Faculty

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College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

August 20, 2025

The College of Arts & Letters is thrilled to welcome 28 new faculty and staff members whose diverse expertise will enrich our community, strengthen collaboration, and expand opportunities for students. New colleagues will be recognized during the 2025 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 29 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.

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Joshua Yumibe Named an MSU Research Foundation Professor

August 15, 2025

In recognition of his influential scholarship in film and media studies and his contributions to Michigan State University's research mission, Joshua Yumibe has been named an MSU Research Foundation Professor. He is among just four MSU faculty members to earn this prestigious designation in 2025.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / News / Programs / Student

Mandela Washington Fellows Make Their Mark at MSU and Beyond

August 8, 2025

For the fourth year, Michigan State University was among 25 educational institutions across the country to provide a leadership institute for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This year, the university welcomed 23 Fellows from 19 African countries for a six-week program in civic engagement that ran from June 19-July 17, 2025.

Faculty / International Impact / Linguistics / News / Research / Russian

Professor of Russian Teaches English in Uzbekistan and Gathers Information for Online Resource

August 7, 2025

Shannon Donnally Quinn, Associate Professor of Russian in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, traveled to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, this summer to teach in a collaborative program between the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers (TIIAME) and Michigan State University’s English Language Center. This initiative, titled Professional English for Water Resource Management…

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MSU Professor Leads Effort to Preserve Kenya’s Indigenous Languages

July 22, 2025

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, recently traveled to Kenya to lead a workshop focused on revitalizing that country’s indigenous languages, many of which face extinction due to the predominance of English and Swahili in education, government, and media.

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.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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English / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Kathleen Fitzpatrick Named a University Distinguished Professor

June 25, 2025

Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a nationally recognized scholar of digital humanities, Professor in the Department of English, and recently appointed Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Arts & Letters, is now a University Distinguished Professor, which is among the highest honors bestowed upon faculty by Michigan State University. Fitzpatrick is among the 10 MSU faculty members named…

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Faculty / Linguistics / News / Scholarship

Workshop Offers a Deeper Understanding of Community-Engaged Scholarship

June 23, 2025

Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC) at Michigan State University, successfully completed a five-day summer intensive workshop on community-engaged scholarship hosted by MSU’s Office of University Outreach and Engagement. This training, which took place June 2-6, 2025, at MSU’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, attracted 41 participants, including faculty, academic staff, graduate students,…