News – College of Arts & Letters

The Beaumont Tower, clock tower, on the campus of Michigan State University is in the background. Over the image is a green filter and text that says: “Top 25 English Doctoral Program in U.S. for Minority Enrollment” and a Spartan helmet is below that text. Additional small text at the bottom of the graphic says: “Source: Diverse Issues in Higher Education | Top 100 Degree Producers: 2022-2023.”

MSU English Doctoral Program Ranks in Top 25 Nationally for Minority Student Enrollment

November 20, 2024

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranked Michigan State University’s English Doctoral Research Program in the Top 25 nationally for total minority student enrollment (No. 22) and all-races combined enrollment (No. 23) in 2022-2023 as part of its Top 100 Degree Producers ranking. “The discipline of English as a whole is enriched when our graduate student cohort reflects a vital diversity…

A picture of a woman in a white blouse with beaded accessories smiling and interacting with a young child wearing a blue vest. Another young child, dressed in bright blue regalia and a headband, dances nearby. Chairs and spectators are visible in the background.

Faculty / News / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship / U.S. Impact

Tracing the Roots of Indigenous Science Fiction and Futurisms in America

November 18, 2024

A photo of a Star Wars stormtrooper that hangs in Blaire Morseau’s home epitomizes both her childhood passions and current research pursuits. The photo appears in a frame with a unique Southwest design, a favorite find bought from a Native artist when Morseau was a graduate student at the University of New Mexico. Now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University and an inaugural 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anisshinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices...

MSU Assistant Professor Megan Dean wearing a blazer and glasses leans against the doorframe of a hoop house. Behind her are leafy green vegetables growing in rows.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Health / News / Philosophy / Research / U.S. Impact

Ask the Expert: Making Holiday Meals More Welcoming

November 13, 2024

Holidays and celebrations often involve eating together with family and friends. But what does it mean to eat well together? How can food allergies, restricted diets, and even certain medications make sharing a meal more challenging for guests as well as hosts? Megan Dean, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Michigan State University, explores the ethics of eating and brings to…

Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Theatre Presents Unpredictably Fun ‘Unscripted’ Improv

November 12, 2024

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre presents “MSU Unscripted,” a completely improvised production, showcasing the talents of the department’s first-year students, where audience members are invited to participate by offering suggestions when called upon. The spontaneous “MSU Unscripted” performances are scheduled for Nov. 21-24, 2024, at Studio 60 in the MSU Auditorium with each performance offering a unique blend of…

Alumni / Arts MSU / Award / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Featured Alumni / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News

Art Education Alum and Faculty Member Named 2025 Museum Educator of the Year

November 7, 2024

Meghan Collins, an MSU alum with a BFA in Art Education who is now the Museum Educator for K-12 and Family Programs at the MSU Broad Art Museum and an Assistant Professor of Art Education in MSU's Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has been selected by the Michigan Art Education Association (MAEA) as the 2025 Museum Educator of…

Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News

Kristin Arola Named Director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program

November 6, 2024

Kristin Arola has been named Director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) at Michigan State University after serving as its Interim Director since Fall 2022. A first-generation descendant of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians, Arola also is the inaugural Karen L. Gillmor Endowed Professor in Professional and Public Writing and a…

Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Theatre Presents Rambunctious Thanksgiving Comedy

November 4, 2024

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre presents “A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes,” a wild and fun Thanksgiving play by Kate Benson that offers a comedic look at the complexities and chaos of a holiday family gathering as presented through a cornucopia of personalities. Performances are scheduled for Nov. 8-17 at…

Collage of six people in a 3x2 grid. Top row, left to right: woman with long wavy auburn hair, wearing a purple blouse; man with light hair and beard, wearing a suit jacket and tie; woman with curly hair pulled back, wearing a light cardigan and smiling. Bottom row, left to right: man with short gray hair and beard, wearing a green shirt; woman with glasses and a smile, wearing a magenta top; woman with light hair and glasses, wearing a black top, standing by a window

Award / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News

2024 Faculty Award Winners Recognized for Outstanding Achievement

October 31, 2024

The College of Arts & Letters recognized its 2024 Faculty Award winners for their outstanding leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement as well as the impact they have made to enhance curriculum and student experiences.

A scene from a play featuring a woman in a metallic copper costume, dancing with several performers around her. A spiral staircase and metal framework are in the background and vibrant lights illuminate the stage.

Alumni / Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / News / Performance / Production / Student / Theatre / U.S. Impact / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Theatre Spartans Unite Behind the Scenes of Pre-Broadway Show

October 30, 2024

Four Spartans – two alums, a faculty member, and a current student – played key roles in a pre-Broadway tryout of the new dance musical, Esther, presented by the A.D. Players at the George Theatre in Houston, Texas. This behind-the-scenes collaboration involving three generations of Spartans exemplifies the reach and power of the MSU Department of Theatre network and the…

Collage of five vertical artistic panels with the word 'VITALIZE' in bold, white text across the center. The panels feature diverse textures and designs: abstract black and white stripes and shapes, a textured pink and beige wall, a colorful geometric pattern with blue and purple lines, a stylized portrait of a person with a paper strip over their eyes, and a grayscale stone sculpture with fruit.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Graphic Design / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Exhibition Features Work of Some of the Newest Faculty Members

October 24, 2024

The works of the newest faculty members to Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) are now on display in an exhibition, titled Vitalize, through Friday, Nov. 22, at (SCENE) Metrospace, located at 110 Charles Street in downtown East Lansing. An opening reception for the Vitalize exhibition is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.