News – College of Arts & Letters

Trixie Smith Awarded Outstanding Service Award by International Writing Centers Association

December 5, 2025

Trixie Smith, Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures and Director of The Writing Center at Michigan State University, was awarded the 2025 International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Muriel Harris Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes outstanding service that has benefited the writing center community in significant and broad-based ways.

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Student / Student / Study Abroad

MSU Student Spends a Semester Abroad in France Studying Politics and Philosophy

December 4, 2025

Isabelle Radakovich, a fourth-year undergraduate student at Michigan State University who is triple majoring in International Relations, Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and French, is spending the first half of her senior year at Sciences Po Lille (formally L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Lille) in Lille, France, through a semester exchange program.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / News / Research / Theatre

Theatre Professor Leads English Program in Thailand Through the U.S. Department of State

December 3, 2025

Deric McNish, Associate Professor of Theatre at Michigan State University, led a four-week U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist Program at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU) in Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Sasiporn Phongploenpis, SSRU Assistant Professor and Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, hosted and facilitated the drama-based English education program with McNish during October 2025. McNish brought his expertise…

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Alumni / English / Featured Alumni / Michigan Impact / News / Research / U.S. Impact

English Alum Part of World’s Longest Running Predator-Prey Research Project

December 3, 2025

In support of the world’s longest running predator-prey research project, Michigan State University alum Jeffrey Holden makes an annual trip to Michigan’s Isle Royale. And it’s no walk in the park. Rugged off-trail trekking, searing heat, black flies, and decomposed moose carcasses are among the hazards borne by dozens of citizen scientists each summer on this remote island in Lake…

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Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News

Esther Belin Joins MSU as the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies

December 2, 2025

A citizen of the Navajo Nation and an acclaimed poet, artist, and educator, Esther Belin joined Michigan State University this fall as the new Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies in the Department of English. She is the second scholar to hold this position, following Gordon Henry, who retired in 2023 after…

Three side-by-side portrait photographs. The left portrait shows a young woman with shoulder-length dark hair, round glasses, drop earrings, and a red top, standing outdoors. The center portrait shows an adult man with short light brown hair, rectangular glasses, and a light pink collared shirt, indoors with a blurred background. The right portrait shows a young man with curly hair wearing a suit jacket, white shirt, and red tie, smiling against a neutral studio backdrop

News / Scholarship / Student / WRAC / XA

Hart-Davidson Memorial Scholarship Supports First-Generation Students in the Arts and Humanities

December 1, 2025

The College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University invites donors, alums, and community members to support the Hart-Davidson Memorial Endowed Scholarship, created to expand opportunities for first-generation students in the arts and humanities and to honor the life and legacy of Bill Hart-Davidson, former Professor in MSU’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC) and Associate Dean of Research and…

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News / Student / Student / Theatre

MSU Theatre Launches Food Pantry to Support Student Wellness

November 21, 2025

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre celebrated the opening of its new food pantry on Nov. 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Friends of Theatre Food Pantry will support Theatre students whose demanding schedules often limit their access to consistent meals, providing them with a private and reliable source of food during busy academic and production periods.

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Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / International Impact / News / Research

Faculty Awarded Grant to Advance Community-Engaged Research and Women’s Empowerment in Tanzania

November 21, 2025

A Strategic Partnership Grant from MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) will help strengthen the cross-institutional collaboration between Michigan State University and the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania, focusing on gender, environment, and community sustainability. The grant supports a collaborative research project that examines the livelihoods of Maasai women in Naitolia, Tanzania, and a community-engaged learning workshop for UDSM faculty interested in women’s empowerment and sustainable community development.

Three people stand side by side in front of a bright red wall featuring the word “Canada” in large white letters. A Canadian flag is between the person on the left and the person in the center. The person on the left wears a dark pullover and patterned pants, the person in the middle wears a short-sleeve button-down shirt and trousers, and the person on the right wears a dark suit with a light dress shirt. All three are smiling.

Student / U.S. Impact

Student View: Interning with the Canadian Consulate

November 20, 2025

Grace Fitzgerald is a fourth-year student at Michigan State University who is triple majoring in International Studies, Economics, and French. During Spring 2025, she interned with the Canadian Consulate as a Junior Trade Commissioner through a partnership program coordinated by the MSU Canadian Studies Center, James Madison College, and the Canadian Consulate.

Two students stand side by side in an improv rehearsal, each holding their hands up mid-gesture as if responding to an imagined situation. One wears an MSU Spartan hoodie and the other a black graphic T-shirt.

News / Theatre

No Script, No Limits: Department of Theatre Presents ‘MSU UnScripted’

November 19, 2025

Get ready to laugh and shout because nothing is scripted! The Michigan State University Department of Theatre proudly presents “MSU UnScripted,” directed by Sarah Hendrickson, MSU Department of Theatre instructor, improviser, actress, and producer. The show runs Dec. 4-7, 2025, at Studio 60 Theatre in the MSU Auditorium building.