Dear Colleagues,
Now that UW has attained Carnegie Research 1 (R1) status, my sincere thanks go out to the faculty, staff, and students who are and have been diligently involved in research and graduate education. The Research and Economic Development Division (REDD) continues to find ways to promote interdisciplinary convergence to benefit Wyoming, including ground-breaking research and innovation, transformation of education, and preparation of a competitive workforce for industries of the future. As we continue to do this, we strive to ensure that all disciplines representing the breadth of UW campus expertise are supported, valued, and celebrated. The focus of this REDD newsletter to you is on humanities.
It’s likely that, when you think about research at UW, the first thing that comes to mind is either scientific or engineering research. What many people don’t tend to think about is the valuable research produced each year by humanities faculty and students on campus, much of which gets quietly translated into benefits for the residents and communities of Wyoming. Despite the recent headwinds faced by humanities, I want to assure you that REDD is fully committed to understanding and fostering strengths of our humanities research portfolio and addressing the needs of humanities faculty.
In October 2024, more than 200 people gathered to attend the first-ever University of Wyoming Humanities Summit (a.k.a. “HumSum”). The event featured several speakers and panelists from renowned institutions as the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH), the Mellon Foundation and the National Humanities Center (even a speaker from the U.S. Department of State!) to discuss and engage on a wide swath of humanities in higher education issues. This inaugural event itself was an undeniable success, but more importantly it yielded several critically positive outcomes for UW, not the least of which was a commitment to continue to support humanities research broadly through the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research (WIHR) as well as through REDD’s Research Development Office (RDO).
WIHR largely serves as a vehicle for supporting, enhancing and showcasing humanities projects, research, and achievements. Last year WIHR concluded a five-year self-study and review of its performance; the results of the self-study were then reviewed by a committee of internationally known experts in humanities research. The committee met in person, listened to various stakeholders and made recommendations in a report on how to improve the Institute’s performance, governance, management structure, financial sustainability, and programming. The public report is available for download here.
To respond to the recommendations outlined in the report, REDD has launched a listening and synthesis initiative led by Chelsea Escalante, REDD’s first-ever Humanities Faculty Fellow. Chelsea was selected through a competitive process from a pool of highly qualified applicants, and is now tasked with gathering faculty perspectives across campus to address these key questions:
Chelsea is currently engaging with faculty in departmental meetings across humanities disciplines. The next steps include distribution of a faculty-wide survey, holding discussions with key external stakeholders, and organizing a retreat at the Neltje Center on April 4–5, 2025. Approximately 20 faculty members will be invited to collaborate on refinement and finalization of recommendations.
These recommendations will help us reimagine and positively redirect WIHR’s activities. We are now inviting applications for the next Director of WIHR, who will start in the position from summer or fall of 2025 (more information about this position can be found here). All applications received before March 11, 2025 will receive full consideration. Interested applicants should include CV and a statement of interest describing a vision for WIHR in less than two pages. Questions and applications should be sent to pchitnis@uwyo.edu.
