Faculty

Three head-and-shoulders portrait photos displayed side by side. From left to right: a person with short dark hair wearing a dark shirt, a person with short dark hair wearing a blazer and collared shirt, and a person with long brown hair and bangs wearing a maroon top. All are facing the camera and smiling.

College of Arts & Letters Faculty Help Drive MSU’s Continued Success as a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars

February 4, 2026

For the 11th time in the last 12 years, Michigan State University has been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, ranking among the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Eleven scholars from MSU were selected for Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for academic year 2025–2026. Three of those faulty members are in the College of Arts & Letters.

“Smiling man seated in an office or library setting, with bookshelves in the background, wearing a gray zip-up jacket.”

Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / News / RCAH

Scot Yoder, Longtime RCAH Faculty Member and Department of Philosophy Alum, Appointed RCAH’s Next Leader

February 2, 2026

Scot Yoder has been named the next leader of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University. A longtime RCAH faculty member who has been with the college since it first opened, Yoder assumed his new duties as RCAH Director on Jan. 1, 2026. He was appointed to the position by Thomas Stubblefield, Dean of…

Alejandra Márquez, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Michigan State University, wears an orange shirt and glasses. She sits in from a wall with wallpaper that shows green, blue, and yellows leaves.

Faculty / Faculty / News / Spanish / U.S. Impact

Ask the Expert: The Super Bowl Goes Spanish With Bad Bunny’s Halftime Performance

January 30, 2026

Perhaps you’ve heard him featured on Cardi B’s 2019 hit “I Like it.” Maybe you’ve seen him host Saturday Night Live. You might have even seen his name during the Grammys, in recent headlines, or come across songs from his most recent album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” on your music streaming app of choice.Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny,…

A woman in a black headscarf, MSU Assistant Professor Nareman Amin, stands by a globe sculpture in the MSU International Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research

Ask the Expert: How Ideas of Democracy and Religion Have Changed Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

January 13, 2026

In early 2011, Egyptians calling for “bread, freedom, and social justice” took to the streets to protest the 30-year authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak. Jan. 25 marks the 15th anniversary of the Egyptian uprising and the first taste of democracy in Egypt following Mubarak’s subsequent resignation Feb. 11. Michigan State University Assistant Professor Nareman Amin’s research focuses on contemporary Islam…

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.

English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Film Studies / News

MSU Film Studies Faculty Member Wins First Round in Second Chance Tournament on ‘Jeopardy!’

December 20, 2025

Michigan State University faculty member Pete Johnston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he first appeared on a July episode of “Jeopardy!” While Johnston came in second place in July, he took first place in the “Jeopardy!” Second Chance Tournament game Dec. 17 and also in the resulting two-game finals Dec. 18-19. He next competes in the Champions Wildcard game airing…

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Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / News / Research / Scholarship / WRAC / XA

Experience Architecture Professor’s Research Supported by Yale University Fellowship

December 8, 2025

As a Beinecke Library Fellow, Sara Doan, Assistant Professor of Experience Architecture at Michigan State University, spent two weeks immersed in the archives of Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, uncovering materials to inform her forthcoming book, Visualizing Pandemics: A History of Data in Action, that focuses on public health communication and the history of persuasion during disease…

Award / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / WRAC

Trixie Smith Awarded Outstanding Service Award by International Writing Centers Association

December 5, 2025

Trixie Smith, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, was awarded the 2025 International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Muriel Harris Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes outstanding service that has benefited the writing center community in significant and broad-based ways.

A teacher talks with four adult students who are sitting at two rows of tables.

Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / News / Research / Theatre

Theatre Professor Leads English Program in Thailand Through the U.S. Department of State

December 3, 2025

Deric McNish, Associate Professor of Theatre at Michigan State University, led a four-week U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist Program at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU) in Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Sasiporn Phongploenpis, SSRU Assistant Professor and Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, hosted and facilitated the drama-based English education program with McNish during October 2025. McNish brought his expertise…

A woman with long dark hair stands outdoors in front of green foliage and a brick building. She wears a white collared shirt with a black geometric pattern and orange beaded earrings

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Esther Belin Joins MSU as the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies

December 2, 2025

A citizen of the Navajo Nation and an acclaimed poet, artist, and educator, Esther Belin joined Michigan State University this fall as the new Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies in the Department of English. She is the second scholar to hold this position, following Gordon Henry, who retired in 2023 after…

Three individual portraits are arranged side by side. The person on the left has braided hair, wears glasses, and is dressed in a black jacket with a bright pink scarf. The person in the center is smiling, dressed in a light patterned shirt and blue blazer. The person on the right has long hair, wears glasses, and is dressed in a light top.

Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / International Impact / News / Research

Faculty Awarded Grant to Advance Community-Engaged Research and Women’s Empowerment in Tanzania

November 21, 2025

A Strategic Partnership Grant from MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) will help strengthen the cross-institutional collaboration between Michigan State University and the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania, focusing on gender, environment, and community sustainability. The grant supports a collaborative research project that examines the livelihoods of Maasai women in Naitolia, Tanzania, and a community-engaged learning workshop for UDSM faculty interested in women’s empowerment and sustainable community development.