Tom Shanahan was looking for something to devote his attention to during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic took away the 1978 MSU graduate and former State News sports editor’s opportunities to write as a freelance journalist — his career for the last 12 years — so he decided to retire. Shanahan was not done writing, however. His first task in…
The same size and blueprint as an ADX (administrative maximum) isolation cell, A Solitary Greenhouse, now on display in Michigan State University’s Beal Botanical Garden, is a fully functioning greenhouse designed to grow seedlings for future abolitionist gardens. It is the work of artist jackie sumell as part of her 2019-2020 artist residency in Critical Race Studies in MSU’s Department of Art,…
This year’s College of Arts & Letters staff appreciation event, which recognizes the exceptional service and work of 13 outstanding members of the College’s staff, was held virtually on Friday, June 11. The highlight of this online event was the presentation of the group and individual awards. These include: Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award - Melissa Arthurton, Graduate Secretary for the…
Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters, will assume leadership responsibilities as Dean of MSU’s Honors College, effective July 1, 2021. The Honors College and the College of Arts & Letters each will retain their own status and identity as Dean Long is charged with working with faculty and staff to elevate the stature of both…
On Saturday, June 19, Michigan State University will host a university-wide and in-person celebration of Juneteenth to commemorate the freeing of African American slaves in the United States. This week-long celebration includes virtual film screenings, panel discussions, and webinars that will lead up to the in-person event. A recent MSU Today podcast featured four MSU scholars who discuss the sustained significance and impact of Juneteenth, including Dr. Tamura Lomax…
Tani Hartman has been appointed Chairperson of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University, effective July 15, 2021. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Department of Visual Art at the University of Kansas, where she also is Co-Director of the School of the Arts and a Professor of Painting and Drawing. Hartman has worked at the…
With intention and care, we in the College of Arts & Letters (CAL) are beginning to emerge from what has been a somber and trying time. As we plan for a structured, staggered return to campus as outlined in President Stanley’s e-mail of June 8, 2021, it is important to recognize that the lasting impact of the pandemic continues for many.
Chris Estrada, Assistant Professor in MSU’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Brazil where he will work with collaborators at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) during portions of 2022 as part of the “Every Day Is Carnival: Improvisation and Cultural Preservation in the Rural Maracatus of Pernambuco” project. Dr. Chris…
Andrew Murray has been selected as the Director of Advising, a new position within the College of Arts & Letters. He begins his new position, which is part of Undergraduate Studies, on Monday, June 14. Murray currently serves as the Academic Advisor for the Department of English, a position he has held since July 2018. Prior to that, he was…
A leading Michigan State University language and literacy scholar will extend her groundbreaking work in antiracist and anti-Blackness teacher education to pediatric medicine and public health with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. April Baker-Bell, Associate Professor in the Department of English and Department of African American and African Studies, recently received a $218,000 Mellon New Directions Fellowship to support two new studies underway with the University of Washington.