Syracuse Sun

At the heart of academia, humanities faculty conduct vital work, exploring the depths of human experience, history, and culture. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency established in 1965, stands as a key supporter of these efforts. In April alone, the NEH announced $26.2 million in grants for 238 humanities projects across the country.

As a leading funder of humanities programs, including several recent grants to faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the NEH plays a pivotal role in bolstering the work of humanities scholars, educators, and students. Through grants to cultural institutions, scholars, and educational initiatives, NEH promotes research, preserves cultural heritage, and fosters lifelong learning.

Claudia Kinkela, senior program officer in the division of research for the NEH, discussed the NEH grant evaluation process during her presentation at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center.

The arrival of Claudia Kinkela marked a milestone for humanities scholars across Central New York. Sponsored by the CNY Humanities Corridor, the March 1 event at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center saw 137 registrants eager to hear Kinkela’s insight on crafting competitive applications for agency funding. Her presentation provided attendees with invaluable knowledge about the NEH evaluation process.

Marcelle Haddix, associate provost for strategic initiatives, gave welcome remarks and noted the significance of the event: “This was such an important opportunity for all in the humanities and beyond. We will continue to elevate the importance of the work being done across our corridor community.”

As part of her visit, Kinkela engaged in one-on-one afternoon consultations with individuals developing existing projects.

“Having the opportunity to engage with Claudia Kinkela one-on-one was incredibly valuable,” says Roger Hallas, associate professor of English. “Her personalized feedback has not only helped me refine our NEH proposal but also provided me with a deeper understanding of public funding for the humanities.”

The gathering included registrants from 22 regional institutions and local nonprofit organizations such as Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Erie Canal Museum, and New York Folklore. All 11 corridor institutions were represented: Syracuse University; Cornell University; University of Rochester; Colgate University; Hamilton College; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Skidmore College; St. Lawrence University; Union College; Le Moyne College; and Rochester Institute of Technology. The Syracuse University Office of Research provided additional support for this event.

Sarah Workman played an instrumental role in securing this senior NEH officer site visit. Together with Aimee Germain and Vivian May from Syracuse University Humanities Center, Workman led event programming development.

“We were delighted to host Claudia Kinkela,” remarked Vivian May. “The breadth of regional engagement represents a thriving scholarly community across our consortium.”

The day began with an informal meet-and-greet over breakfast followed by workshop sessions led by Kinkela that offered a comprehensive overview of NEH programs tailored to faculty needs.

A highlight was a mock peer review panel moderated by Kinkela featuring Romita Ray from Syracuse University; Cherilyn Lacy from Hartwick College; and Celeste Day Moore from Hamilton College—all previous NEH fellowship recipients.

Attendees received practical tips for successful grant submissions: carefully review application guidelines before beginning; tailor each application appropriately; outline methods, sources, work plan, timeline; anticipate readers’ questions.

“The National Endowment for the Humanities fosters excellence,” says Duncan Brown from Syracuse University’s vice president for research office. “We are immensely grateful to NEH for their support.”

Recent SU recipients include Mariaelena Huambachano awarded a 2024 NEH Summer Stipend for her project on Indigenous women’s roles in transforming food systems; Johannes Himmelreich received funding under Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from Humanities program; Chris DeCorse received an Archeological Field Research grant.

Other A&S | Maxwell recipients include Romita Ray (2021) who received a collaborative research grant on Victoria Memorial Hall's historic architecture in Calcutta; Yüksel Sezgin (2019) who studied democratization within Islamic laws.

In December last year CNY Humanities Corridor convened a roundtable discussion on "Open Access Publishing" attended by more than 100 people featuring guests from MIT Press among others.

Complementing this was another event last fall designed to facilitate writing time for humanities faculty at Minnowbrook Conference Center providing space away from academic routines fostering progress on projects through supportive community interactions.

“Time is what faculty need,” shared Aimee Germain. “A few days at Minnowbrook can help people settle into their writing.” Applications for October 2025 retreat will open this fall.