Thomas Stubblefield
Dean, College of Arts & Letters
Thomas Stubblefield is the 12th Dean of Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters. He began serving as Dean on July 1, 2025, following approval by MSU’s Board of Trustees at its June 13, 2025, meeting.
A Professor of Art and Art History, Dr. Stubblefield looks to build upon the College of Arts & Letters’ legacy of excellence in the arts, humanities, and interdisciplinary initiatives with an eye toward collaboration, community engagement, and public impact. Together with faculty and staff, he aims to prepare students for success beyond graduation by deepening interdisciplinary connections and expanding experiential learning opportunities.
Dr. Stubblefield joined the College of Arts & Letters during a time of transformation. At the same Board of Trustees meeting when his appointment as Dean was approved, the Board also approved the merger of the College of Arts & Letters with the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH).
As Dean of the College of Arts & Letters, a major focus of Dr. Stubblefield is to work with faculty, staff, and students from both the College of Arts & Letters and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities to strengthen the arts and humanities at MSU and to ensure that the merger takes place in a manner that preserves RCAH’s distinctive mission and programmatic strengths while promoting collaboration, cross-fertilization, administrative sustainability, and academic excellence.
Dr. Stubblefield’s leadership style is all about collaboration, transparency, and a listen first approach to problem solving. He is passionate about interdisciplinary work and engaged pedagogy and practice, which has been an ongoing theme of his work as an administrator and faculty member.
Prior to joining Michigan State University, Dr. Stubblefield was at the University of Rhode Island where he served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Interim Director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media, and Professor of Art and Art History. In these roles, he oversaw a diverse portfolio of programs spanning the arts, humanities, and communication and media studies.
Among his many accomplishments at the University of Rhode Island, he created the Future of Arts and Humanities Working Group that brought together faculty from across disciplines to examine national trends, enrollment data, and professional outcomes, an initiative that culminated in the development of an Environmental Arts and Humanities B.A. program. He secured funding to create a “stackable” online UI/UX master’s degree program that allows students to combine certificates into a flexible 30-credit pathway. He also led the formation of the Fine Arts Advisory Council, engaging alumni and leaders in the arts community to support advancement and visibility for the arts.
Before joining the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Stubblefield served as Associate Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Associate Professor of Art History and Media Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he played a key role in curriculum innovation, program expansion, and community engagement. He also served as Director of the Office of Faculty Development, in which he restructured the office to better support faculty at all stages of their careers, developed new interdisciplinary fellowships, and implemented campus-wide assessment and feedback protocols.
Dr. Stubblefield has a Ph.D. in Visual Studies from the University of California, Irvine, an M.A. in Art History from the University of Illinois, and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Media Arts and English from the University of South Carolina.
As a scholar, he has written extensively on visual culture and media studies. His work examines the relationship between technology, critical theory, and contemporary visual culture. He is the author of “Drone Art: The Everywhere War as Medium” (University of California Press, 2020) and “9/11 and the Visual Culture of Disaster” (Indiana University Press, 2014), along with numerous essays published in peer-reviewed journals and edited collections.