@loewens

A large, diverse group of faculty, alumni, students, and guests pose together in a bright atrium with green walls during Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies Ph.D. program 20th anniversary celebration. Many wear MSU name badges and SLS-branded shirts.

Celebrating 20 Years: Second Language Studies Program Honors Its Past and Looks to the Future

November 11, 2025

While Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. program may have started by being in the right place at the right time, the efforts made by its administrators, faculty, alumni, and students have propelled the program into an international powerhouse. During the 20th anniversary celebration held Oct. 17-19, 2025, students, faculty, and alums of the program shared their experiences,…

A group of about twenty people pose outdoors in front of a wall covered in ivy. A person in the center holds a plaque while others stand behind with raised hands, smiling.

MSU’s Second Language Studies Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary

October 13, 2025

The Second Language Studies (SLS) program at Michigan State University is turning 20 years old and is marking this milestone with a weekend of social and academic events, Oct. 17-19, 2025, that will involve students and faculty as well as alumni of the program who are joining the celebration at MSU from all over the world.

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2025 Varg-Sullivan Graduate Awards Presented

April 17, 2025

This year's Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award winners are Vadu Rodrigues, an MFA Candidate in Studio Art who is the 2025 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Hyun-Bin Hwang, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Second Language Studies and was named the 2025 Outstanding Achievement in the Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented by the College of Arts…

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Professor Receives National Award for Second Language Teaching and Learning Textbook

March 21, 2025

Shawn Loewen, Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, received a 2025 PROSE Award from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for his co-authored textbook, A Practical Guide to Second Language Teaching and Learning. The 2025 PROSE Awards recognize the very best professional and scholarly works published in 2024 in the United States in five areas of excellence.

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Applied Linguistics Scholars Among Top 2-Percent of Scientists Worldwide

March 14, 2025

Four professors from the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University are among the top 2% of scientists in the world, according to Stanford University’s latest World’s Top 2% Scientists list, which identifies scholars who are top-cited in their respective fields.

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German Professor Awarded for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad

April 7, 2023

Elizabeth Mittman, Associate Professor of German in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is the 2023 recipient of the MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad, which recognizes faculty and staff who give their time, energy, and creativity to the development and implementation of education abroad programs that support MSU's commitment to providing students with high-quality international education opportunities.…

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Doctoral Candidate Receives AAAL Graduate Student Award

March 14, 2023

J. Dylan Burton, a doctoral candidate in the Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. program at Michigan State University, received a 2023 Graduate Student Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL). Each year, this merit-based award recognizes 20 students from across the country based on the quality of a written proposal for a poster or a paper. Burton’s primary research interests center around…

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Ph.D. Student Awarded Duolingo Research Grant

November 19, 2021

Yingzhao Chen, a Ph.D. candidate in MSU’s Second Language Studies (SLS) and Cognitive Science programs, is one of only six doctoral students from across the country to receive a $5,000 Duolingo Research Grant.

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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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MSU Researchers Study Conversation Platforms for Second Language Students

December 11, 2020

Shawn Loewen knows what it’s like to learn a second language through “blood, sweat, and tears.” He started taking private Spanish lessons when he was 13 and studied Spanish and French all through high school. Passionate about language learning, he majored in Language and Linguistics in college and decided to become a teacher and research scholar. Today, Loewen is a…