Michael Ristich Appointed Director of the Citizen Scholars Program

Michael Ristich, Academic Specialist in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, was appointed Director of the Citizen Scholars Program, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The Citizen Scholars Program, which is open to first- and second-year students with a major in the College of Arts & Letters, is designed to prepare the next generation of diverse, high-achieving, and engaged citizen leaders.…

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Research Recognized for Highlighting Black Women’s Contributions to History and Culture

For Women’s History Month, Leonora Souza Paula’s work is being featured by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) in their Women’s History Resource List as a scholarly resource that celebrates and highlights the diverse histories and historical roles of women.

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Grace Pregent Named Director of The Writing Center

Grace Pregent, Ph.D., who had been serving as Interim Director of The Writing Center at Michigan State University since June 15, 2023, was named Director of the Center, effective January 1, 2024. A mentor, teacher, and administrator, Pregent is core faculty in Canadian Studies, affiliate faculty in Global Studies, and graduate faculty in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures.

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Journal, Co-Created by English Professor, Receives Prestigious Award

An academic journal co-created by Kristin Mahoney, Associate Professor in the Department of English at Michigan State University, has received the Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) Best New Journal Award. This prestigious award was presented on Jan. 5 at the 2024 Modern Language Association Annual Convention in Philadelphia.The journal, Cusp: Late 19th-/Early 20th-Century Cultures, focuses on field-defining scholarship…

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Religious Studies Professor to Deliver Keynote Address at MLK Community Unity Dinner

Blaire Morseau, Assistant Professor in MSU’s Department of Religious Studies and an inaugural 1855 Professor, is the keynote speaker for the 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner. This MLK Commemorative Celebration event, organized by MSU’s Residence Education and Housing Services, is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel and…

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MSU Professor and Olympian Part of Community Art Project Leading up to Paris 2024 Olympics

Michigan State University Professor and Olympian Kelly Salchow MacArthur is once again part of the Olympics, this time leading a community art project. Through the Olympian Artists program, an initiative by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, Salchow MacArthur led a workshop series creating mixed media collages with children from two community centers in Paris, France. Her workshop project, from…

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Gordon Henry’s Legacy and Career Celebrated with Indigenous Literature and Song

Gordon Henry, Professor in the Department of English and the inaugural Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies, will retire from Michigan State University on December 31, 2023, after more than 29 years of service to the university and community.His work and the impact he has made was celebrated during an event held…

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1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University, focuses much of his research and teaching on understanding the sustainable stewardship that Native Americans have demonstrated toward waters, plants, fish, wildlife, and their food systems. “One thing I’ve brought up in my IAH (Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities) classes is thinking about how Indigenous…

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Religious Studies Professor Returns to Her Native Community for 1855 Professorship

Blaire Morseau grew up in New Jersey and spent most of her life there, including her undergraduate years at Rutgers University, yet she considers Michigan her home. As a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, which is based in Dowagiac, Michigan, Morseau spent many summers in the Great Lakes State where she attended powwows and worked at various…

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Ask the Expert: How Does Black Horror Help Us Understand Cultural Anxieties?

The genre of horror, and specifically Black horror, has been gaining attention in mainstream media in the last decade. Films by Black writers and directors featuring Black actors — think “ Us” and “Get Out” by writer and director Jordan Peele — are exploring themes of race and gender through a different lens while opening larger dialogues about belonging and…

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