Kingston, RI. — The University of Rhode Island’s Center for the Humanities is one of the founding members of a consortium of 11 northeast colleges and universities in forming the New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC), which will focus on programming centered in such fields as history, language, art, literature and philosophy. The consortium was established with the support of a $100,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

The consortium, the first of its kind in the region, will promote intellectual collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovative educational programming for faculty, students, and the regional, national and global communities they serve. The founding institutions include: Amherst College, Colby College, Dartmouth College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont, Wellesley College and Wheaton College. 

The Mellon grant will support initial pilot programing and assist in the development of administrative practices as well as future projects. Michael Lynch, director of the UConn’s Humanities Institute (UCHI), will serve as the consortium’s first executive director with its associate director, Alexis Boylan, taking the lead in directing grant-funded activities. 

“The northeast is a worldwide center for research in the humanities and this consortium will allow us to do something genuinely new—to embark on initiatives that no single institution could accomplish on their own,” says Lynch. “UCHI is tremendously proud to be a part of this important endeavor.”

Two pilot projects the Mellon Foundation funding will support are a working group that seeks to aid in supporting, mentoring, and creating research collaborations for faculty of color in New England. The second is a lecture series, “Time’s Up: What Now?,” which will move between students, faculty, and speakers across three campuses to serve as a model for future joint speaker and faculty events.

“The consortium and the Mellon grant offers new possibilities and collaborations that we haven’t even imagined. Collectively our voices are stronger to elevate our discipline’s dialogue and their impact in society.” Says URI Director Professor Annu Palakunnathu Matthew.

For more go to https://nehc.uconn.edu/