Message from the President & Director
A Look Back at 2020–21
Discussing the unusual challenges of operating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHC President and Director Robert D. Newman notes “…the determination of our staff and Fellows to care for each other and to make the most of the fellowship year was inspiring.” Watch this video for an overview of the Center and its work throughout 2020–21.
Forging a (Safe) Community
A hallmark of the NHC fellowship experience is the intellectual community that emerges when gifted scholars are given the chance to work alongside one another, share meals, and form seminars and writing groups based on their shared interests. Fellows form lasting personal and professional connections, gain fresh perspectives, and find themselves energized by new ideas.
Approximately half of this year’s Fellows spent the year working remotely
Nurturing that community during the COVID-19 pandemic was a major objective for the year, a goal made even more challenging by the fact that approximately half of this year’s Fellows spent the year working remotely, interacting with their colleagues exclusively through digital means.
Despite these challenges, Fellows’ enthusiasm and determination to make the most of their fellowship coupled with the ingenuity and commitment of NHC staff contributed significantly to a sense of bonhomie and an environment of scholarly productivity. Like classes before, their shared passion and collective intellectual generosity produced an enduring sense of community—a testament to their resilience, dedication, and their support for one another.
Giving Teachers Vital Support
The events of the past year have presented significant challenges for teachers—disruptions in school schedules; students with families strained psychologically, financially, and logistically, as well as their own anxieties about the immediate and lasting impacts of the pandemic. All of this has been in addition to the difficult task of keeping students engaged in a digital classroom setting.
The Center’s new offerings inspire teachers to think more expansively
In the midst of this, the Center’s education programs were more vitally needed than ever. Over 5,000 educators subscribed to the Center’s new Humanities in Class Digital Library—an Open Education Resource Commons site—where teachers can access high quality teaching materials from the Center and over 40 content partners designed to satisfy curricular standards and students’ interests. The Center’s new offerings such as its “Medieval Africa and Africans course,” created in partnership with the Medieval Academy of America, address gaps in subject knowledge and inspire teachers to think more expansively about ways to help their students make connections and see the world through a historically-accurate lens.
In addition to primary source materials, lesson plans, media-based tutorials, and scholarly essays, the Center offers popular webinars and online courses that allow teachers at all levels to directly interact with experts and expand their subject knowledge on a wide variety of topics.
Highlighting the Value of the Humanities
Through its public programs and digital initiatives, the Center makes scholarly insights available to audiences within and beyond the academic world. With the ongoing pandemic, nearly all of these activities were digitally-based in 2020–21, including a continuation of our virtual book talks, which were presented in three distinct series on the topics of racial injustice, American democracy, and conflict and resolution. In addition, the Center hosted two “Scholar-to-Scholar” discussions featuring 2020–21 Fellows discussing the price of injustice and the relationship between teachers and students.
The NHC seeks to facilitate conversations about important contemporary issues
The biggest event of the year, however, was the Center’s virtual “In Our Image” conference, exploring the critical intersection between artificial intelligence and the humanities. This multidisciplinary event examined issues involving artificial intelligence in a series of presentations, conversations, webinars, film screenings, and an art exhibition. With contributions from leading humanists, software developers, artists, and writers, the conference’s robust conversations led to a series of podcast episodes created by graduate student attendees and a teaching resource for teachers.
Finally, in 2020 the Center launched an initiative in partnership with medical schools in different regions of the U.S., training students to gather personal accounts of the COVID-19 crisis from frontline healthcare workers. By curating, archiving, and sharing these narratives, the NHC seeks to facilitate conversations about important contemporary issues in healthcare. Selections from this growing oral history collection will be made available for public consumption in 2022 as part of an online exhibit “Charting Crisis: Collective Storytelling in an Age of COVID-19.”
By the Numbers
Fellows
from fifteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, and Uganda
Scholarly Works
(including chapters, articles, and essays) produced in full or in part by 2020–21 Fellows
subscribers and registrants for NHC educational resources
24K
Downloads and Streams
of NHC digital resources for public audiences
37
College and University Sponsors
including Duke University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University
42
Live, Interactive Webinars
17,303 registrations from 49 states and 47,410 professional development hours earned
1.1M+
Social Media Impressions
across Center social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Leadership
Knowledge
The Fellows
Thirty-two scholars from institutions across the United States as well as Canada, China, and Uganda spent the year as Fellows of the National Humanities Center in 2020–21 working on projects from a wide range of humanities disciplines.
