Morgan Shipley Brings Vision for Collaboration and Growth as New Religious Studies Chairperson

Morgan Shipley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Foglio Endowed Chair of Spirituality, will begin his five-year appointment as Chairperson of the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University…

Continue ReadingMorgan Shipley Brings Vision for Collaboration and Growth as New Religious Studies Chairperson

New Chapter: College Integration Strengthens Arts and Humanities at MSU

A new chapter at Michigan State University begins July 1, 2026, as the College of Arts & Letters and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) officially integrate, creating new opportunities for students, faculty, and the campus community while strengthening the arts and humanities at MSU. The integration brings together the broad academic programs and creative resources of the College of Arts & Letters with RCAH’s distinctive community-engaged residential education model.

Continue ReadingNew Chapter: College Integration Strengthens Arts and Humanities at MSU

Humanizing the Science: W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Artist-in-Residence Program Marks Fifth Year

The Farmscapes to Forests: Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Artists-in-Residence Program is entering its fifth year, featuring Kalamazoo-based visual artist Ellen VanderMyde as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence and the debut of the program’s first group exhibition showcasing the work of last year’s cohort of Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters artists.

Continue ReadingHumanizing the Science: W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Artist-in-Residence Program Marks Fifth Year

Religious Studies Students Honored for Outstanding Achievements

The Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University celebrated undergraduate excellence at its 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium and Awards Ceremony on April 17, recognizing students whose academic achievements and community commitments reflect the department's core values. Three students — Alliah Woodside, Emma Wilkins, and Avery Riehl — were each presented with awards at the event for their outstanding achievements.

Continue ReadingReligious Studies Students Honored for Outstanding Achievements

Four MSU Faculty Honored with Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence

Four College of Arts & Letters faculty have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities in recognition of their exemplary Integrative Arts and Humanities (IAH) instruction. Presented each spring by the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (CISAH), the Fintz Award, which is student nominated, recognizes outstanding faculty who engage students in arts and humanities ways of knowing while helping them develop critical thinking and effective communication skills.

Continue ReadingFour MSU Faculty Honored with Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence

Ask the Expert: How Ideas of Democracy and Religion Have Changed Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

In early 2011, Egyptians calling for “bread, freedom, and social justice” took to the streets to protest the 30-year authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak. Jan. 25 marks the 15th anniversary…

Continue ReadingAsk the Expert: How Ideas of Democracy and Religion Have Changed Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

Professor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship  

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices, was awarded the Newberry Consortium in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (NCAIS) long-term faculty fellowship to research how Indigenous peoples’ expressions of environmental stewardship and governance have been practiced, sustained, interrupted, and/or rekindled throughout the central and western Great Lakes region.

Continue ReadingProfessor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship