Professor Follows in Father’s Footsteps by Receiving William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

In recognition of his scholarly excellence, instruction, and extensive outreach, Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Professor of Religious Studies, Adjunct Professor of Law, and Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University, recently was awarded the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award. And remarkably, he is the second person in his family to receive this prestigious honor. “My father was…

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Ask the Expert: How Do the Olympics Connect People, Athletics, and Art?

The modern Olympics continue to highlight athletic excellence and a spirit of teamwork even after more than 125 years since their inception in Athens, Greece. Now, every two years, the Olympics — with either the Summer Games or Winter Games — connect people and cultures in peaceful competition. Roughly 10,500 athletes from around the world will compete at the 2024…

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African Languages Professor Receives Two International Studies and Programs Awards

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is a 2024 recipient of two International Studies and Programs Awards, which recognize his dedication to international education and excellence in teaching, research, service, and student mentorship. He received the MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad, which…

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Yen-Hwei Lin Recommended as Interim Dean of MSU’s College of Arts & Letters

Yen-Hwei Lin has been recommended to serve as Interim Dean of Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters, effective June 10. She will assume the role of Interim Dean Designee until the MSU Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, June 28. Pending board approval, Lin will succeed Christopher P. Long, who has served as Dean since July 2015 and has…

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Ask the Expert: How Are Mental Health and Wellness Connected?

Mental health has become a part of wellness discussions in schools, workplaces, and health care organizations. In higher education, there has been a greater focus on mental health as one component of wellness that supports students in learning and persisting through to graduation. LeConté Dill, Associate Professor of African American and African Studies at Michigan State University, finds her students…

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Associate Dean Remembered for Personal and Professional Impact at MSU and Beyond  

The College of Arts & Letters is mourning the loss of Bill Hart-Davidson, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies and Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC). Hart-Davidson, who was beloved both personally and professionally across the College and Michigan State University, passed away suddenly on April 23, 2024. He was 53 years old.  

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Ask the Expert: How Is Spirituality Expanding Beyond Religion?

Spirituality is declining in the United States if you focus on religious affiliation, but that isn’t the whole story according to Morgan Shipley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Michigan State University. A recent Pew Research Center survey reports that 28% of U.S. adults say they are religiously unaffiliated. By digging a little deeper, Shipley finds the religiously unaffiliated, sometimes…

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Afrofuturism & Quilting Exhibition: Exploring Connections Within Teaching, Learning, and Quilt Praxis

Stitch by stitch, quilt making has played an integral role in African American history. But the storytelling embedded in the quilts themselves is more than mere tradition. In the Afrofuturism & Quilts: Materializing Black Futures & Black Womxn’s Quilt Legacies Exhibition now on display through Friday, July 19, at the MSU Union Art Gallery, local and national quilt artists and quilt scholars explore embodied and theoretical connections between Afrofuturism and quilt making.

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Jyotsna Singh Leaves Lasting Legacy at MSU and Will Deliver Legacy Lecture on April 17

As the 2023-2024 recipient of the College of Arts & Letters’ Legacy Lecture Award, Jyotsna Singh, who recently retired from the Department of English at Michigan State University, will deliver a 60-minute legacy lecture Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Room of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, following a reception that begins at 6:30 p.m. Professor…

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Professor Honored for Community-Engaged Creative Activity

For her outstanding work producing an equity-based art exhibition featuring more than 200 pieces of work from around the world, Nancy DeJoy, Associate Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Creative Activity presented by MSU’s Office of University Outreach and Engagement.The exhibition, titled…

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