Rob Townsend

Maintenance grants only for priority courses ‘deeply concerning’ Using financial incentives to influence student choice risk undermining Labour’s widening access goals, critics fear

“Prioritising a narrow set of disciplines could mean we lose talented arts, humanities and social sciences graduates who help drive innovation and tackle huge societal challenges. Student choice is vital.” bit.ly/3KAReIQ

"Trump’s attack on the humanities has directly affected Harvard where we’ve lost $360,000 worth of federal grants for humanities scholarship." bit.ly/3Kuh6WS

Passion outweighs profit for UA humanities majors Despite these odds, many UofA students are choosing creative paths.

"He suggested that “soft skills” should be called “essential skills” because they are important both interpersonally and in the workplace." bit.ly/4onhqFB

‘Introduction to Creative Nonfiction’ is Brown’s most popular humanities class. Here’s how professors teach it. 764 students from the classes of 2022 through 2024 took the course during their time at Brown.

"making it the humanities course with the highest enrollment over that period." bit.ly/4pSRHWX

San Antonio leader makes big donation to School of Humanities - Trinitonian A $25 million donation from the Carlos Alvarez Foundation is establishing the Carlos Alvarez School of Arts and Humanities, according to Trinity’s announcement on Sept. 26. In an exclusive interview w...

"A $25 million donation from the Carlos Alvarez Foundation...will implement an endowed dean position, endowed professorships, humanities scholarships and provide new research and internship opportunities" bit.ly/48NMwBn

Harmony Labs - Humanities Unbound Mapping public attitudes about the humanities in media culture

"The best way to get audiences to care about the humanities is by making humanities content they like. Early testing shows how engaging with videos that show the practice of the humanities can move some audiences to support the humanities." bit.ly/3KuZ32K

July Update from the Director Listening tour gathers hopes and ideas so we can rebuild and reimagine a future for the humanities in Wisconsin. Please support us!

"Wisconsin Humanities has launched a statewide listening tour aimed at rebuilding and reimagining a future for the humanities in Wisconsin." bit.ly/4gSmQWs

Syracuse University Pauses Admission for 20 Undergraduate Majors, Including Fine Arts and Digital Humanities The decision was made by the institution's senate in its first meeting of the 2025-26 academic year.

Humanities taking a big hit at Syracuse University, as they pause admissions for 20 majors, including African American, Middle East, and Jewish studies; classics; Digital Humanities; religion; and French, German, Italian, and Russian languages.
bit.ly/48cl5kE

White House dismisses majority of National Council on the Humanities The White House dismissed the majority of members on the National Council on the Humanities on Wednesday. Just four of the 26 members remain on the council’s website: Russell Berman, Keegan Callana…

“the work of the National Council on the Humanities is important to the President and his vision for the country. The President is hoping to place members on the board who align more closely with his vision.”
bit.ly/46vLTuU

White House fires much of the National Council on the Humanities The White House appeared to fire all but four members of the National Council on the Humanities, an advisory board to the head of the government’s grantmaking agency.

"The White House on Wednesday abruptly terminated a large share of the council members advising the National Endowment for the Humanities, retaining only four Trump appointees" bit.ly/46zIxHe

Arts degrees ‘more lucrative than working in trades’ Australian study finds that philosophers outearn motor mechanics – on average

“An arts degree is a good proposition compared to a trade certificate... There would have to be a dramatic oversupply of persons with an arts degree to remove the premium associated with the degree.” bit.ly/3KtGQ5D

The future of humanities teaching in the AI age, according to Princeton professors Some professors are outright banning AI, turning assessments that used to be papers into in-class exams. Others are trying to work alongside AI, asking students to be transparent when they have used A...

"humanities professors discussed how they have adapted their classrooms to fit the new world of ChatGPT. Some professors are outright banning AI, turning assessments that used to be papers into in-class exams. Others are trying to work alongside AI" bit.ly/4gSAU23

"Modern Foreign Languages have been under particular threat over the past decade, with course enrolments having halved since 2011." bit.ly/4pLxgv7

Public and applied liberal arts program features entrepreneurship track A new public and applied liberal arts program combines traditional humanities education with practical career preparation, including an entrepreneurship track.

"Central Michigan University has introduced a new public and applied liberal arts program that combines traditional humanities education with practical career preparation, including an entrepreneurship track designed to bridge the gap between liberal arts and business." bit.ly/46xNXm4

Why Students Should Choose Humanities and Arts: Importance and Future Scope Humanities and Arts matter: Despite declining enrolments, AHSS courses offer critical thinking, creativity, and career opportunities in media, policy, and design.

"Globally, the creative and knowledge economy is expanding, with industries such as media, design, publishing, and entertainment becoming major employers. Humanities graduates, with their imagination, communication skills, and cultural literacy, are well placed to thrive"

bit.ly/42YQdR1

"in a society where evaluating arguments is the lifeblood of citizenship, Basic is not enough. Functional literacy is not civic literacy. The problem is not whether you can read. It’s whether you can reason." www.aei.org/op-eds/tylen...

STEM Arrogance: Is it a justified stance? - The Medium STEM majors are going to school to be doctors, engineers, and physicists—people who are making a lasting impact on society. So, isn’t it a good thing to be arrogant?— The Bates Student, 2019. There is...

