College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at UURAF

Nine MSU students whose primary majors are in the College of Art & Letters received first-place awards for their research and creative scholarship presented at Michigan State University’s 27th Annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). The 2025 UURAF, held both in person at the Breslin Student Events Center and online on April 11, consisted of more than 900…

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Graduate Student Pursues First-of-Its-Kind Dual Program While Using Art to Explore Ecological Loss

Hailey Becker often chooses the path less traveled, and when there is no path, she has no problem blazing her own. In fact, her high school math teacher once told her: “the best job for you probably doesn’t exist yet.” Embracing her trailblazing nature, Becker is currently enrolled in a first-of-its-kind at Michigan State University – a dual program that…

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Laura Cloud to Deliver 2025 Legacy Lecture on April 18

Laura Cloud, Emerita Associate Professor of Sculpture, will deliver the College of Arts & Letters’ 2025 Legacy Lecture on Friday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in the Lincoln Room of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The Legacy Lecture is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP by Friday, April 11, to attend by submitting an online form.

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University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) Set for April 11

Michigan State University’s 27th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) will take place Friday, April 11, both in person at MSU’s Breslin Student Events Center and online hosted on Symposium by ForagerOne. This hybrid event will feature research projects and creativity from hundreds of undergraduate students at MSU, including many students from the College of Arts & Letters.  

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Boston’s Poet Laureate Selected as 2025 Womxn of Color Initiatives Artist-in-Residence

Michigan State University’s Womxn of Color Initiatives (WOCI) has selected Porsha Olayiwola, Poet Laureate for the city of Boston, Massachusetts, as its 2025 Artist-in-Residence. An award-winning poet, performer, educator, and curator, Olayiwola employs Afrofuturism and surrealism to explore historical and contemporary issues within the Black, woman, and queer diasporas. She will be in residence on Michigan State University’s campus March 24-27.

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Professor Receives César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta Community Leadership Award

Alejandra Márquez Guajardo, Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, has been selected to receive the 2025 Plantando Semillas Award, also known as the MSU Faculty of the Year Award, recognizing her dedication and commitment to Latinx students and the Latinx community. Presented each year by MSU’s Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion,…

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Afro-Caribbean Artists Reclaim Hidden Stories of Transatlantic Slave Trade in New Documentary by French Professor

For centuries, the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade have shaped the cultural, political, and historical narratives of the Francophone Afro-Caribbean world. Yet, many of these histories remained unspoken, fragmented, or overshadowed. In an effort to uncover some of these silenced stories, Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan…

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Public Invited to Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon to Celebrate Life and Legacy of Frederick Douglass

This month, the Michigan State University Libraries, MSU College of Arts & Letters, and MSU College of Law are partnering to celebrate the birthday of renowned 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass with an event focused on helping to transcribe the Library of Congress’ African American Perspectives Collection. To commemorate the life and legacy of Douglass, who is widely considered the…

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Lecture Series Showcases Strong Connection Between Religious Studies and MSU Libraries’ Special Collections

Religious Studies faculty will discuss how the MSU Libraries' Special Collections informs their teaching and research as part of the Collecting Religion Lecture Series offered this semester. Hosted by MSU Libraries and organized in collaboration with the Department of Religious Studies, the series will highlight how rare and historical primary sources bring Religious Studies to life. The series kicks off…

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African American and African Studies Faculty Leaders to Deliver Keynote Address at Inaugural MLK Student Symposium

The inaugural MLK Student Symposium that is set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the MSU Union will give students the chance to discuss the challenges faced within systemic barriers, to share their experiences, express their identities, and promote inspiration for change. The keynote speakers for this event are Department of African American and African Studies faculty leaders Ruth Nicole Brown and LeConté Dill.

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