Marcus Anthony Allen
North Carolina A&T State University
Melissa Bailes
Tulane University
Emily Baragwanath
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brandi C. Brimmer
Spelman College
Ryan E. Emanuel
North Carolina State University
Fernando Esquivel-Suárez
Spelman College
Bryna Goodman
University of Oregon
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Independent Scholar
Rivi Handler-Spitz
Macalester College
Janny HC Leung
The University of Hong Kong
Jordynn Jack
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michael Johnston
Purdue University
Tong King Lee
The University of Hong Kong
Adriane Lentz-Smith
Duke University
Keith D. Miller
Arizona State University
Gregg Mitman
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Christoper Moore
The Pennsylvania State University
Georgia Mouroutsou
King’s University College at Western University Canada
Martin Munro
Florida State University
Joan Neuberger
University of Texas at Austin
James Ocita
Makerere University, Uganda
Eli Park Sorensen
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Helmut Puff
University of Michigan
Mrinalini Rajagopalan
University of Pittsburgh
Gabriel N. Rosenberg
Duke University
Crystal R. Sanders
The Pennsylvania State University
Mitra Sharafi
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Lester Tomé
Smith College
Aarthi Vadde
Duke University
Rachel Watson
Howard University
Saundra Weddle
Drury University
Molly Worthen
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Resident Associates
In addition to Fellows, the Center was pleased to welcome these scholars who were also in residence during the 2020–21 academic year.
Kathlene Baldanza
The Pennsylvania State University
Neşe Özgen
Duke University
Robert S. Schine
Middlebury College
Robert Weddle
Drury University
Books by Fellows
Recently published books that have been added to the Robert F. and Margaret S. Goheen Collection of work by NHC Fellows
The exceptional work NHC Fellows produce consistently garners praise and attention from other scholars as well as prizes and other forms of professional recognition. A list of books that have recently received prizes can be found here.
Mbira’s Restless Dance: An Archive of Improvisation
Paul F. Berliner
The Art of Mbira: Musical Inheritance and Legacy
Paul F. Berliner
Journeys through the Russian Empire: The Photographic Legacy of Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky
William Craft Brumfield
Prague: Belonging in the Modern City
Chad Bryant
Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court
Orville Vernon Burton
The Cambridge Companion to Environmental Humanities
Stephanie Foote
South Asian Sovereignty: The Conundrum of Worldly Power
David Gilmartin
The Objectionable Li Zhi: Fiction, Criticism, and Dissent in Late Ming China
Rivi Handler-Spitz
Mother Tongues: Poems
Tsitsi Ella Jaji
Before Sufism: Early Islamic Renunciant Piety
Christopher Melchert
Before the Raj: Writing Early Anglophone India
James Mulholland
Freedomville: The Story of a 21st-Century Slave Revolt
Laura T. Murphy
The Yorùbá: A New History
Akinwumi Ogundiran
Further Reading
Matthew Rubery
The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa, 900 to 1930
David L. Schoenbrun
The Jamaica Reader: History, Culture, Politics
Matthew J. Smith
Financials
As of June 30, 2021
Statement of Financial Position
VIEW REPORT
| wdt_ID | Assets | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cash and cash equivalents | 2,146,517 |
| 2 | Grants receivable | 916,618 |
| 3 | Promises to give | 443,876 |
| 4 | Prepaid expenses and other receivables | 54,923 |
| 5 | Property and equipment, net of depreciation | 1,807,391 |
| 7 | Investments | 90,957,322 |
| 8 | Total Assets | 96,326,647 |
| 10 | Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 235,946 |
| 11 | Deferred revenue | 113,910 |
| 13 | Net assets, without donor restrictions | 1,815,587 |
| 14 | Net assets, with donor restrictions | 94,161,204 |
| 15 | Total Net Assets | 95,976,791 |
| 16 | Total Liabilities and Net Assets | 96,326,647 |
Statement of Support and Revenue
VIEW REPORT
| wdt_ID | Assets | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contributions, gifts, and grants | 2,026,497 |
| 2 | Net investment return | 21,359,095 |
| 3 | Program income | 250,468 |
| 4 | Miscellaneous income | 417,644 |
| 5 | Total Support and Revenue | 24,053,704 |
| wdt_ID | Expenses | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Program Services | |
| 2 | Scholarly Programs | 2,933,264 |
| 3 | Education Programs | 931,490 |
| 4 | Public Outreach | 770,468 |
| 5 | Total Program Services | 4,635,222 |
| 6 | Supporting Services | |
| 7 | Management and general | 449,865 |
| 8 | Fundraising | 330,202 |
| 9 | Total Supporting Services | 780,067 |
| 10 | Total Expenses | 5,415,289 |
| 11 | Surplus (Deficit) | 18,638,415 |
Supporters
Supporters
The National Humanities Center is an independent, privately incorporated institute supported by grants and contributions from public and private sources. The Center also has a permanent endowment, valued at $91.7 million on June 30, 2021, that provided expendable income covering approximately 67 percent of its annual operating costs.
Thank You
The National Humanities Center gratefully acknowledges the generosity of all the individuals, corporations, foundations, and institutions that provided support for the Center and its programs in 2020–21. In addition to their financial support, the Center is also grateful to Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for their library and technical assistance.
