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…
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.
Michigan State University students chat among themselves in the cramped waiting room at Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, unfazed by the TSA-like security process. They place their shoes and socks in bins, walk through a metal detector enclosed in chain-link fencing, and go through a pat-down before the steel doors lock behind them. Next, they walk across a prison yard…
Painting the MSU Rock. A primal midnight scream during finals week. Formal social etiquette from a 1954 student handbook. And even Sparty himself. These iconic Michigan State University traditions — and many more — are featured in the What If We Kissed in the Shadows of Beaumont Tower?: Connecting Generations Through MSU Student Traditions exhibition created by students in the…
Familiar figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin are receiving renewed attention as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, when the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. According to Michigan State University Professor David W. Stowe, another figure deserves a place in the story: William…
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.
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…
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.
Science fiction remains an enduring touchstone of pop culture, but it’s broader than spaceships and aliens like you see in the recent “Project Hail Mary” movie — no offense, Ryan Gosling. Science fiction is also an area researched by scholars exploring what it says about our current culture, collective past, and the varying viewpoints of its creators. Michigan State University…
Pride takes many forms — celebration, resistance, remembrance, self-discovery — and in the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition, it takes shape through art. Scheduled for June 11-July 23, 2026, at (SCENE) Metrospace, the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition, presented in partnership with MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design and the City of East Lansing, celebrates the creativity, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ artists from across Michigan.