College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
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Other name | LSA |
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Motto | Leading in Thought and Action |
Type | Public |
Established | 1841 |
Parent institution | University of Michigan |
Endowment | $750 million (2011)[citation needed] |
Dean | Anne Curzan |
Academic staff | 1,372 |
Administrative staff | 2,200 |
Undergraduates | 17,149[1] |
Location | , United States 42°16′34.4″N 83°44′28.8″W / 42.276222°N 83.741333°W |
Campus | 40 acres (16 ha) |
Website | lsa |
The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) is the liberal arts and sciences school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841, the college is home to both the University of Michigan Honors Program and Residential College.
History[edit]
This section needs expansion with: details about the first 150 years of the school's history, particularly its founding. You can help by adding to it. (February 2024) |


The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts was originally designated the Literary Department and was the core of the University of Michigan. From 1841 to 1874, the faculty elected a president that communicated with the regents about department needs. In 1875, Henry Simmons Frieze became the first of the deans of LSA.
In March 2013 Helen Zell gave $50 million to LSA, the largest gift in LSA history, to support scholarships and stipends for Master's students in creative writing.[2]
Deans[edit]

Faculty of Literature, Science, and the Arts[edit]
- 1875–1880 Henry Simmons Frieze[3][4]
- 1880–1881 Charles Kendall Adams[5][6]
- 1881–1882 Edward Olney[7][8]
- 1882–1889 Henry Simmons Frieze
Department of Literature, Science, and the Arts[edit]
- 1890-1897 Martin Luther D'Ooge[9][10]
- 1897-1907 Richard Hudson[11][12]
- 1907-1914 John Oren Reed[13]
- 1912-1915 John Robert Effinger (acting)[14]
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts[edit]
- 1915–1933 John Robert Effinger
- 1933–1945 Edward Henry Kraus[15]
- 1945–1951 Hayward Keniston[16]
- 1951–1952 Burton Doan Thuma (acting)[17]
- 1952–1958 Charles Edwin Odegaard[18]
- 1959–1960 Roger William Heyns[19]
- 1962–1963 Burton Doan Thuma (acting)
- 1963–1968 William Haber[20]
- 1968–1970 William Lee Hays[21]
- 1970–1971 Alfred S. Sussman (acting)[22]
- 1971–1974 Frank H. T. Rhodes[23]
- 1974–1976 Billy E. Frye (acting)[24]
- 1976–1980 Billy E. Frye
- 1980–1981 John R. Knott (acting)[25]
- 1981–1989 Peter O. Steiner[26]
- 1989–1998 Edie Goldenberg
- 1998–1999 Patricia Gurin (acting)[27]
- 1999–2002 Shirley Neuman[28][29]
- 2002–2003 Terrence J. McDonald (acting)
- 2003–2013 Terrence J. McDonald[30]
- 2013-2014 Susan A. Gelman (interim)[31]
- 2014–2018 Andrew D. Martin[32]
- 2018–2019 Elizabeth Cole (acting)[33]
- 2019–Present Anne Curzan
Residential College[edit]
The Residential College (RC) is a division of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Catherine Badgley is the current director of the RC.[34]
Founded in 1967,[35] the Residential College was designed to create a smaller liberal arts program with the resources of a larger university. The college was developed by a planning committee of faculty that included Theodore Newcomb, Carl Cohen, and Bradford Perkins.[36]
Students in the RC take classes in LSA as well as specially-designed RC courses, many of which are seminar courses with fewer than fifteen students each. All RC students are required to live in the same residence hall, East Quadrangle, for at least their first two years. Since the RC is a part of the LSA, all LSA academic requirements apply to it. In addition to the usual concentrations in LSA, RC students may choose to pursue five additional concentrations (RC website): "Arts and Ideas in the Humanities," "Creative Writing and Literature," "Drama," "Social Theory and Practice," and an option for an "Individualized Major."
A major requirement for RC participation is intensive language training, which consists of two eight-credit courses similar to language immersion, and one four-credit readings course. Intensive Japanese at the RC has no reading courses, and the semi-immersion curriculum consists of two ten-credit courses. Other languages offered include Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, and Russian.
