News – Page 57 – College of Arts & Letters

Philosophy Alumna Accepts Assistant Professor Position

May 26, 2021

Ayanna De’Vante Spencer, who earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Michigan State University this spring, has accepted a tenure-track assistant professorship at the University of Connecticut with joint appointments in Philosophy and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Dr. Spencer is changing the status quo in the field of philosophy by combining activism with her research. Her dissertation, “Epistemologies of Criminalization:…

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Event / Faculty / Fundraising / News / Production

Gift to Benefit Summer Circle Theatre Program

May 26, 2021

Former Chair of the Michigan State University Department of Theatre, Frank C. Rutledge used to say that his daughter and the Summer Circle Theatre (SCT) Program were born in the same year. Now, in celebration of SCT’s recent 60th anniversary of producing free professional theatre on the banks of the Red Cedar, Andrea S. Rutledge, daughter of Frank C. Rutledge…

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Faculty / Grant / News / Research

First Appointee of Carol Ann Bennett-Vallès Professorship in Art History Named

May 26, 2021

Art Historian and Digital Humanities Researcher Silvia Tita has been selected as the first appointee of the Carol Ann Bennett-Vallès Professorship in Art History at Michigan State University.

Award / Faculty / News / Research

Second Language Studies Professor Awarded Fulbright to Polish University

May 24, 2021

While millions of people study English around the world, many students have limited exposure to spoken and written English outside the classroom. Researchers like Michigan State University’s Shawn Loewen examine ways to maximize classroom instruction to improve second language acquisition. Loewen was invited to share this expertise as a Fulbright Scholar at a historic Polish university. From October 2021 to…

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COVID-19 / Health / News

Return to Campus Pre-Planning

May 21, 2021

Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, As you have read recently in President Stanley’s e-mail of May 17 “Bringing More Employees Back to Campus,” the state of Michigan as part of its Vacc to Normal plan has chosen May 24 as the date after which in-person work for all business sectors can recommence. This date corresponds to…

Alumni / Award / Grant / News / Research

Alumna Receives Prestigious National Dissertation Award

May 19, 2021

Alumna Suban Nur Cooley, who received her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing from the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC), won the highly competitive 2021 James Berlin Memorial Outstanding Dissertation Award for her dissertation, titled Carrying Culture: Temporal and Spatial Constructions of Somalia Among Women in the Diaspora. This national award is presented each year by the Conference…

Alumni / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / News / Research

Alumnus Receives Funding for Research and Teaching in South Africa

May 17, 2021

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) Advisory Council selected to fund a project that will allow MSU researcher and College of Arts & Letters alumnus Ike Iyioke to travel to South Africa for collaborative research efforts and graduate student teaching and mentoring. Iyioke is a Research Specialist working in the Analytics Unit of MSU’s Office of Research & Innovation.…

Faculty / News

First Endowed Chair of Spirituality Appointed

May 14, 2021

An engaged and dynamic scholar committed to expanding inclusion, fostering empowerment, and developing citizen leaders, Morgan Shipley has been appointed as the Inaugural Endowed Chair of Spirituality at Michigan State University. The position is the first of its kind at MSU and at any U.S. educational institution. It is among 82 new endowed faculty positions established during MSU’s Empower Extraordinary…

Alumni / News / Student

Lifelong Learner Follows Her Passion to Earn M.A. in Spanish at Age 72

May 13, 2021

Armed with a passion for Spanish and an undeniable drive to learn, Margaret “Peggy” Kennedy successfully earned her M.A. in Hispanic Literature from Michigan State University last week at the age of 72. But what led her to pursue a second graduate degree at a time when most people are looking to retire, was born out of the love for…

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Alumni / News / Research / Student / Study Abroad

MSU Education Motivates Graduate to Pursue Ph.D.

May 13, 2021

MSU College of Arts & Letters student Darby Grachek graduated this spring with a Master’s of Arts in Linguistics and says it was her MSU education and experiences here that propelled her to pursue a Ph.D. Darby Grachek “If it weren’t for the different research labs and professors at MSU giving me opportunities to do different kinds of research, I…