Dear Alumni and Friends,
This fall marks a significant moment for me as I reflect on my first term as dean and anticipate the exciting new initiatives that the next five years will bring. I am thrilled to be reappointed to the helm of the Division of the Humanities, particularly at a time of such great possibilities for our students and faculty. Please read more about the division’s proud accomplishments and our priorities for the future in this issue.
One particularly striking achievement is the launching of the Neubauer Family Collegium for Culture and Society, a joint venture with the Division of the Social Sciences that will establish a global destination in Chicago for innovative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research. The Neubauer Collegium builds on the University of Chicago’s longstanding reputation as an incubator for new schools of knowledge, drawing international scholars of the highest caliber to our campus. Learn more about how this initiative aims to transform the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
On campus and around the world, UChicago scholars are redefining the humanistic enterprise. In this issue of Tableau, we feature faculty members who have discovered unexpected for global collaboration at the University’s Center in Beijing. We also profile Peter Selz, AM’49, PhD’54, whose career as an art historian and curator has influenced the history of modern art.
We are pleased to introduce the division's eight newest faculty members, including one Neubauer Family Assistant Professor. All of these new colleagues will play important roles in shaping their respective fields and departments. This issue also includes stories from alumni who have applied their humanities education to entrepreneurial ventures and interviews with current graduate students who represent the increasingly diverse and global profile of the division.
If you are reading Tableau, you are a part of a vital community of individuals who are invested in humanities research and education at UChicago, whether as students, faculty, alumni, parents, donors, or intellectually curious friends. Each fall, this community comes together at Humanities Day, an annual event that gives our faculty members a chance to share their ideas with the general public. I invite you to join us on October 20 to participate in this exchange; learn more and register at humanitiesday.uchicago.edu.
Finally, I offer a special word of thanks to our donors, acknowledged by name on the Honor Roll. Joe and Jeanette Neubauer’s decision to endow the Collegium for Culture and Society furthers their commitment to the humanities at UChicago, and they are joined by hundreds of others whose ongoing support is crucial to our continued success. Also online, we showcase the recent books, awards, and creative endeavors of our faculty members and an impressive list of recent job placements by the graduates of our master's and PhD programs. We remember Ping-ti Ho and Leonard Linsky, distinguished emeritus professors who passed away in 2012.
Thank you for your engagement with the Division of the Humanities. I remind you that I am always pleased to receive any feedback you may wish to share. It is a privilege to be a part of this community, and I look forward to advancing our mission in my second term as dean.
Sincerely yours,
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Martha T. Roth
Dean of the Division of the Humanities