July 25: The Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the University of Colorado Boulder has received a $3 million Endowments for Advancing the Humanities Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The federal award, which will be matched by $3 million in private philanthropic commitments, will establish a permanent endowment to support the development of a multidisciplinary academic program integrating the study of the Western tradition with American history, government and civics.
The endowment will provide long-term support for expanded undergraduate curricular and co-curricular opportunities, faculty recruitment and retention, K–12 partnerships and public engagement.
“This award confirms the central role of the humanities at CU Boulder,” said Katherine Eggert, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The award’s impact will extend throughout the College of Arts and Sciences. We look forward to working with faculty across the college to enrich educational offerings for all CU Boulder undergraduates through this opportunity.”
The program will build on CU Boulder’s existing academic strengths by supporting humanities faculty across departments and programs as they expand the Benson Center’s course offerings and develop a multidisciplinary curriculum focused on the Western tradition and American history, government and civics.
The curriculum will introduce students to texts, events, people and ideas that have shaped America and the Western world—from the classical and Biblical traditions through the American founding to the modern age. It is designed to encourage critical study of influential texts while strengthening students’ historical literacy, analytical skills and civic understanding.
“This program will build on CU Boulder’s existing academic strengths and foster a vibrant and multidisciplinary intellectual community dedicated to the study of the Western tradition and its ongoing influence on our world today,” said Joseph Porter, Benson Center director of undergraduate studies, associate teaching professor and principal investigator on the awarded proposal. “I am confident it will deepen countless students’ understanding of texts, events, people and ideas that have profoundly shaped the modern world.”
The award was announced as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Endowments for Advancing the Humanities program.