Faculty Stories

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Trixie Smith Receives Statewide Award Presented by Michigan Council of Teachers of English

August 28, 2025

Trixie Smith, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University, received the 2025-2026 Charles Carpenter Fries Award presented by the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE). This statewide award honors educators whose distinguished career reflects a lifelong commitment to the teaching of English, to literacy, and to the professional development of teachers. Dr. Trixie…

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Aline Godfroid First From College of Arts & Letters to be Named a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor

August 25, 2025

In recognition of her outstanding scholarly achievements and their transformational impact, Aline Godfroid, Professor of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Second Language Studies in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, was named a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, which is among MSU’s highest faculty awards. Godfroid is the first College of Arts…

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Joshua Yumibe Named an MSU Research Foundation Professor

August 15, 2025

In recognition of his influential scholarship in film and media studies and his contributions to Michigan State University's research mission, Joshua Yumibe has been named an MSU Research Foundation Professor. He is among just four MSU faculty members to earn this prestigious designation in 2025.

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MSU Professor Leads Effort to Preserve Kenya’s Indigenous Languages

July 22, 2025

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, recently traveled to Kenya to lead a workshop focused on revitalizing that country’s indigenous languages, many of which face extinction due to the predominance of English and Swahili in education, government, and media.

A person in a blazer behind a podium on the "Jeopardy!" TV game show set. A blue curtain is in the background. The person is MSU Film Studies faculty member Peter Johnston.

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MSU Film Studies Faculty Member Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’

July 16, 2025

Peter Johnston, Interim Director and faculty member in the Film Studies program at Michigan State University, relied on his high school quiz bowl experience and arts and humanities background to secure a spot on the iconic game show “Jeopardy!” Johnston’s appearance as a contestant aired July 15. He played a strong game solidly taking second place. “It was so surreal…

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College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Recent Graduates Awarded Fulbright Awards

July 2, 2025

Three faculty members and two recent graduates of the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University were offered Fulbright awards for the 2025-26 academic year and will reside and work in different countries because of the opportunities made available to them through these awards. Another recent College of Arts & Letters graduate was selected as an alternate and…

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MSU Faculty Member Publishes Book on Creating Theatre With Neurodiverse Audiences in Mind

June 30, 2025

For nearly a decade, Dionne O'Dell has led the Sense-Ability Ensemble at Michigan State University, which develops multisensory theatrical works for audiences often excluded from traditional performance spaces. Dionne O'Dell O’Dell is an Academic Specialist in MSU’s Department of Theatre who specializes in teaching children’s theatre and writing and directing plays for youth and community, and Routledge has now published…

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Kathleen Fitzpatrick Named a University Distinguished Professor

June 25, 2025

Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a nationally recognized scholar of digital humanities, Professor in the Department of English, and recently appointed Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Arts & Letters, is now a University Distinguished Professor, which is among the highest honors bestowed upon faculty by Michigan State University. Fitzpatrick is among the 10 MSU faculty members named…

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Religious Studies Professor to Explore Her Artistic Side as a KBS Artist-in-Residence

June 12, 2025

Blaire Morseau started doing beadwork 20 years ago, first learning how to create on a loom and then teaching herself beaded embroidery. Her beaded creations even helped pay her rent when she was a graduate student at the University of New Mexico. Morseau is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University and an 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices at MSU.

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Kathleen Fitzpatrick Named New Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

May 27, 2025

Kathleen Fitzpatrick has been appointed Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for Michigan State University's College of Arts & Letters, effective July 1, 2025, following a year serving in the interim role. A nationally recognized scholar of digital humanities, Fitzpatrick is uniquely positioned to guide the college's research and graduate programs, having spent her career creating open-source tools for…