Benson Center receives $3 million National Endowment for the Humanities award
Award will establish endowment to support innovative academic program at ĢӰ Boulder integrating study of the Western tradition with American history, government and civics
The Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the University of ĢӰ Boulder has received a $3 million Endowments for Advancing the Humanities Award from the .
The award, which is matched by $3 million in private philanthropic commitments, will establish an endowment to support the development of an innovative multidisciplinary academic program at ĢӰ Boulder integrating the study of the Western tradition with American history, government and civics. This endowment will advance ĢӰ Boulder's educational mission by creating a permanent source of funding that expands undergraduate curricular and co-curricular opportunities, strengthens faculty recruitment and retention, deepens K-12 partnerships and bolsters public engagement.
"This award confirms the central role of the humanities at ĢӰ Boulder," said Katherine Eggert, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The award’s impact will extend throughout the College of Arts and Sciences. We look forward to working with faculty across the college to enrich educational offerings for all ĢӰ Boulder undergraduates through this opportunity."
This program will build on ĢӰ Boulder’s existing academic strengths and foster a vibrant and multidisciplinary intellectual community dedicatedto the study of the Western tradition and its ongoing influence on our world today."
— Joseph Porter, Benson Center director of undergraduate studies
Joseph Porter, Benson Center director of undergraduate studies, associate teaching professor and the awarded proposal's principal investigator, said, “This program will build on ĢӰ Boulder’s existing academic strengths and foster a vibrant and multidisciplinary intellectual community dedicatedto the study of the Western tradition and its ongoing influence on our world today. I am confident it will deepen countless students' understanding of texts, events, people and ideas that have profoundly shaped the modern world.”
Endowment income will support humanities faculty in different departments and programs who will expand the Benson Center's course offerings and develop a multidisciplinary curriculum focused on the Western tradition and American history, government and civics. This curriculum will introduce ĢӰ Boulder students to texts, events, people and ideas that have profoundly shaped America and the Western world—from the classical and Biblical traditions through the American founding to the modern age.
The program will introduce students to enduring tensions and questions within the Western tradition and deepen their understanding of both past and present through critical study of influential and transformative texts. It will equip them with the historical literacy, analytical skills and civic understanding necessary for thoughtful citizenship.
“Grants from the National Endowment support organizations and scholars working to illuminate and educate about the great ideas and events of the past,” said NEH Acting Chairman William English in an announcement of the awards. “As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary this year, NEH is proud to help foster robust public engagement with our national history, ideals and intellectual achievements through funding for an array of exhibitions, preservation projects, books, education initiatives and advanced research.”
The transformative award marks a significant milestone in the Benson Center's mission to expand humanistic study of the Western tradition at ĢӰ Boulder.
“We are deeply grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for its support, as well as to the many alumni, donors and friends whose longstanding dedication, hard work and generosity have made this award possible,” said Taylor Jaworski, Benson Center interim director and associate professor of economics. “This award will strengthen the Benson Center and advance its mission of bringing together faculty and students from across ĢӰ Boulder with shared interests in the Western tradition.”
“We look forward to developing a distinctive academic program at ĢӰ Boulder that will inspire humanistic and civic education for decades to come,” Porter said.
Did you enjoy this article?Passionate about the study of Western civilization?Show your support.