Sonic Introductions Reflect Love of Self, Community, and AAAS

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) faculty wish to motivate and inspire others by sharing, through personally created Sonic Introductions, what inspires them in their work and personal life. These Sonic Introductions can be found on the AAAS website and consist of audio clips from interviews combined with music and ambient sounds, all selected to showcase what…

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2021 Support Staff Awards Announced

This year’s College of Arts & Letters staff appreciation event, which recognizes the exceptional service and work of 13 outstanding members of the College’s staff, was held virtually on Friday, June 11. The highlight of this online event was the presentation of the group and individual awards. These include: Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award - Melissa Arthurton, Graduate Secretary for the…

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Andrew Murray Appointed to New Position Within the College

Andrew Murray has been selected as the Director of Advising, a new position within the College of Arts & Letters. He begins his new position, which is part of Undergraduate Studies, on Monday, June 14. Murray currently serves as the Academic Advisor for the Department of English, a position he has held since July 2018. Prior to that, he was…

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College of Arts & Letters Students and Staff Earn Several ADDY Awards

One of the top awards presented at this year’s Mid-Michigan American Advertising (ADDY) Awards competition went to Graphic Design junior Jordan Brooks for his “Wizard of Oz Book Cover” entered in the Sales + Marketing – Publication Design – Cover category. Brooks received a Judge’s Choice Award in addition to a Silver and Bronze ADDY. Five other College of Arts…

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Meet Dr. Jonathan Ritz, Director of Student Health and Wellness

Jonathan Ritz is a licensed counselor and serves as the Director of Student Wellness for the College of Arts & Letters, MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) Counselor, and is an Assistant Professor and Academic and Professional Advisor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures. As Director of Student Wellness, Ritz works with the College’s Undergraduate Studies team to support the mental health and wellness of students.

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Senior Jasmine Jordan Wins Prestigious Gates-Cambridge Scholarship

Michigan State University senior Jasmine Jordan, an Honors College Political Science senior with a minor in African and African American Studies (AAAS), who grew up in Detroit, has been named a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Jordan also was a national finalist for the highly competitive Rhodes, Mitchell, and Marshall scholarships. I'm really glad I took the chance because now I get to study criminology…

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AAHD Professor and Museum Curator Honored by American Folklore Society

The American Folklore Society (AFS), the country's professional society for folklorists, has awarded Marsha MacDowell, Professor in MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design and MSU Museum Curator, the 2020 recipient of the society's Benjamin A. Botkin Prize for significant lifetime achievement in the field of public folklore. MacDowell is the Curator of Folk Arts and Quilt Studies at…

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Professional Writing Alum Creates Nonprofit to Support Black Students

Inspired by events from this past year surrounding the Black Lives Matter and Black Civil Rights movements, College of Arts & Letters alumnus Darrell Williams founded a nonprofit organization, the Lawson Porter Scholarship Foundation, to help Black students reach their higher education goals while at the same time emphasizing the importance of Afrocentric history. A first-generation four-year college student, Williams…

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