Dear Medievalist Ecocritics, The NEH has quite suddenly changed its policy and will now fund Summer Institutes and Seminars only within the US, as described in the linked article. In 2001, I attended a fantastic seminar on Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and texts led by Paul Szarmach and Tim Graham at the British Library. This Seminar could not have run in that form within the US, because the materials are simply not available. The Seminar has been deeply influential on my subsequent work. As Martin Foys wrote, Ending all funding for all foreign-based summer NEH programming can only have a negative impact on Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Studies in America, and indeed on any discipline of study in America whose subject matter lies outside the country. If you are interested and have the time, please consider writing to the NEH regarding this decision. Below is a letter drafted by a Mediterranean scholars group that can serve as boilerplate and/or be adapted, along with email addresses for various NEH employees. Thank you. ============================================= (from the The Mediterranean Seminar): Dear Colleagues and Collaborators; We are writing to you because we have just received word (quite by surprise) from William Rice, Director of the Division of Educational Programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, stating that after this year only Institutes and Seminars that are held in the US or its territories will be funded. We are surprised and dismayed by this policy change, and disappointed that it has been announced as a fait accompli. We are puzzled why such an apparently arbitrary decision would be taken, and one that will undermine the quality of the pool of Institute and Seminar applications, and deprive would-be participants with what are often rare, career-changing experiences. To that end we have drafted the following boilerplate email message for those who might wish to write to the NEH and ask them to reconsider. You are welcome to customize (particularly the bolded text) as you see fit and to distribute as you think appropriate. We hope most or all of you will send a version of the letter to: * William Craig Rice [email protected] Director, Division of Education Programs as well as these individuals in William “Bro” Adams, the NEH Chairman’s office (the Chair’s email is not listed): * Gina Bono [email protected] Secretary to the Assistant Chairman * Gale Buster [email protected] Secretary to the Chairman * Caitlin Green [email protected] Special Assistant to the Chairman * Carole Watson [email protected] Deputy Chairman With best wishes, The Mediterranean Seminar ------------------ Suggested Email: Subject: New Policy on NEH Summer Institutes and Seminars To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Dear Mr. Rice I am joining with other scholars to express our surprise and dismay that the NEH has determined to discontinue supporting these programs unless they are held within the United States or its territories. We understand that the NEH has come under increasing budgetary pressure in recent years; however, we feel it continues to be crucial that the NEH support the best possible programming, and the best possible professional support for our Humanities scholars. Excluding Institutes on the basis of their geographical location seems at odds with this. A foreign-based NEH Summer Institute or Seminar provides many scholars with a rare opportunity to work abroad, to experience the places they study, to consult original documentation and artifacts, and to meet with foreign scholars and lay the groundwork for future collaborations. All of this enriches both the scholarship of these academics and the scholarly culture of our country. Moreover, our participating scholars act as scholarly and cultural ambassadors for the U.S., at a time when our country’s position as a leader in setting global cultural and intellectual trends is increasingly less secure. Cultural isolationism is a not an effective strategy either for our country or for the NEH. As faculty and participants, we can confirm that these Institutes have served as the springboard for many extremely productive collaborative scholarly projects and institutional collaborations with foreign counterparts which otherwise would not have taken place. In my own experience [personalize...] In sum, this decision represents a considerable loss to the NEH, and to U.S. scholarship. We are disappointed that the decision was taken apparently without consultation or the opportunity for discussion or debate. We sincerely hope that the NEH will reconsider, and at the least place a two or three-year moratorium on this policy until such a time as it can be carefully considered, and with the input of those whom it will affect most. Yours,
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:00:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015