News - Page 108 - College of Arts & Letters

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Inaugural Chair of Department of African American and African Studies Appointed

May 15, 2020

Ruth Nicole Brown has been appointed as the Inaugural Chairperson for the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University, effective July 1, 2020. She currently is an Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I’m overjoyed about joining MSU as the Inaugural Chairperson of African…

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Alumni / News / Student

Spanish Graduate Delivers College’s Student Graduation Speech

May 14, 2020

Graduating senior Brandon Lawler is the spring 2020 student speaker for the College of Arts & Letters online graduation celebration. Lawler graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and minors in Mathematics and LGBTQ+ and Sexuality Studies and currently is pursuing a secondary teaching certificate via the College of Education's Teacher Preparation Program. As the student graduation speaker, Lawler represents the College…

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Alumni / News / Student

Linguistics Education Helps Lay Good Foundation for Sales Career

May 13, 2020

Jesstina McFarland graduated this month with a B.A. in Linguistics, a minor in Sales Leadership, and a full-time job waiting for her in August. Last summer, she interned with Thomson Reuters, which sells professional tax and accounting software to licensed CPAs. When her internship ended, McFarland continued to maintain her connection with the company, which led to her receiving a…

Alumni / News / Student

Persistence and Determination Are Keys to Success for Philosophy Graduate

May 13, 2020

Mary Taetsch has taken the road less traveled to receive her undergraduate degree and is a great example of not losing sight of one’s dreams and how persistence pays off. Denied admission to Michigan State University when she first applied, Taetsch returned seven years later, both wiser and with more life experience as a Navy veteran, and successfully earned admittance.…

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News / Student / Study Abroad

A Passion for Languages Leads to Degree in Russian

May 13, 2020

When Keelyn O’Brien first came to MSU, she was a microbiology student, intent on pursuing a career in virology and vaccine development, but later found a new career path in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages where she discovered her passion for language. “For two and a half years, I was a determined science student who took…

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Alumni / Award / News / Student

English Graduate Receives College’s Outstanding Senior Award

May 12, 2020

Abby Jaroszewicz, who graduated this spring with a B.A. in English, a minor in Linguistics, and a minor in Women and Gender Studies, is this year’s recipient of the College of Arts & Letters Outstanding Senior Award. She also is a graduate of the Honors College as well as the College of Arts & Letters’ Citizen Scholars Program. She managed…

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Award / News / Programs / Scholarship / Student

Religious Studies Announces This Year’s Award Recipients

May 12, 2020

The Department of Religious Studies is proud to present the 2020 Religious Studies Awards to five outstanding students – Mackenzie Meade, Skylar Berlin, Alana Davis, Andrew Keller, and Lauren Chapman. The awards presented include the Engaged Scholar Award, Robert Pettapiece Scholarship, Nick Rashford and Jake Foglio All-University Award, Julia Johnson Award In Religion and Ecology, and the Robert T. Anderson Award. Mackenzie…

Alumni / News / Student

A P2W Major’s Bittersweet Goodbye to the College That Gave Her So Much

May 11, 2020

When I came to MSU, I was a Business-preference student with high ambition but little direction. I was in Writing as Inquiry (WRA 101) during my first semester here, when my professor, Margaret Morris, showed us the Professional and Public Writing (P2W) video — you know the one — and I changed my major. Oh, the power of digital storytelling. I’ve always…

Award / News / Programs / Student

XA Outstanding Senior Award Presented to Two Graduates

May 7, 2020

The Experience Architecture Outstanding Senior Award normally is presented to only one student each year who shows excellence in the program. However, this year two seniors were equally qualified to earn the award. TheDepartment of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) have selected Sam Bloch and Rebecca Meyer to receive this award in recognition of their performance as students and aspiring professionals. …

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Faculty / News

College Saddened by Loss of Professor Emeritus of Philosophy

May 7, 2020

The College of Arts & Letters is saddened by the passing of Charles J. McCracken, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, who died on Monday, May 4, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California. Dr. McCracken began his career at Michigan State University in 1965 and taught there for 34 years before retiring in 1999. He was a gifted teacher, popular with both graduate…