Kathleen Fitzpatrick

Kathleen Fitzpatrick is an American scholar of digital humanities and media studies who serves as Director of Digital Humanities and Professor of English at Michigan State University. She has also held leadership roles with the Modern Language Association and previously taught at Pomona College and New York University.

Her work often focuses on how scholarship is shared, reviewed, and connected to wider publics. Among her best-known books are The Anxiety of Obsolescence, Planned Obsolescence, and Generous Thinking: The University and the Public Good, which reflect her long-standing interest in academic publishing, open review, and the public role of higher education.

She is also associated with MediaCommons, a digital scholarly network that has helped shape conversations about online publishing and collaboration in the humanities. Across her writing, she is known for combining thoughtful criticism with a practical interest in how institutions and communities can work better together.