Dear College of Arts & Letters Community, I write to you following the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd last May. While we anticipated that these proceedings and verdicts would prove emotionally draining for anyone following them, the disturbing evidence and wrenching testimony have had a heavy psychological toll on many of…
We stand in solidarity with our Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) and Asian communities in the wake of the racist and misogynistic killings in Atlanta this week. This most recent violence lies at the intersection of race and gender.
This year’s Global Digital Humanities Symposium (GDHS) will be an all-virtual event taking place synchronously over four days, with four hours each day of programming. Scheduled for April 12-15 and hosted by the Digital Humanities at MSU (DH@MSU) program, this sixth annual event will feature approximately 80 presenters over Zoom and YouTube livestream. All GDHS events are available to the public for free with…
Engage with me in an exercise of speculative imagination. Imagine a place that welcomes you as you are, that invites you to be yourself, to be your whole self. It is a place of trust and support, a place that asks you to dream, and supports you to make your dreams reality...
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, As we head into the halfway point of the semester, I write to provide an update regarding the COVID Relief Fund and disbursement efforts to our staff and faculty in the College. First, however, I want to remind you that next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2 and 3, are Break Days…
Being built to blaze a trail in higher education with its focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies, the architects of the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), the newest department within MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, are unapologetic in this focus as they build the unit they have long dreamed about. Dr.…
As students have had to face uncertainty, isolation, and many other daunting experiences, along with corresponding mental health challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new position has been created within the College of Arts & Letters that will focus on student mental health and care. This newly created position — Director of Student Wellness for the College of Arts & Letters — is at the cutting-edge of student mental health care…
We in the College of Arts & Letters have long understood the power of words to strengthen or diminish democracy. Over the past 24 hours, we have witnessed the power of words to incite violent insurrection at the United States Capitol, distort the truth, and undermine a peaceful transition of power. But we have also seen the power of words to organize and mobilize voters in Georgia, to resist cynical strategies of voter suppression, and to persevere in certifying the will of the people.
Dear College of Arts & Letters Staff and Faculty, As we head into the holiday break and the start of a new calendar year, I am writing to provide a quick update regarding the spring semester 2021. This message supplements the communication that was sent yesterday to the MSU community from President Stanley about the delay in the start of the…
On this longest night of a challenging year, the fire we light together calls back the sun. As the winter solstice turns us toward the brighter days of a still inchoate spring, may you find time to be with those you love, to rest and reflect, and to restore the energy we will need to support our students and one another in the year to come.