Faculty

Students gather around a large black-and-white drawing displayed on an outdoor easel during the MSU Drawing Marathon.

Drawing Marathon Brings Eight Hours of Non-Stop Creativity to Campus

September 22, 2026

The Summer Circle Theatre Courtyard will become a hub of creativity as people from across campus and the community come together to draw and create during the annual Drawing Marathon on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hosted by MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design, this free event will include hands-on art activities, live models, music, and drawing opportunities for participants of all experience levels.

Illustrated poster for the “Sacred Nine Project: The Billings Pendulum 250,” featuring a colonial-era figure swinging a mallet, with text promoting a performance about revolutionary America.

Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research

MSU Professor Brings America’s First Composer to Life in October Musical Performance

September 21, 2026

As the United States continues to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, David Stowe, Professor of Religious Studies and Adjunct Professor of History at Michigan State University, is helping audiences rediscover a figure often overlooked in the story of the American Revolution: composer, teacher, writer, and patriot William Billings. On Sunday, Oct. 4, the public is invited to experience “The…

Students from the Ceramic Arts in Greece education abroad program sit together in front of the stone seating of an ancient Greek theater.

Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / News / Student / Student / Study Abroad / Study Abroad

Education Abroad in Greece Inspires Students’ ‘Lasting Impressions’ Exhibition

September 17, 2026

Inspired by the history, culture, and ceramic traditions of Greece, Michigan State University students who participated in the Ceramic Arts in Greece Education Abroad in Spring 2026 transformed their experiences into works of art that are now on display in the “Lasting Impressions” exhibition at the MSU Union Art Gallery. The exhibition is on view through Saturday, Oct. 3, with a public reception scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Portrait of Dawn Burns in a colorful shirt, taken outside in golden light.

Faculty / Faculty / News / Student / Student / WRAC

Faculty Voice: Building Generous and Generative Community Through First-Year Writing Program

September 14, 2026

In this Faculty Voice, Dawn Burns, Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, shares how MSU’s First-Year Writing Program creates opportunities for students to develop as writers and learners while building connections with one another. Through writing, reflection, and peer review, students learn to value their own experiences and voices while gaining a deeper understanding of those around them.

A woman wearing glasses and a colorful patterned jacket smiles while speaking at a podium, with a vibrant geometric light installation projected on the wall behind her.

Community Outreach / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Research / Scholarship

More than a Residency: SOLHOT 60+ Creates Space for Art and Sisterhood

September 2, 2026

When Sharon Simeon helped create a glass vessel at the Flint Institute of Arts, the other SOLHOT 60+ artists gathered around to watch and support her. They cheered as the hot glass expanded, held their breath when the piece nearly fell, and applauded when it was complete. “The women were so supportive. When it was over, they applauded. There were…

Portrait of a woman with long brown hair and glasses, wearing a sleeveless black top and smiling outdoors with greenery and a building softly blurred in the background.

Digital Humanities / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Kristen Mapes Brings Years of Experience to Role as Digital Humanities Director

August 27, 2026

Kristen Mapes is leading Digital Humanities in Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters as its new Director, following a year as Interim Director. Mapes began her term on July 1, 2026, succeeding Kathleen Fitzpatrick, who served as Director of Digital Humanities from 2017 to 2024.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

College Celebrates 29 Faculty Members Who Earned Promotions

August 24, 2026

This year, 29 faculty members within the College of Arts and Letters received promotions. Their achievements will be celebrated during the 2026-27 academic year at promotions ceremonies hosted by the Office of the Provost. This year’s group marks another milestone for the college as the first to include faculty from the School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (RCAH), which integrated with the College of Arts and Letters on July 1, 2026.

A group of more than 20 people pose together on the steps outside a brick building.

Community Outreach / English / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Religious Studies

MSU Fellowship Helps Michigan Teachers Rethink Genocide Education

August 19, 2026

As artificial intelligence and social media reshape how students evaluate information, teaching about genocide and mass atrocities has grown more complex. Teachers in Michigan are required to spend at least six hours on genocide curriculum during grades 8-12. They must navigate not only changing technology but also shifting geopolitical events and a generation of students who see the world differently…

A woman with shoulder length black hair, brown eyes, and light skin smiling and wearing a black jacket over a mosaic print purple and white top.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Faculty Voice: The Role of Empathy in Teaching

August 11, 2026

Associate Professor Amy Simon is the William and Audrey Farber Family Chair in Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History. She holds a joint appointment with James Madison College and the Department of History in the College of Social Science and is a core faculty member of the Michael and Elaine Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel in the…

Three award recipients stand side by side holding framed plaques and smiling for a photograph.

Award / Community Outreach / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Michigan Impact / News / Philosophy

MSU Institute Director Honored for Community-Led Partnership Supporting Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

July 31, 2026

For nearly four years, a Michigan State University researcher and two Detroit organizations have worked side by side to expand services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in Detroit, securing nearly $900,000 in funding, establishing the first paid staff positions at both organizations, launching new programs, and strengthening community-led support networks across the city. That work earned Elena Ruíz, Professor in MSU’s Department of Philosophy and founder and Director of the Research Institute for Structural Change (RISC) at Michigan State University, two 2026 MSU Outreach and Engagement Awards.