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Individual Gifts
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Institutional and Corporate Sponsors
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Grants and Foundations
View our full list of supporters
Excellence
Leadership
Staff & Trustees
Staff of the Center (as of June 30, 2021)
Brooke Andrade
Director of the Library
Matthew Booker
Vice President for Scholarly Programs
Heidi N. Camp
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Joel Elliott
Information Technology Coordinator
Margo Francis
Accounting Manager
Olympia Friday
Digital Engagement and Marketing Coordinator
James Getkin
Dining Room Manager
Sarah Harris
Associate Librarian
Martha Johnson
Executive Assistant for Institutional Advancement
Jacqueline Kellish
Curator, Humanities Moments Project
Jason King
Online Resources Manager
Nollie McDonald
Staff Accountant
Joe Milillo
Assistant Librarian
Lynn Miller
Scholarly Programs Manager
Andy Mink
Vice President for Education Programs
Karen Mudd
Administrative Support
Robert D. Newman
President and Director
Tom Reed
Dining Room Staff
Don Solomon
Director of Communications
Jodie St. Laurent
Executive Assistant to the President and Director
Elizabeth G. Taylor
Education Programs Coordinator
Stephanie Tucker
Vice President for Operations/Chief Financial Officer
Michael Williams
Education Projects Manager
Trustees
The Center is governed by a distinguished board of trustees from academic, professional, and public life.
David Blackbourn
Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Chair of History, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
David Bromwich
Sterling Professor of English, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Ric Burns
Filmmaker, Steeplechase Films, Inc., New York, NY
Nancy Cable
University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
Dennis M. Campbell
Former Professor of Theology and Dean of Duke Divinity School, Duke University; J. Carter Walker Chair and Headmaster Emeritus, Woodberry Forest School, Durham, NC
Willo Carey
Former Broadcast Executive, WHYY, St. Davids, PA
William D. Cohan
Author and Journalist, Special Correspondent, Vanity Fair, New York, NY
Joy Connolly
President, American Council of Learned Societies, New York, NY
J. Porter Durham Jr.
Managing Partner and General Counsel, Global Endowment Management, LP, Charlotte, NC
Annette Gordon-Reed
Professor, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
Pamela Hendrickson
COO and Vice Chairman, Strategic Initiatives, The Riverside Company, New York, NY
Rishi Jaitly
CEO, Times Bridge, Charlottesville, VA
William C. Jordan
Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Karen R. Lawrence
President, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
Richard Levy
President, H.B.D., Inc., Greensboro, NC
Jane O. Newman*
Professor, Comparative Literature, School of Humanities, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA
Robert D. Newman
(NHC President), Director, National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC
Vincent E. Price
President, Duke University, Durham, NC
Carol Quillen
President, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
Harriet Ritvo*
Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Peter J. Rogers Jr.
Board Charman, B4Checkin Ltd., Washington, DC
Ann Wierda Rowland*
Associate Professor of English, University of Kansas, Kansas City, MO
Joshua Ruch
(Board Vice Chair), Managing Partner, Rho Capital Partners, New York, NY
Thomas J. Scherer
(Board Secretary), General Counsel, Aegon Asset Management, Chicago, IL
Lisa Schroeder
President, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA
Joan Hinde Stewart*
President Emerita, Hamilton College, Durham, NC
Mark E. Thierfelder
Partner and Chair, Global Corporate and Securities Practice, Dechert, LLP, New York, NY
Ben Vinson III*
(Board Chair), Provost and Executive Vice President, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Bruce D. VonCannon
Managing Director/Responsible Officer, Vanheel Management Ltd, Hong Kong
Raymond J. Wiacek
(Board Treasurer), Partner, Jones Day, Washington, DC
A. Morris Williams Jr.
President, Williams & Company, West Conshohocken, PA
Michael Witmore
Director, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC
Susan Wolf*
Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Trustees Emeriti
The Center is governed by a distinguished board of trustees from academic, professional, and public life.
John F. Adams
James H. Averill
Peter A. Benoliel
Elizabeth Birkelund
Caroline Walker Bynum
W. Robert Connor
Andrew Delbanco*
Blair Effron
Frances Ferguson*
Frances Daly Fergusson
Catherine Gallagher*
Merril Halpern
Geoffrey Harpham
Robert Hollander
Michael Ann Holly
Philip S. Khoury
Shepard Krech III*
Thomas W. Laqueur*
William Leuchtenburg*
Martin E. Marty
Assad Meymandi, MD, PHD, DLFAPA
William M. (Bill) Moore Jr.
Patricia R. Morton
Francis Oakley*
John C. O’Hara Jr.
Carl Pforzheimer III
Lawrence R. Ricciardi
Cara W. Robertson*
Sally Dalton Robinson
Benno Schmidt Jr.
John Searle
Isaac Shapiro, Esq.
Patricia Meyer Spacks*
Robert Strassler
Jonathan G. Weiss
Herbert Winokur Jr.
Pauline R. Yu
* Fellow