Council of Independent Colleges Grant Information

Council of Independent Colleges "Humanities Research for the Public Good" Grant 

Source: https://www.cic.edu/programs/public-humanities 

The humanities enrich our lives and offer us tools to make better sense of the world. The humanities help connect individuals and communities.

“Humanities Research for the Public Good” is to help CIC member institutions demonstrate the power of the humanities to shed light on the past, to offer new insights on current issues, and to engage both students and members of the public in contemplating a better future. By making visible the significant collections contained in college archives, libraries, and museums, the project aims to show how these raw materials of humanities research can address the concerns and experiences of local communities.

CIC awarded $10,000 grants to 24 institutions in spring 2020 to support undergraduate research projects that incorporate a public presentation of research findings. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second cohort of projects was postponed until the 2021-2022 academic year.

Institutions must collaborate with at least one community-based organization (ours is Chicago Cultural Alliance) to share this research with the public; the projects—which take many forms—must address a topic of importance and interest to the local community.

Each campus team must include a full-time faculty member in the humanities who will serve as a mentor to the student researcher(s); a collections specialist—such as a librarian, archivist, or museum curator—with expertise in collections for research and presentation; and a senior campus administrator with responsibilities for public outreach or external partnership. The college President must write a letter of support for the project during the application process.

"Humanities Research for the Public Good” was designed to:

• Connect independent colleges and universities with cultural and civic organizations in their local areas for the benefit of both students and the public;
• Make better use of existing campus collections for teaching, undergraduate research, and public engagement;
• Enhance the research, collaboration, and communication skills of students in humanities disciplines;
• Encourage humanities faculty members and collections specialists who work in campus libraries, archives, and museums to apply their expertise to issues of public policy and community concern; and
• Increase public interest in and appreciation of humanities research.

The student research might include a course-based project, an independent study, or a stipend-funded research assistantship. The resulting public program could take the form of an exhibit, public walking tour, website, video documentary or podcast, lecture or other face-to-face presentation, or some other creative format for sharing research, engaging members of the community, and promoting community conversations.

Participating Institutions (2021–2022): https://www.cic.edu/p/public-humanities/Documents/CIC-HRPG-Participants-2021-2022.pdf