Faculty

A woman with short platinum-blonde hair holding scissors and doing a ribbon cutting. She is wearing a bright pink top top with a white and black patterned jacket on top. Behind and beside her are people watching her cut the ribbon.

Trixie Smith Invited to International Conference on Water in Africa for the Second Year

November 18, 2025

Trixie Smith, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC) at Michigan State University, recently was awarded a Strategic Partnership Grant from MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context to attend the Fifth Annual International Conference on Water in Africa (ICWA), scheduled for March 2026, with additional support from MSU’s College of Arts & Letters and WRAC.

A person with curly brown hair, glasses, and a light-patterned blouse under a mustard-yellow cardigan smiles while standing against a plain light-colored background.

AAHD / Alumni / Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News

Faculty Voice: Art Is What We Need Right Now

November 13, 2025

Meghan Collins is the lead educator for K-12 and family programs at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and an Assistant Professor of Art Education in MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design. She also is a proud alum of MSU’s Art Education program and rejoined the university community after teaching art in K-8 public schools in Lansing, Michigan, and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Close-up outdoor portrait of a woman with short light hair and glasses, wearing a black top and a layered beaded necklace. Blurred café tables and trees appear in the background.

Faculty / News

Former College of Arts & Letters Dean Retires, Leaving Lasting Legacy

November 12, 2025

After nearly 40 years of service to Michigan State University, Professor of German and former Dean of the College of Arts & Letters, Karin A. Wurst, has retired. Her career reflects a legacy of scholarship, leadership, and innovation in the humanities. Wurst first came to MSU in 1988, joining the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures as a tenure-track faculty member in German Studies.

A large, diverse group of faculty, alumni, students, and guests pose together in a bright atrium with green walls during Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies Ph.D. program 20th anniversary celebration. Many wear MSU name badges and SLS-branded shirts.

Alumni / Event / Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Research / Scholarship / Student / Student / U.S. Impact

Celebrating 20 Years: Second Language Studies Program Honors Its Past and Looks to the Future

November 11, 2025

While Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. program may have started by being in the right place at the right time, the efforts made by its administrators, faculty, alumni, and students have propelled the program into an international powerhouse. During the 20th anniversary celebration held Oct. 17-19, 2025, students, faculty, and alums of the program shared their experiences,…

A person with black hair stands smiling on a windswept sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan, wearing a green sweater and backpack. Behind them, rolling dunes, grasses, and a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship

Professor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship

November 10, 2025

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices, was awarded the Newberry Consortium in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (NCAIS) long-term faculty fellowship to research how Indigenous peoples’ expressions of environmental stewardship and governance have been practiced, sustained, interrupted, and/or rekindled throughout the central and western Great Lakes region.

A person in a green shirt on the left helps a group of four people plant strawberry plants in terracotta pots.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Research / U.S. Impact

MSU and Georgia Tech Receive Mellon Funding for Research Project Combining Afrofuturism, Humanities, and Horticulture

November 5, 2025

Michigan State University has joined the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in The Earthseed Project, a humanities-centered research initiative that uses Afrofuturist literature to connect horticulture, climate resilience, and food sustainability knowledge and practices. The Earthseed Project at Michigan State University uses spaces like the Beal Botanical Garden to bring people together to discuss current topics and develop a…

Beaumont Tower lit with vivid red and white projections depicting skeletal figures climbing up the brick façade against the evening sky.

Arts MSU / Event / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Student / Student / Theatre

Beaumont Tower Comes Alive with Animated Projections Created by MSU Students

November 3, 2025

Michigan State University’s Beaumont Tower came alive with light, sound, and animation during this year’s Halloween carillon concert, “The Ringing 2: Shadows Rise.” The event showcased artwork and animations created by students in the Department of Theatre’s Compositing and Special Effects for Stage and Screen (THR 337) class, taught by Alison Dobbins, Professor of Integrated Performance Media Design.

Five people stand in front of a large field of solar panels on a sunny day. Rows of panels stretch into the distance, surrounded by green grass and trees under a blue sky with scattered clouds

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research / U.S. Impact

Religious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab

October 27, 2025

Michigan State University scientists plan to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops cloud save water, improve soil health, and support ecosystems, all while boosting farmers' bottom line and preserving farm production. The project, led by Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall, is made possible by a five-year $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Gretel Van Wieren, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at MSU, is among the senior research personnel on the project.

A group of five people interact with each other around a circular table. On the table are different photographs. In the background is a graphic projected on the wall that says: “For you, which photo represents…”

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

U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Funds English Language Exchange Program at MSU

October 23, 2025

This summer, more than 20 English educators from around the world came to Michigan State University's campus to be immersed in the language and culture while also learning new creative approaches to teaching English in their home countries. MSU was awarded $116,000 from the U.S. Department of State to lead and host the two-week exchange program “Multimodal Approaches to Content-Based…

A man wearing glasses, a dark collared shirt, and a navy blazer stands in a softly lit hallway. He faces the camera with a slight smile, and the background shows blurred walls and windows.

Award / English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Professor Honored with Tamil American Pioneer Award for Excellence in Arts and Entertainment

October 15, 2025

Swarnavel Eswaran, Professor in the Department of English and the School of Journalism at Michigan State University, is the recipient of the 2025 Tamil American Pioneer (TAP) Award for Excellence in Arts and Entertainment. Presented by the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA), the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to their fields while advancing Tamil culture and heritage.