Alumni

A woman in a cream period dress stands under a vibrant blue spotlight center stage with her palms turned upward. To her right is a wooden desk with a small lamp, and to her left is a bed. The background shows a digital projection of historical ledger lines and text.

MSU Alum Sandra Seaton Reclaims History and Voice in World Premiere of ‘Sally: A Solo Play’

February 25, 2026

When award-winning playwright and Michigan State University alum Sandra Seaton returned to Wharton Center for Performing Arts for the world premiere of "Sally: A Solo Play," it was both a creative milestone and a homecoming. The production brought Seaton’s 15-year engagement with Sally Hemings to a stage that has long shaped her artistic life — one she calls “a home away from home.”

“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…

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Alumni / Arts MSU / Featured Alumni / News / Student / Student / Theatre

No Cookie-Cutter Performers: How MSU Shaped the Creative Careers of Two Theatre Alums

January 21, 2026

When MSU Department of Theatre alums Sarah Goeke and Travis Staton-Marrero revisited campus, they brought more than memories, returning with hard-earned experience shaped by their time at Michigan State University and a desire to share it with the next generation of theatre professionals. Now both living in New York City, that experience is reflected in the careers they have built.…

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Alumni / English / Featured Alumni / Michigan Impact / News / Research / U.S. Impact

English Alum Part of World’s Longest Running Predator-Prey Research Project

December 3, 2025

In support of the world’s longest running predator-prey research project, Michigan State University alum Jeffrey Holden makes an annual trip to Michigan’s Isle Royale. And it’s no walk in the park. Rugged off-trail trekking, searing heat, black flies, and decomposed moose carcasses are among the hazards borne by dozens of citizen scientists each summer on this remote island in Lake…

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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.

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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.

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,…

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Alumni / English / News / Religious Studies

From First-Generation Graduate to Rehabilitation Counselor and Advocate for Developmentally Disabled

November 7, 2025

Renee Hall earned dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Religious Studies from Michigan State University in 2010 and a master’s degree, also from MSU, in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2014. She has been an active member of the disability community for more than 20 years, serving in roles including advocate, direct support professional, service coordinator, counselor, and research specialist. She also is a first-generation college graduate.

A close-up view of a large mural on a brick wall showing an outlined portrait of an older man wearing glasses, set against a vivid red and yellow background. Green trees and a blue river are painted on the left side.

Alumni / Arts MSU / English / Michigan Impact / News

College of Arts & Letters Alum Helps Bring Vibrant Public Art to Northern Michigan Community

October 21, 2025

The future looks bright for a century-old building in downtown Cadillac — literally — thanks to the work of one Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters alum and a partnership between MSU Extension and the city of Cadillac. In summer 2025, the side of the Cadillac Printing Company building was painted with vibrant hues of red, orange, yellow,…

A man and woman kneel beside a large, black dog in front of a wooden wall. Both are smiling, and the man is wearing a dark shirt with jeans, while the woman wears a long, dark dress with puffed sleeves.

Alumni / English / Event / Michigan Impact / News

English Alum’s Company Among the Stops on the Spartan Bus Tour

October 17, 2025

Michigan State University is set to embark on the Fall 2025 Spartan Bus Tour, a three-day trip celebrating the university’s partnerships and impact across northern Michigan, and one of the scheduled stops on the tour is Mammoth Distilling, a Northern Michigan-based craft distillery in Central Lake that is owned by MSU alumni Chad Munger (B.A. in English) and his wife, Tracy Hickman (B.A. in Interior Design).