“It was clear from Chairman Peede’s remarks that he shares UD’s
commitment to public-facing humanities scholarship,” Helton said after
the meeting.
Julie McGee, associate professor of Africana studies and IHRC
director, said the meeting was an opportunity for Peede to meet several
students who are AAPHI scholars and to have professional discussions
with them.
“He seemed exceptionally engaged by the conversation and provided
on-the-spot mentoring, contact and research suggestions to the
scholars,” McGee said.
Peede was also given an overview of the Center for Material Culture Studies (CMCS) and the Delaware Public Humanities Institute.
With support from NEH, the institute offers graduate students the
opportunity to take part in a two-week summer program focused on
learning how to communicate their research to the general public.
“We were very happy to give him a sense of the innovative outreach
here at UD that the NEH made possible,” Sandy Isenstadt, professor of
art history and a CMCS director, said of that meeting.
Peede also met with Morris Library leadership and toured Special Collections and the Student Multimedia Design Center.
"The Library, Museums and Press was … delighted to demonstrate the
partnerships across the campus in programs such as the Colored
Conventions Project, the African American Public Humanities Initiative
and the Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center,” said Trevor A.
Dawes, vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University
Librarian. “The funding from the NEH, for which we are very grateful,
helps to sustain these collaborations."
Petersen said the daylong visit was important in highlighting UD’s priorities and plans in humanities education.
“All of the programs and initiatives that Chairman Peede saw are
models of collaboration, and they engage graduate students in a very
meaningful way,” she said. “It was an opportunity to really showcase the
humanities and what is possible in terms of research and graduate
training as we move forward.”
Article by Ann Manser; photos by Evan Krape and Kathy F. Atkinson