Annual Newsletter

A Year in Review 2023-24

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From the Director’s Desk

One year ago, I stepped into the role of Rothman Chair and Director with the desire to open new conversations that build awareness about the humanities, while supporting the center’s core constituents in research, teaching and learning, and the wider public.

Rothman and Tedder Doctoral Fellows Spotlight

The Rothman and Tedder Doctoral Fellowships provide funding for doctoral students to conduct research related to their dissertations. Many of the fellows traveled to study their research subjects on location.

Alexander Grass Scholars Undergraduate Research Program

This spring, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere launched the Alexander Grass Scholars Undergraduate Research Program, made possible by the generous support of the Alexander Grass Foundation.

SPEAKER SERIES: Scales of Belonging, 2023-24

Each year, the center hosts a speaker series designed to answer fundamental questions about the human experience, exploring the latest research and scholarship across the humanities by inviting renowned scholars to present their work.

Programs in Public Humanities Grants

Public humanities grants provided through CHPS continue to support collaborative, community-oriented engagements on historical memory, activism, and representation.

Embracing Interconnectedness: The Role of Humanities in a Globalized World

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” — Nelson Mandela

Humanities Engagement Scholars

The Humanities Engagement Scholars program empowers undergraduates through the humanities and prepares them for future professional endeavors.

Humanities Writing Retreat

In May, the center hosted its annual Humanities Writing Retreat and Graduate Summer Institute, continuing its tradition of expanding opportunities for writing and career development across all stages of academia.

Graduate Humanities Institute

The center hosted its second Graduate Humanities Summer Institute alongside its writing retreat at the UF Austin Cary Forest Campus. The institute was established as part of the center’s ongoing commitment to honing academic and professional versatility among graduate students in the humanities.

Graduate Grant Writing Series

Last fall, the center organized a six-part workshop series designed to aid graduate students in grant writing within the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The workshops provided invaluable guidance and practical skills for graduate students.

Institute for Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock

Since 2021, the center has offered an annual summer course for the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock. Aimed at bringing humanities scholarship into the community, these courses demonstrate how depth of knowledge enlightens conversations.

Publication Subventions

The center continued to support humanities book publications, thanks to the Robert and Margaret Rothman Endowment for the Humanities, and in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Spotlight: Speaker/Workshop Grants/Co-Sponsorships

Thanks to the generosity of endowments and donor support, the center is proud to offer a co-sponsorship program for humanities events.

Speaker Series 2024-25

As a part of the center’s new Digital Humanities Initiative, the 2025 Speaker Series will open conversations about reimagining humanistic inquiry in response to emerging computing technologies.