Notable alumni[edit]
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- Sam Apple, non-fiction writer[37]
- Rebecca Blumenstein, former New York Times Deputy Managing Editor[38]
- Carmen Bugan, poet and writer[39]
- Nandi Comer, Poet Laureate of Michigan[40]
- Dennis Foon, playright and screenwriter[41]
- Matt Forbeck, author and game designer[41]
- Dhani Jones, former football linebacker[42]
- Laura Kasischke, author and poet[43]
- Kathy Kozachenko, the first openly LGBT candidate to successfully run for political office in the United States[41]
- Francis Lam, journalist and cook[41]
- Jenifer Levin, writer[41]
- Damian Rogers, poet and journalist[44]
- Matthew Rohrer, poet[41]
- Michelle Segar, scientist and author[45]
- Sue Shink, state senator
- Mazi Smith, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle
- James Tobin, author and historian[41]
- David Turnley, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer[46]
Notable faculty[edit]
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- Carl Cohen, philosopher[36]
- Angela D. Dillard, scholar and author, RC director 2011-2014[47]
- Elizabeth Douvan, psychologist, RC director 1985-1988[48]
- Laura Kasischke, author and poet[49]
- Theodore Newcomb, social psychologist[36]
- Bradford Perkins, historian[36]
- Aisha Sabatini Sloan, writer[50]
- Barbara Sloat, biologist[51]
- Heather Ann Thompson, historian and author of Blood in the Water[52]
References[edit]
- ^ https://lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/lsa-site-assets/images/images/About/College_Overview/180241-LSA-at-a-glance-v5.pdf [dead link]
- ^ "Helen Zell Gives $50 Million to Michigan Writing Program". Bloomberg.com. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
- ^ "Henry Simmons Frieze | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Henry simmons frieze". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Charles Kendall Adams | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Charles kendall adams". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Edward Olney | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Edward olney". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Martin Luther D'Ooge | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Martin Luther d'Ooge". Archived from the original on 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Richard Hudson". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Richard Hudson | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "John Oren Reed | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "John Robert Effinger | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Edward Henry Kraus | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Hayward Keniston | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Burton Doan Thuma | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Charles e. Odegaard | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Roger William Heyns | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "William Haber | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "William Lee Hays | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Alfred S. Sussman | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Frank Harold Trevor Rhodes | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Billy e. Frye | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "John R. Knott Jr. | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Peter Steiner | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Patricia y. Gurin | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Fall 2000 Michigan Today--A post-modern dean grew up on a pre-modern prairie". Archived from the original on 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Shirley Neuman | Faculty History Project". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Terrence McDonald named interim dean of LS&A". Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Psychologist Susan Gelman appointed interim dean of U-M's largest school". University of Michigan News. 2013-04-18. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
- ^ "Political scientist selected as next LSA dean | the University Record". Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ "Elizabeth Cole Named LSA Interim Dean | U-M LSA U-M College of LSA". Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
- ^ "Catherine Badgley | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "About Us | Residential College | University of Michigan". Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Bright, Charlie; McClellan, Michelle. "A Short History of the Residential College at the University of Michigan" (PDF).
- ^ "RCer Spot: Sam Apple ('98 English & Creative Writing)". U-M LSA Residential College. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Hutton, Susan. "The Changing Times". U-M LSA. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Madaj, Daniel. "RC alum Carmen Bugan contributes to podcast about the power of words". RC Writers. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Gass, Katie. "Nandi Comer: Bridging Worlds Through Poetry". U-M LSA Residential College. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Madaj, Daniel. "RC Writing Alumni Bios 1971-2023" (PDF).
- ^ "What RC Alumni Are Saying". U-M LSA Residential College. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "RC Alumna and Professor Laura Kasischke Delivers the 2020-2021 Robertson Memorial Lecture". U-M LSA Residential College. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Madaj, Daniel. "Damian Rogers' memoir published by Penguin Random House". RC Writers. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Summer Reading Program, Alumni Edition". U-M LSA. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Associate Professor David Turnley Retires". U-M LSA Residential College. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Angela D. Dillard | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "RC Community Members In Memoriam | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Laura Kasischke | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Aisha Sabatini Sloan | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Barbara Sloat | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Heather Ann Thompson | U-M LSA Residential College". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-14.