The MSU Department of History would like to congratulate Associate Professor Helen Veit on her reception of the 2024-25 College of Social Science Faculty Teaching Innovation Award. This is Dr. Veit’s second College awards honorific, and her first since 2018, when she was named the College of Social Science Outstanding Teacher.
Veit is a historian of American food and teaches a variety of classes on American history, food and culture. Veit’s writing on food history has appeared in a variety of academic journals as well as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and other outlets. She directs two major digital projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities: the What America Ate project, a digital archive and interactive website on food in the Great Depression, and the new America in the Kitchen project, which will provide digital access to 200 of the most significant cookbooks in American history published between the 1790s and 1960.
Michael Stamm, professor and Chair of the Department of History, describes Veit’s courses as “life-changing” experiences for her students, with her usage of innovative teaching methods encouraging them to reflect upon and better understand even the most everyday aspects of the world around them.
“In an era defined by an endless parade of shiny new digital tools, what Helen Veit shows is that one of the most innovative and impactful things we can do for today’s undergraduates is to find ways to encourage them to be present and reflective as people sharing space and ideas with others,” he said.
Veit combines education in the classroom with experiential activities to further enrich students’ academic journey. In her Eating Industrial course for Integrative Studies in Social Science, students keep personal food diaries, visit local farmer’s markets, and cook family recipes. For her upper level History Course, Death & The Meaning of Life, students get the unique experience of visiting cemeteries, interacting with elders in the community at a local Death Cafe event, and participate in conversations with doulas specifically trained to provide end-of-life care for individuals and their families.
“Dr. Veit’s students overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation, and they come to understand core elements of their daily lives more deeply and meaningfully because of her classes,” Stamm added. “These are serious, challenging, and richly rewarding courses because of Dr. Veit’s commitment to innovative means of connecting with her students.”