Faculty Stories

Austin Oting Har sits in a darkened recording studio, focused on a music stand holding sheet music while holding a percussion mallet. A bright studio light illuminates the scene as he prepares to perform or record music.

Nearly a Decade in the Making: RCAH Faculty Member Releases Ambitious Contemporary Opera

June 30, 2026

For nearly a decade, composer Austin Oting Har has been building the world of "The Ghost," a contemporary opera that brings together ancient Greek tragedy, Chinese and Western musical traditions, and experimental electronics. On June 19, that vision finally reached audiences with the release of "The Ghost — Act I: Part I" on Neuma Records and digital streaming platforms, making the work accessible to listeners around the world.

A medium close-up portrait of a smiling man with a shaved head and a full, well-groomed beard and mustache. He is wearing a blue and white plaid button-down shirt under a dark gray, textured shawl-collar cardigan sweater. He is posing outdoors in front of a soft-focused background featuring a dark wooden structure with small windows.

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Morgan Shipley Brings Vision for Collaboration and Growth as New Religious Studies Chairperson

June 26, 2026

Morgan Shipley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Foglio Endowed Chair of Spirituality, will begin his five-year appointment as Chairperson of the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University on July 1, 2026. Shipley joined the Department of Religious Studies in 2013 after earning a Doctor of Philosophy in American Studies from MSU. In the years since, he has…

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (left), shakes hands with United States International University-Africa Vice Chancellor Mwenda Ntarangwi (center) while Quin Awuor, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at USIU-Africa (right), presents a Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters gift during the “Documentation and Scholarly Publishing of Kenyan Indigenous Languages” workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.

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International Partnership Aims to Preserve Kenya’s Indigenous Languages

June 25, 2026

Michigan State University’s commitment to language preservation recently extended across continents as Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor in MSU’s Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, helped convene a linguistics workshop in Kenya aimed at strengthening the documentation, preservation, and scholarly publication of that country’s indigenous languages.

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Mary Juzwik Receives MSU Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

May 18, 2026

Michigan State University Professor Mary Juzwik received a William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award, one of the university’s highest honors. The award recognizes her sustained contributions to research, teaching, and outreach, as well as her leadership in English education. Juzwik’s interdisciplinary scholarship and commitment to mentorship have shaped both the field and the next generation of educators.

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MSU Philosopher Heather Douglas Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Belgium

April 21, 2026

In recognizing of her influential work in science, values, and public trust, Heather Douglas, a prominent philosopher of science and Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), one of the oldest universities in Europe, located in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

A grid of four headshots of the 2025-2026 Fintz Award recipients. Top left: Laura Yares, smiling, with shoulder-length brown hair and blue earrings, against a yellow background. Top right: Jonathan Choti, smiling, with a navy blazer. Bottom left: Nerli Paredes Ruvalcaba, smiling, with long pink-tinted hair. Bottom right: Aaron Schultz, smiling, with a beard and glasses

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Four MSU Faculty Honored with Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence

April 20, 2026

Four College of Arts & Letters faculty have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities in recognition of their exemplary Integrative Arts and Humanities (IAH) instruction. Presented each spring by the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (CISAH), the Fintz Award, which is student nominated, recognizes outstanding faculty who engage students in arts and humanities ways of knowing while helping them develop critical thinking and effective communication skills.

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From First-Generation Student to Beal Award Recipient: Thomas Berding Honored for Scholarly Excellence

April 14, 2026

Thomas Berding, Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has spent more than three decades at Michigan State University, creating paintings, mentoring student artists, and developing a studio practice that has taken his work to galleries and museums across the country. He is now among a select few MSU faculty members who have earned the William J.…

A woman in a vibrant purple dress stands against a lavender background. She wears matching earrings, and her expression is confident and serene.

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Suban Nur Cooley Named Lansing’s Next Poet Laureate

April 2, 2026

Suban Nur Cooley, Assistant Professor in the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University, has been named Lansing’s next Poet Laureate and will serve the greater Lansing region for the 2026-2028 term. She also is an MSU alum having earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing from MSU’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures.

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MSU Professor and Alum Earn International Outstanding Publication Award for Second Language Acquisition Research

March 30, 2026

A research article co-authored by a Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters faculty member and an alum has received the 2025 Albert Valdman Award for Outstanding Publication in Studies in Second Language Acquisition, which recognizes the top article published in the international journal each year.The award-winning article, titled Testing the three-stage model of second language skill acquisition, was…

Two men exchange a staff in a cultural ceremony. One wears a suit and white headscarf, the other dons traditional attire with feathered headdress.

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Marohang Limbu Awarded HARP Large-Scale Funding to Advance Global Understanding of Himalayan Indigenous Rhetorics

March 26, 2026

Marohang Yakthung Limbu, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University, has been awarded Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) large-scale development funding for his project "Documenting Matrilineal Civilizations and Ancient Himalayan Yakthung Histories: A Study Through Mundhums and Film." HARP is one of MSU’s largest internal grants, providing funding to support faculty conducting important research projects or activities in the arts and humanities.