Alumni

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 long dark hair and bangs smiles at the camera, wearing bright red cat-eye glasses and dark lipstick. Behind them is a dark mantel decorated with flowers, framed art, and a vintage clock.

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 and 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 and 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).

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.

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.

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

MSU Film Studies Faculty Member Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’

July 16, 2025

Peter Johnston, Interim Director and faculty member in the Film Studies program at Michigan State University, relied on his high school quiz bowl experience and arts and humanities background to secure a spot on the iconic game show “Jeopardy!” Johnston’s appearance as a contestant aired July 15. He played a strong game solidly taking second place. “It was so surreal…

Three women stand side-by-side on stage, each holding a script at a music stand and singing into individual microphones. They wear black attire under stage lighting.

Alumni / Arts MSU / Featured Alumni / News / Performance / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Theatre Alum Comes Full Circle with ‘We Foxes’ Performance in New York City

July 15, 2025

For Isa Rodriguez, stepping onto the stage at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City to perform in “We Foxes” was more than just another role. It was the realization of a dream sparked years earlier by watching a rehearsal of that same play at Michigan State University where it was presented as part of the imáGen collaboration,…

Two people stand smiling in a contemporary gallery. The person on the left has their arm around the person on the right. To the right is a tall, textured sculpture of a human figure holding chains connected to small, creature-like figures on the floor.

AAHD / Alumni / Arts MSU / Event / Exhibition / Featured Alumni / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Work of MSU Alums, a Father-Daughter Duo, on Display at SCENE Metrospace

July 11, 2025

An exhibition at MSU’s SCENE Metrospace features new work by a father-daughter duo, both Michigan State University alums, offering a unique opportunity to see two generations of Spartan artists in dialogue.

Alumni / Award / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Featured Alumni / French / Grant / News / Research / Scholarship / Spanish / Theatre

College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Recent Graduates Awarded Fulbright Awards

July 2, 2025

Three faculty members and two recent graduates of the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University were offered Fulbright awards for the 2025-26 academic year and will reside and work in different countries because of the opportunities made available to them through these awards. Another recent College of Arts & Letters graduate was selected as an alternate and…

Alumni / Arts MSU / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Publication / Publishing, Editing, and Authorship / Research / Theatre

MSU Faculty Member Publishes Book on Creating Theatre With Neurodiverse Audiences in Mind

June 30, 2025

For nearly a decade, Dionne O'Dell has led the Sense-Ability Ensemble at Michigan State University, which develops multisensory theatrical works for audiences often excluded from traditional performance spaces. Dionne O'Dell O’Dell is an Academic Specialist in MSU’s Department of Theatre who specializes in teaching children’s theatre and writing and directing plays for youth and community, and Routledge has now published…