"Arrogance in STEM often stems from disillusioned beliefs that their roles in society will be more impactful.... However, this dismisses the intellectual contributions that humanities studies can bring" bit.ly/3VH0mOu

Humanities grants CA colleges lost millions in canceled grants

"California colleges and universities are still missing over $5 million worth of humanities grants, despite one federal district court order to return funds to University of California campuses" bit.ly/4gLKi7L

Action Alert: Submit Comments to Oppose Visa Restrictions for Scholars - AHA The AHA has submitted a public comment to the Federal Register in response to a proposed regulation that would limit visas for foreign students and scholars to a length of four years. Written by AHA s...

AHA opposing "a proposed regulation that would limit visas for foreign students and scholars to a length of four years." Learn more and support the effort at bit.ly/3WeiJdy

Trump Admin. Cuts Some Teacher-Training Grants for English Learners The Trump administration has cut funding for some English learner PD grants, sparking confusion and prompting appeals.

"The U.S. Department of Education has halted some of the 107 grants from the only federal program specifically created to help teachers improve techniques for working with English learners." bit.ly/4nUnyVu

Diary of a Gen Z Student: Science can help with life — but the humanities make life worth living "Currently, it feels difficult to overstate how much we should value having citizens who are highly educated in history, sociology, politics, gender theory, and everything else the humanities have to ...

"We must be able to both analyse and criticise the world in which we live. Science can do a lot, but it can’t do that without the humanities." bit.ly/4nOFUXL

Funding changes ‘further threaten humanities’ in Australia Decline set to accelerate, as government puts block on over-enrolments

"Norton said broader factors – including the ubiquity of smartphones, which robbed teenagers of time and attention span – were likely to have dampened interest in the #humanities. He said high school reading scores had been edging downwards for over a decade." bit.ly/4novxdy

Opinion: Consider humanities’ modern value during Arts & Sciences pauses SU's decision to pause admission into certain majors in the College of Arts and Sciences has sparked confusion among students. Our columnist argues these programs serve a vital purpose and help foster...

"It isn’t reasonable to expect everybody to major in humanities, but these topics are valuable in cultivating knowledge. We must pour more effort into what will make us better people, not just what will make us the most money." bit.ly/46ArcwJ

How One University Is Reimagining a Humanities Ph.D. Program Carnegie Mellon is turning its literary and cultural studies Ph.D. program into one focused on computational cultural studies. The reframe comes as many humanities graduate programs face an uncertain ...

“We need to be more explicit that the skills that we’re teaching either directly or indirectly through the humanities and social sciences are crucial to people being great employees.” bit.ly/42GGdf1

How liberal arts meet workforce demands: Q&A with Robyn Hannigan, president of Ursinus College - Philadelphia Business Journal Across the nation, demographic shifts are shrinking the pool of traditional college-age students, public skepticism about cost is intensifying, and too many institutions are clinging to models that no...

"We introduced an AI minor and adopted an “AI for All” approach so that every student, regardless of major, can graduate with fluency in AI tools and their applications...Our job is to ensure students know how to use AI with judgment, creativity, and responsibility" bit.ly/46XWHkD

Where There Is Smoke, There Is Likely Fire - CEW Georgetown For months, the news cycle focused on the plight of recent college graduates and growing fears that entry-level workers are increasingly unable to compete with AI in today’s job market.

"The general education course requirements for undergraduate majors convey foundational skills and knowledge across broad fields of study, which in turn prepare students to apply what they’ve learned in a wide variety of contexts." bit.ly/3Ka9WXH

Column: Make a hard mode for humanities "Make a humanities track that is actually difficult. You might learn something personally and culturally valuable along the way. It wouldn’t be for everyone, and that would be the point."

"UNC should create a new program: “Humanities – But Actually Difficult.” H-Baddies, as the students would call themselves, would form an intellectual clique on campus." bit.ly/4pDigPF

Can community colleges save the humanities — especially in the age of AI? - Community College Daily In recent years, headlines have mourned the “death” of the humanities. Flagship universities are shuttering departments. Enrollments in English, history and philosophy are in freefall. Funding follows...

"To unlock the full potential of the humanities, community colleges must go beyond simply offering standalone general education courses. They need to redesign how humanities are delivered... to one that infuses humanistic skills and questions across all programs of study." bit.ly/48qkITt

UMich’s OVPR cuts block funding for arts and humanities This month, the University of Michigan’s Office of the Vice President for Research eliminated “block funding” for the arts and humanities.

"the University of Michigan’s Office of the Vice President for Research eliminated “block funding” for the arts and humanities, ending what faculty say was a flow of money that sustained small-scale, experimental and exploratory creative work since 2021" bit.ly/4mtjMRS

OPINION: Why humanities degrees still matter “What could you possibly do with that degree?”  If you’re pursuing a degree in a humanities field such as English, history, philosophy or the arts, you’ve likely heard this question more than once. Th...

"The arts and humanities help us deal with ethical dilemmas, preserve culture and understand perspectives different from our own. That insight matters not only in museums but also in voting booths, classrooms and boardrooms." bit.ly/4nf0Jfj