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College of Arts & Letters Plays Critical Role in Shaping MSU’s Ethics Institute

February 19, 2026

Technology is changing how decisions are made. Trust in public institutions is shifting. And many of the choices shaping daily life — across education, health care, government, and business — raise fundamental questions about values, responsibility, and the common good. For scholars in Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters, asking those kinds of questions has long been central to their work.

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From AI to Urban Trees: College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Students Lead Ethics Week Events Inviting MSU Community into Critical Dialogue

February 16, 2026

This week, Feb. 16-20, 2026, Michigan State University celebrates Ethics Week, a week-long series of events designed to engage students, faculty, staff, and the community in meaningful discussions about ethics and to encourage campus-wide engagement with contemporary moral challenges. Organized by the Ethics Institute, Ethics Week is dedicated to exploring the key roles ethics plays in our professional and personal…

Event / News

MSU Libraries and WRAC to Bring Award-Winning Author to Campus

February 9, 2024

Michigan State University Libraries, in partnership with MSU's Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC), will welcome National Book Award finalist and Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell for a discussion and book signing featuring Campbell’s latest novel The Waters. “An Evening with Bonnie Jo Campbell” will take place on Monday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. in the MSU Library Green…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / News / Research / Scholarship

Inaugural Endowed Professor Teaches How to Connect Writing With Culture

November 15, 2022

As the inaugural Karen L. Gillmor Ph.D. Endowed Professor in Professional and Public Writing at Michigan State University, Kristin Arola, an innovative scholar and researcher, is not only teaching students persuasive and effective writing skills she also is showing them how to connect and make sense of their culture through their writing. “To have been selected to serve in this…

Faculty / News

Dànielle Nicole DeVoss Appointed Chairperson of WRAC Department

October 25, 2022

Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, who has served as Interim Chairperson of Michigan State University’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) since July 2021, recently was appointed Chairperson of the WRAC Department for a five-year term, which began on August 16, 2022. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve and helm the WRAC Department and its more than 75 faculty members and…

Award / Faculty / Faculty / News

Faculty Members Recognized With Outstanding Achievement Awards

March 7, 2022

The College of Arts & Letters is pleased to honor the 2021 Faculty Award winners for their outstanding leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement. The six awards presented by the College recognize these impactful leaders for the work that they do to enhance curriculum and student experiences. 2021 Faculty Award Winners: Faculty Leadership Award – Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, Department of Writing,…

Faculty / News / Programs

Dànielle DeVoss Appointed Interim Chairperson of WRAC Department

July 28, 2021

Dànielle DeVoss, Professor of Professional Writing, was appointed Interim Chairperson for the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) for a two-year term that began July 12, 2021. "I'm delighted to continue to serve the Department that is the home and heart of writing at Michigan State University and contribute to a dynamic and thought-forward environment that encourages student curiosity, insight,…

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COVID-19

Covid Relief Fund Update and Spring Semester Information

February 25, 2021

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…

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Faculty / News / Programs

New Course Teaches How to Ethically Record and Edit Sound

January 7, 2019

A new course offered by Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) is teaching students how to use audio technology to record and edit sounds ethically and rhetorically, and to help make change in the world by assembling and circulating stories. The course, titled Soundwriting and Rhetoric, ran for the first time during the fall 2018 semester and was taken by…

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Alumni / News

Professional Writing Alumna Follows Passion as Romance Novelist

May 17, 2018

Professional Writing alumna Anna Stevenson has combined her professional skills with her unique passions in order to successfully carve out a distinctive career for herself. After graduating from Michigan State University in 2009, Stevenson took a job as a production editor for the MSU Press. A year later, she became a freelance editor and has been working for herself ever…