The Center for Public and Applied Arts and Humanities in the MSU College of Arts and Letters represents a new kind of research center that is designed to meet the moment in our fields, our institution, and the world in which we are situated.
Extending locally and globally beyond MSU’s land-grant mission, the new center will gather, represent, and preserve knowledge derived from both traditional scholarship and lived experiences through team-based community-engaged and digital practices while advancing equitable access, shared spaces, and a generous, forward-looking culture of collaboration.
Center Goals
The Center for Public and Applied Arts and Humanities aims to:
- Become a highly visible location for the most exciting research and creative activity being undertaken today across all fields in the MSU College of Arts and Letters.
- Serve as a catalyst and connector for new kinds of research and creative activity, fostering collaborations, building relationships, and hosting new projects.
- Increase external funding for research and creative activity in our fields by supporting grant proposals and fundraising.
Working as a hub for research and creative activity across the university, this new center will bring together interdisciplinary teams, cultivate community partnerships, and catalyze large-scale, public-facing projects that no individual or unit can undertake alone.
Background and Timeline
Several College of Arts and Letters centers and institutes are coming together to form the new Center for Public and Applied Arts and Humanities. These include Digital Humanities, Mesh Research, the Center for Language Teaching Advancement, and the Research Institute for Structural Change.
May-August 2026
- Determine center needs and how to fill them.
- Establish a physical space on campus.
- Prepare a plan for AY2026-27 projects and events.
August 2026-May 2027
- Implement the structure and governance of the new center.
- Identify and develop funding opportunities, proposals, and projects.
- Search for the inaugural center director.
May-August 2027
- Establish an external advisory board.
- Explore student engagement opportunities.
- Develop reporting mechanisms.