Lansing-East Lansing Impact

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.

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 person with long dark hair and blunt bangs wearing bright red cat-eye glasses and red lipstick, seated indoors with plants and candles visible in the background.

Alumni / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Featured Alumni / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Religious Studies

MSU Alum Uses Religious Studies Education as an Advocate for the Developmentally Disabled

October 7, 2025

Michigan State University alum Renee Hall has been an active member in the disability community for more than 20 years, serving in various roles including advocate, direct support professional, service coordinator, counselor, and research specialist. She currently works as the Advisor to the Self-Advocates of Michigan through the Developmental Disabilities Council of Michigan.

Children sit on both sides of a long table, contributing to a shared painting. The paper canvas is filled with colorful shapes, swirls, and rainbows. An instructor oversees the activity.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Programs / Student / Student

MSU’s SmART Program Expands Community Art Access While Giving Art Education Majors Teaching Experience

September 15, 2025

As most experienced teachers well know, lesson plans don’t always go according to plan. Thinking on your feet and taking advantage of unforeseen “teachable moments” can often lead to the biggest lessons of the day. However, this is not something that can be easily taught in a classroom and is much better learned through real-world experiences, like what Michigan State University’s Saturday Morning Art (SmART) program provides.

Black-and-white composite image featuring 15 individual portraits arranged in three rows of five. The individuals vary in gender presentation, hairstyles, and expressions.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Event / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Lecture Series / News

Stanley & Selma Hollander Artist, Designer, and Scholar Lecture Series to Bring Distinguished Guests to MSU in 2025-2026

September 8, 2025

Through its annual Selma & Stanley Hollander Artist, Designer, and Scholar Lecture Series, the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University hosts several internationally recognized leaders in the fields of art and design, who each offer inspiring talks that explore how visual representation in all its complex forms exists as a mode of inquiry. The 2025-2026 Selma & Stanley Hollander Artist, Designer, and Scholar Lecture Series will bring 15 distinguished guests to campus.

Stylized illustration of three women in vintage aviation uniforms walking forward with determined expressions. The first two wear matching blue uniforms and hats, while the third, leading the group, wears a red bandana, rolled-up sleeves, and carries a toolbox. A plane flies overhead.

Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

New Musical Takes Flight at MSU in Partnership with Department of Theatre and Wharton Center

September 3, 2025

Buckle up for turbulence, tunes, and 1960s hijinks as Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre, in collaboration with Wharton Center, presents “Taking Off!,” a high-flying new musical comedy and this year’s New Musical Laboratory production. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 19-21, 2025, at Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Staff / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

‘Nexus’ Exhibit Features Work by Artists Who Help Shape MSU’s Arts Community

August 26, 2025

Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) is shining a spotlight on the creative work of its academic staff, offering the public a look into the lives and practices of the artists who help shape MSU's arts community. Their work, brought together for the “Nexus” exhibition, is now on display through Sunday, Sept. 21, at (SCENE) Metrospace.

A group of college-aged performers on a theater stage, energetically acting out a scene. One performer stands center stage with arms outstretched, surrounded by others wearing red and green shirts, some crouching and others clapping or laughing in the background.

Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Department of Theatre Looks Forward to 2025-2026 Season

August 21, 2025

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season, Secrets & Spotlights, features performances designed to foster empathy by immersing audiences in stories that highlight diverse characters and perspectives. The season opens with “Taking Off!” — a New Musical Laboratory production running Sept. 19-21, 2025 — and concludes with a Storefront Series production April 23-26, 2026. Seven additional shows will be presented throughout the year.