Impact Report

Download THI’s 2022-2023 Annual Impact Report (PDF)

Cultivating a New Kind of Institute.

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz is a global hub for academic research, cross-discipline collaboration, and public engagement. We support the work of faculty and students, and collaborate with our community partners to tackle the questions that matter to all of us.

We incubate ideas and foster collaboration by funding projects, centers, and research clusters that connect different scholars (often in different disciplines) to work on some of the biggest problems of our day. We see the big picture and the details. We see the forest and the trees.

Understanding the Humanities Today

Humanities are not a luxury; they are a necessity. We live in an era of fake news, big data, and debates over free speech.

That is why we are committed to engaging with the broadest community possible—from first-generation students and scholars in every discipline, to local residents and anyone interested in making sense of our complex world.

History, Literature, Language, Philosophy—the core elements of the Humanities—are also basic building blocks of a liberal arts education. And this kind of education, for which UC Santa Cruz is justly famous, remains more important than ever as science and technology increasingly shape our world. The Humanities have always played a crucial role in producing engaged citizens and critical thinkers.

Get Involved with The Humanities Institute

Today more than ever, we need critical thinking, human understanding, abstract thought, and curiosity. These tools are essential to our understanding of the world and will help us chart our way in a constantly evolving culture and society.

What we do is as diverse as UC Santa Cruz’s student body. On any given day, the work we support could help frame breaking news from China, Algeria, or Venezuela. An understanding of Shakespeare’s use of language informs how we think of identity, gender, even humor. And responsible progress in Artificial Intelligence needs ethical thinking and humanistic underpinnings.

The skills of the Humanities are critical. The work of the Humanities is a public good and it’s up to our most inclusive public institutions, and their supporters, to advance this research and share it with a wide audience.

440

+

Public Programs (since 2012)

$

11,599,940

Extramural Funds (since 2009)

1,140

+

Fellows Supported (since 1999)

139

Research Projects

$

6,199,940

Research Fellowships (since 1999)

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YEAR IN REVIEW 2022-2023

Leading Public Engagement

We are engaging broad communities in dynamic Humanities scholarship through public events, campus and community partnerships, and experiential learning programs.

 

Community Impact by the Numbers

119

COMMUNITY EVENTS

-34

PUBLIC FELLOWS AND COMMUNITY-ENGAGED SCHOLARS

-37

COMMUNITY PARTNERS


Programming Highlights

DEEP READ
THI’s Deep Read program brings together students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the public to explore a compelling book by a living author. In 2023 we read Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert. The book explores the role that human ingenuity has played in creating climate change and the role it plays now in creating a sustainable future. Over 8,000 Deep Read subscribers were given the opportunity to read together, share their insights, and attend presentations from UCSC faculty and the book’s author in conversation with New York Times columnist and UCSC alum Ezra Klein.

TRAVEL
We dedicated 2022-2023 to the theme of Travel, and we hosted more than 170 events with scholars and public intellectuals that reached thousands of households around the world. Our theme opened up forums for discussions, promoted critical reflection, and offered fresh perspectives on Travel to highlight the power of the Humanities to make sense of our complex world and motivate new approaches for a more just future.

PUBLIC FELLOWSHIPS
Our Public Fellowships create opportunities for faculty and students to work with partners in our community. 26 scholars collaborated with more than 18 partners, including the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Prison Journalism Project, and the Center for the Art of Translation.


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YEAR IN REVIEW 2022-2023

Cultivating Excellence

The Humanities Institute provides scholars with vital support to pursue groundbreaking research and public humanities projects. We incubate ideas by funding projects, centers, and clusters that enable faculty and students to ask innovative research questions.


Campus Impact by the Numbers

$

650,245

Graduate Support

86 fellows, mentors, and instructors

$

275,178

Faculty Support

95 faculty, 54 projects

$

107,852

Undergraduate Support

42 fellows and research assistants

Recent Grant Highlights

ROUTES OF ENSLAVEMENT IN THE AMERICAS 
Greg O’Malley (History)
UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives
$139,922

SOWING SEEDS: FILIPINO AMERICAN STORIES FROM THE PAJARO VALLEY 
Kathleen Cruz Gutierrez (History)
National Endowment for the Humanities
$75,000

UCSC JOINED THE ACLS RESEARCH UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM
“UC Santa Cruz has a distinctive reputation for creative interdisciplinary exploration across the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Its Humanities Institute is an exemplar of public engagement.” – ACLS President Joy Connolly

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Invest in THI

Support our work and invest in the next generation of critical thinkers and citizens, bold new research in the Humanities, and events that spark fresh thinking and keep your community talking. Stay curious. Get involved with The Humanities Institute today.

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