The Obermann Center is a member of several organizations that advocate for the value of research, including the National Humanities Alliance. The NHA draws members from universities; professional organizations like the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association and the Modern Language Association; and cultural institutions. All were critical in securing renewed funding from Congress for the National Endowments of Arts and the Humanities.

In his keynote address, chair-elect of the NEH Jon Parish Peede announced several new priorities. Peede’s commitment to serving rural states (including campus-community collaborations) could be important for those of us in Iowa. In addition, he noted that the NEH has increased funding for individual fellowships to $60,000.

The NHA creates resources to help students, faculty, and cultural leaders advocate for the humanities. A new Toolkit will be rolled out shortly along with a directory of institutions and organizations across the country that support publicly engaged scholarship and teaching. A new map project, NEH for ALL, shows state by state how the National Endowment for the Humanities has contributed to the cultural life of the United States.

The NHA will once again team up with the Federation of State Humanities Councils to host a National Humanities Conference. This year the conference will meet in New Orleans, November November 8-11, 2018. The Working Group, Humanities PHD & Public Humanities, co-chaired by Teresa Mangum and Mona Frederick, director of the Robert Penn Warren Humanities Center at Vanderbilt University, is collaborating with the #ConnectedAcademics project in a double session.

Finally, at the annual business meeting, our director, Teresa Mangum, was elected Vice President of the NHA Board of Directors. 

For more information about the benefits of our UI membership, visit the NHA website. For details from the NHA Advocacy Day, take a look at the lively Tweets. #HAD18