Center for Humanities and the Arts - University of Colorado Foundation

University of Colorado BoulderCenter for Humanitiesand the Arts:A Hub of Research, Creative Work,and Scholarly Innovation

to the innovation of scholarship and the rejuvenation of CU-Boulder educators. In addition, various committees of thecenter award grants to faculty for research trips and to invitedspeakers, as well as grants and fellowships for graduatestudents. The CHA funds collaborative faculty initiatives acrossdepartments, and organizes symposia, workshops, andvisits from prominent intellectuals and artists to stimulate newresearch.All of the CHA’s events are free and open to the public. Thecenter hosts special events for undergraduate students andfor our friends in the community. Through all of its programs,the CHA works to encourage interdepartmental and crosscampusdialogue, raise the profile of the arts and humanities inBoulder, and build support for scholarship and creative activity.Humanities and the Arts:Enriching Lives, MakingSense of our WorldThe humanities and arts comprise the stories, ideas, andimages that help us make sense of our lives. They introduceus to people we’ve never met, places we’ve never visited,and ideas that may never have crossed our minds. Theyshow us how others have lived and thought, and they help usdetermine what is important in our own lives and what we cando to make them better. By connecting us with other people,they allow us to reflect on what is right or wrong, experiencebeauty, and connect to our history. The humanities and thearts help us address the challenges we face in our families, ourcommunities, and as a global society.At the University of Colorado Boulder there is a focal point forhumanistic research, creative work, and scholarly innovation.That place is the Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA).It serves all faculty and students in the arts and humanities.In addition to bringing together academics and studentsacross disciplines, the center is also an interface between thecommunity and the university.At the core of the CHA’s activities is an annual fellowshipcompetition for faculty in all arts and humanities departments.By granting successful applicants a semester off teaching topursue independent scholarly initiatives, the center contributes“A truly great university is one in which all the disciplineswork together to advance the goals of the institution. Inmy area of space sciences, we see that our understandingof basic research, advanced engineering, and innovativeexploration are all underpinned by an ever-increasingappreciation of the role of humanities in these endeavors.We must always seek to understand why we exploreand what such scientific inquiry means to society. I amunrelentingly supportive of a healthy balance between thesciences and the humanities as we push forward in thespace research realm.”Daniel BakerDirector of Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics atCU-Boulder“We are so fortunate to have an excellentand active humanities and arts faculty atCU-Boulder. The quality and diversity oftheir work, together with a supportive andgenerous community, will enable the CHAto forge innovative and path-breakinginitiatives on campus and beyond.”Helmut Muller-SieversProfessor of Germanic and Slavic LanguagesCHA Director2Center for Humanities and the Arts

Excellence in the Center for Humanities and ArtsCU-Boulder is renowned for its excellence in research andteaching, as well as for its deep commitment to improvingour social and natural environments. The same commitmentcharacterizes the initiatives at the Center for Humanities andthe Arts.While actively promoting the excellence of research, the centerequally supports faculty who engage with students and thegeneral public through the discussion of scholarly texts andthe production and analysis of visual and performing arts.The CHA sponsors faculty research and guest speakers,supports travel and studio work, facilitates interdisciplinarywork on campus, and reaches out to the community beyond.At CU-Boulder, the humanities and the arts are, in the widestsense, environmental practices.In 2012, the CHA’s Annual Eaton Lecture, which is free and open to the public,featured Professor Eric Sundquist, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of theHumanities at Johns Hopkins University.“To be a great university, CU must have outstanding humanities and arts. The CHA helps accomplish this through itsprograms and financial support for faculty and students. The Center also brings the work of CU and visiting scholars andartists to the Boulder community through events that are free and open to the public. For all these reasons, I’m proud tosupport and be a part of the Center for Humanities and the Arts.”Peter SpearChair, CHA Advisory Boardand Professor EmeritusDonors Make a Difference:Hazel Barnes and Doris SchwalbeIn 2010, CU-Boulder received estate gifts from longtimeCU-Boulder philosophy professor Hazel Barnes andher life partner, CU Denver English professor DorisSchwalbe. The bequest carried the explicit stipulationthat the funds be used to purchase and maintain a flatin London, for use by CU-Boulder faculty and graduatestudents with projects and research in the arts andhumanities.The donors had such confidence in the CHA that thecenter was given the responsibility of administeringthe use of the London property. The residence can bea home base for projects that might include researchfor a PhD literature dissertation at the British Library, apaper presentation at a London School of Economicsconference, study of cultural patrimony at the BritishMuseum, or investigation of documents related to theBritish Empire at the Public Records Office.Hazel Barnes, whose translation of Jean-Paul Sartre’sBeing and Nothingness helped introduce existentialismto America, taught at CU-Boulder for 33 years, andis the namesake for the university’s most prestigiousteaching and research prize, the Hazel Barnes Award.Barnes also founded CU-Boulder’s humanities program,one of the nation’s first interdisciplinary programs.The CHA is proud to be the steward of this importantgift, and to continue to strengthen the quality of researchand teaching at CU-Boulder.Center for Humanities and the Arts 3

“The humanities and the arts are whatfeed people’s souls and make lifeworth living. Without literature and finearts and music, life would be prettydull. Our purpose in establishing theChristy Lecture Series was to makethe liberal arts more accessible tothe community at large. We feel it isimportant for non-university people tocome into the university to learn whatthe liberal arts contribute to the worldat large.”Helen Christylongtime supporter of the CHA“We believe a background in thehumanities is necessary in a veryspecialized world. Private support ofthe CHA is increasingly important.”Leslie Eatonlongtime supporter of CU-BoulderTo learn about the many ways youcan make a gift, contact:Micah AbramSenior Director of DevelopmentUniversity of Colorado Foundation1305 University Ave.459 UCBBoulder, CO 80302303-541-1465micah.abram@cufund.orgwww.cufund.orgHelp Strengthen the Center forHumanities and the ArtsGiving to the CHA allows donors to support the humanities and arts without havingto choose a particular department. Since the center is connected to all faculty,donations have an immediate and palpable impact. You can choose to supporta particular scholar whose work is of interest, give to a lecture series or artistworkshop, or discuss with the director where you want to help.In addition, by supporting the CHA, you will help CU-Boulder attract topacademics from across the country and around the world. Professorships andgraduate fellowships—administered through the CHA—are key recruitment andretention tools.Join together with your fellow alumni, community members, and impassionedsupporters of the humanities and the arts to make a gift today. Our sharedinvestment will yield enormous returns for students and the community at large.You can support:• Humanities professorships: Five-year named chair for a senior humanities facultymember• Assistant professorships: Three-year named professorship for incoming assistantprofessors• Graduate student fellowships: One-year named fellowship for incoming graduatestudents• Annual prominent speaker series• Interdisciplinary faculty research groupsAll gifts should be payable to the University of Colorado Foundation, specifying the appropriate fund.July 2012 | WM/JP