MSU English Alum’s Play and Work of Theatre Faculty Distributed to PBS Stations Nationwide

When Sally: A Solo Play, written by Michigan State University Department of English alum and acclaimed playwright Sandra Seaton, premiered at Wharton Center for Performing Arts in February, audiences witnessed a powerful reimagining of Sally Hemings – one that reclaimed the voice of a woman too often relegated to the margins of history. Now, the production will reach new audiences…

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Ask the Expert: How Indigenous Science Fiction Expands the Genre

Science fiction remains an enduring touchstone of pop culture, but it’s broader than spaceships and aliens like you see in the recent “Project Hail Mary” movie — no offense, Ryan Gosling. Science fiction is also an area researched by scholars exploring what it says about our current culture, collective past, and the varying viewpoints of its creators.  Michigan State University…

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Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition Celebrates LGBTQ+ Artists from Across Michigan

Pride takes many forms — celebration, resistance, remembrance, self-discovery — and in the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition, it takes shape through art. Scheduled for June 11-July 23, 2026, at (SCENE) Metrospace, the Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition,  presented in partnership with MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design and the City of East Lansing, celebrates the creativity, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ artists from across Michigan.

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MSU Ranks No. 32 Worldwide in Arts and Humanities Research

Michigan State University (MSU) ranks No. 32 worldwide and No. 15 in the United States in arts and humanities research performance, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities for 2025-2026. Overall, MSU ranks No. 133 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities listing for 2025-2026, which encompasses the top 2,250 universities across 105…

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MSU Juneteenth Celebration to Feature Events Led by African American and African Studies Faculty

Michigan State University is hosting its sixth annual MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration June 15-19, 2026, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alums and community members. Two faculty members from MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies — LeConté Dill and Liv Furman — are leading events during the weeklong celebration. Juneteenth marks the day enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their…

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Beyond Words: MSU Students Gain Translation Experience While Serving Communities

Translation is about more than converting words from one language to another. It requires cultural understanding, empathy, and an ability to connect people with information that matters. At Michigan State University, students in the College of Arts & Letters are developing those skills through a partnership that pairs hands-on translation experience with meaningful community engagement. Through this partnership between the…

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MSU Students Partner with Capital Area District Libraries to Enhance Summer Reading Challenge

As readers across the Ingham County area take part in the Capital Area District Libraries’ (CADL) Summer Reading Challenge, Michigan State University students are helping guide the way — one graphic novel at a time. During the Spring 2026 Semester, students in the Readings in Graphic Narratives (ENG 325) course taught by Julian C. Chambliss, Professor of English, partnered with the CADL to create a comics-focused display.

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Medical Simulation Center Transformed into Immersive Theatre Production

For a recent theatre production presented by members of the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, audience members became part of the performance, one that transformed a healthcare simulation center into a deeply intimate, immersive theatrical experience that blurred the line between actors and audience. This production of "Mary Jane" was not confined to the stage, nor was the audience confined to their seats.

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Sixth in MSU History: Commitment to Housing Justice Earns Student National Beinecke Scholarship

Michigan State University student Roberto “Marcos” Garcia received the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship, becoming the sixth MSU student to receive this prestigious award. He was one of only 16 recipients selected from 93 nominees nationwide. The scholarship provides graduate school funding for students intending to pursue research-focused graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences and is valued at $35,000.

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Award-Winning Art and Interdisciplinary Research Earn Scholars Varg-Sullivan Awards

This year's Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award winners are Niloufar Fallahfar, a Spring 2026 MFA in Studio Art graduate, who is the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Jonah Branding, a graduate student pursuing a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, was named the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented…

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