2018 Archives
Anthropology faculty member selected for World Health Organization task force
December 17, 2018
Monir Moniruzzaman, Ph.D., assistant professor in Anthropology, in the College of Social Science has been selected as a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) task force on Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues.
Dean's Blog: Genetics vs. Environment
December 11, 2018 - Dean Rachel Croson
How much of who we are and what we accomplish is predetermined at birth, and how much is shaped by our environment? The nature vs. nurture debate has continued for centuries, but science is making inroads into understanding what shapes us as individuals and how we might influence those important shaping forces.
Kurt Rademaker’s work on the peopling of the Americas featured in the New York Times
December 11, 2018
An international research team, including MSU Dept. of Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker and five team members, contributed some of the key ancient human remains that documented population dynamics in the Andean region. The results of this research were revealed in a recent article published in the journal Cell.
Liz Schondelmayer: Making It
December 11, 2018 - Liz Schondelmayer
If you were to tell 17-year-old me that I was going to complete a semester-long internship in Washington, D.C. working for a national progressive political organization while I was still in college, I wouldn’t have believed you. It would be like telling a theatre kid that before they were 22, they’d have a leading role in a Broadway musical, or an aspiring actor they’d be making it in Hollywood before finishing their training. To me, that would have meant that I made it. But it’s true. I did. And both me and my teenage self are pretty proud of that.
Dr. Joe Darden awarded the 2019 AAG Lifetime Achievement Honor
December 7, 2018
Congratulations to Dr. Joe Darden who has received the 2019 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Lifetime Achievement Honor. Darden is a faculty member in the department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, within the College of Social Science at Michigan State University.
College of Social Science Washington, DC Program Participant Receives Rachel P. Kahan Memorial Scholarship
December 4, 2018
In a cooperative effort between Michigan State University’s College of Social Science and James Madison College, and through gifts from family and friends, the Rachel P. Kahan Memorial Scholarship for Spring 2019 has been awarded to Crystal King of Detroit, Michigan.
Dean's Blog: Choose InnovateGov for #GiveGreenDay
November 27, 2018 - Dean Rachel Croson
MSU students, the College of Social Science and the Department of Political Science are playing an important part in Detroit's resurgence. We need your support on this Give Green Day to enable and expand this work.
New Grants in the College of Social Science
November 5, 2018
The College of Social Science is transforming the human experience through its rigorous approach to research. Our faculty has received numerous prestigious grants from different nations organizations to pursue important topics and answer tough questions to make our world a better place. The following are just some of the grants Social Science faculty members have won over the past year.
Host and Executive producer of the CNN’s The Wonder List, Bill Weir, to Speak at MSU November 15th, 2018
October 30, 2018
As part of Geography Awareness Week, The Department of Geography, Environment, and Spacial Sciences at Michigan State University invites you to an evening with CNN’s Bill Weir on November 15th, 7pm, at the Wharton Center. This event is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!
Cokie Roberts to Speak at Blanchard Public Service Forum on November 27, 2018
October 26, 2018
The Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum, part of the College of Social Science at Michigan State University, is proud to present renowned author, journalist, and commentator Cokie Roberts at the Wharton Center, Pasant Theater, on November 27, 2018 at 7:30pm.
Dean's Blog: Political Discourse
October 22, 2018 - Dean Rachel Croson
Today’s political discourse is controversial and highly charged. Yet politics affects all aspects of our lives. MSU Political Science faculty study how political discourse has changed, and how it can be improved.
Four of Five MSU Fulbright-Hays Fellows are PhD candidates in the College of Social Science
October 11, 2018
Five students at Michigan State University have been awarded prestigious Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad program grants, which help Universities fund students who conduct full-time research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. We are delighted to congratulate four of the recipients from the College of Social Science. The four CSS students, are all studying African History and will be conducting research in Africa. The other student is in the College of Music.
MSU Students are making an impact in Detroit with support from ITC
October 8, 2018
Michigan State University students are getting hands-on experience working on a wide array of social challenges through InnovateGov, an experiential learning program within the College of Social Science. ITC Holdings Corp. is supporting the program with a $100,000 donation.
"Women Leaders Rising: Breaking Through Bias" Event on September 25th a Success!
September 26, 2018
Over 450 women attended the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) event, Women Leaders Rising: Breaking Through Bias, at the Wharton Center in East Lansing on September 25, 2018.
