, squatting down to be at eye level, shows the child the screen of a mobile phone.
Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Linguistics / Michigan Impact / News / Research

MSU Researcher Awarded $650K NSF Grant to Expand Educational Opportunities Through Linguistics Project

August 29, 2024

Michigan State University Researcher and Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller was awarded $646,385 from the U.S. National Science Foundation, or NSF, to expand educational opportunities for students as part of the MI Diaries linguistics research project. Sneller and Associate Professor of Linguistics Suzanne Evans Wagner launched MI COVID Diaries in April 2020 to answer questions about how language changes…

Continue ReadingMSU Researcher Awarded $650K NSF Grant to Expand Educational Opportunities Through Linguistics Project