Brandy Ellison has a new vision for MSU’s Center for Integrative Studies

December 7, 2023 - Patti McDonald

Dr. Brandy Ellison is settling into her role as the Director of the Center for Integrative Studies (CIS) at Michigan State University, a role she started in fall 2023. Ellison has been a faculty member in CIS since 2018. Prior to that, from 2015-2018, she served as the director of student success in the College of Social Science. 

“There’s always so much you want to do when you get into a new role,” Ellison said. “The last few months have been about prioritizing what I want to get done and when. But it's been really fun settling into the role. I am getting to know everyone’s needs and I am brainstorming new ideas for the center on how we can better serve students.” 

“For the Center, overall, I want to ensure our reputation is solid and that we're getting credit for all the hard work we do and the impressive achievements that we have, for the faculty and staff. Again, I want to ensure that I am supporting them, helping them achieve their goals, and ensuring a kind of holistic wellness, making sure that no one is burned out or feeling overwhelmed.” 

Ellison said a big part of her job is going to include raising awareness for CIS majors and programs.  

“For our majors, interdisciplinary studies and global and international studies, I want to ensure that all students who would benefit from our majors know about them. I think we have a lack of name recognition that other majors might not face. So, I want to help everyone in our university understand which students would be interested in our programs and how we can help them achieve success.” 

Committed to student success, Ellison said she is also focusing on bridging any achievement gaps students face. 

“I want to ensure that all students are feeling comfortable and that we are here for anything they may need,” she said. 

Ellison will also be involved in an undergraduate academic program review for CIS, a process that takes six years. CIS is the first department or center in the College of Social Science to take part in this review process. In the review’s first year, the university looks at current learning outcomes, curriculum, and how students are assessed. The process also identifies any areas of improvement.  

“This is a great time to think about what we can do to improve and help as many students as possible,” she said. 

She said three total committees will be formed, one per major (Interdisciplinary Studies, Global and International Studies, and Integrative Studies in Social Science) with faculty, staff, and students to get a variety of perspectives on what the Center’s goals are and what improvements need to be made. 

Ellison also helped the CIS’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) committee become even more inclusive, by supporting the addition of "belonging” to the group’s name after a student suggested the change. Ellison said she wants students to feel that sense of belonging. In fact, she dropped out of her first semester of college because she didn’t feel a sense of belonging. 

“Personally, I dropped out of college after my first semester with a 4.0. I hadn't really developed any networks of friends. I went to school with my best friend from high school, and we were roommates. She left and I just hadn't developed connections at school at all and I fell out of place there by myself. It was just very lonely. And I went to my RA and I said, I'm thinking about leaving, how do I do that. And all she said, was just don't register for classes next semester. I don't want that to be any other student's situation. I want to make sure we do everything we can, so students feel like they belong here.” 

Ellison went on to receive a BA in Sociology and History from Montana State University-Billings in 2000 and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 2009. 

She worked as Associate Director of Research for ACE Consulting at Notre Dame for five years, partnering with K-12 schools throughout the United States and Haiti.  

In addition to her duties as the director of CIS, Ellison is also a Bailey Scholars fellow. Next semester, Ellison is teaching a student-directed course, a capstone on radical influence. 

“I love the students at MSU and I have always been very committed to the mission here. I've been at MSU for eight years now and I love working in higher education. I think it's where I plan to continue working for the rest of my career. Students really need more support, and they need more people looking out for them and to be a part of that in a student’s life is extremely rewarding.” 

When Ellison isn’t teaching, she is most likely running, riding her bike, or whipping up a new recipe in the kitchen.