Dean's Blog: Women’s Leadership Institute is Helping to Shape the Next Generation
September 19, 2018 - Dean Rachel Croson
If the United States is to survive and thrive as a country, we need to identify, train and encourage the most talented individuals to assume leadership positions; in government, in the private sector and in the non-profit arena. Decades of research has demonstrated that this talent is equally likely to be found in men and in women.
Dean's Blog: Welcome to the College of Social Science
August 29, 2018 - Dean Rachel Croson
Welcome to our new students, faculty and staff in the College of Social Science (CSS) and welcome to my new blog! For those who are returning, welcome back. For those who have moved on to bigger and better challenges, it’s a great time to remember how you felt starting your MSU adventure. For all, it is a time full of excitement and hope as we begin a new school year and the fall semester.
Elizabeth Schondelmayer: How Not to be a Voluntourist
August 24, 2018 - Liz Schondelmayer
For 12 weeks this summer, I interned in Flint, Michigan, with a non-profit community engagement organization called Communities First, Inc. As a small town girl who grew up on the west side of the state, Flint was, without a doubt, an entirely new experience for me.
MSU Social Science Alumni plays major role in Thailand Rescue
August 22, 2018 - Liz Schondelmayer
To say it was a miracle is the understatement of the century – but on Tuesday, July 10, all 12 members of the Wild Boars boys’ soccer team, along with their 23-year-old coach, were freed from Thailand’s Tham Luang caves, into which they had accidentally wandered too far.
MSU HDFS Professor Sarah Douglas wins major IES grant
July 25, 2018 - Liz Schondelmayer
In mid-June, Michigan State University Human Development and Family Studies professor Sarah Douglas learned that she had received a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences in the amount of 1.4 million dollars. Her initial reaction was one of shock and excitement – as well as some stress.
History professor Susan Sleeper-Smith publishes groundbreaking book through UNC Press
July 24, 2018
History professor Susan Sleeper-Smith has published her second book through the University of North Carolina press. The book is expected to be extremely influential within her field and explores topics of American native populations and European settlements.
Psychology student and Social Science Scholar Nicole Jedding wins UURAF Grand Prize
July 16, 2018 - Liz Schondelmayer
On June 18, Nicole Jedding received an email telling her that her presentation for the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum had not only placed best in its category – but best overall.
Michigan State University names 2018 homecoming court, includes 5 Social Science students
May 23, 2018
Michigan State University has announced the 10 Spartan seniors who will serve on the 2018 Homecoming Court. The students, nominated by an individual or organization, were hand-selected by a committee of faculty and staff for their academic achievements, community involvement, leadership and Spartan pride.
Political science associate professor Sarah Reckhow selected as 2018-19 Radcliffe Fellow
May 9, 2018
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University has selected Sarah Reckhow to be a Radcliffe Institute fellow.
Beloved economics professor Carl Liedholm retires
May 9, 2018 - Jeff Biddle, Associate Chair of Economics
In April 2018, Professor Carl Liedholm taught his last class as a member of the MSU faculty of economics, and later that afternoon, a reception was held to mark his retirement after 53 years of service to Michigan State.
3rd Annual Student Gala Recognizes Outstanding Students
April 4, 2018
The 3rd Annual Social Science Student Gala was held on Friday, March 23 in the Cowles House. The event, hosted by the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, focused on celebrating student success within the College of Social Science. One student from each Social Science department was honored with an “Outstanding Senior” award.
Psychology junior Grant Burton wins Beinecke Scholarship
April 1, 2018
Grant Burton, an Honors College junior majoring in psychology in the College of Social Science, has been selected as one of 18 students across the country to receive the Beinecke Scholarship.
Liam Gonzalez: More than a wish, an opportunity of a lifetime
March 14, 2018 - Liam Gonzalez
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned at MSU is that opportunity is hidden in two places. The first place is behind a door that takes years of hard work and studying to open. The second place, to put it bluntly, is everywhere you don’t think to look.
In Memory of Economics Professor Mordechai (Max) Kreinin
February 20, 2018 - Tim Vogelsang, Economics Department Chair
The Economics Department and the College of Social Science at Michigan State University lost a beloved and long-time faculty member, Max Kreinin, on February 8, 2018.
MSU Uses $1.5M Mellon Foundation Grant to Build Massive Slave Trade Database
January 11, 2018
Michigan State University, supported by nearly $1.5 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will create a unique online data hub that will change the way scholars and the public understand African slavery.