The major concern to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole, is the need to restore humanities to its rightful place in higher education and civil discourse. There is a rising tide of vocationalism questioning the necessity of liberal arts education.

There needs to be public engagement and awareness of the importance of the humanities, said Cole. “We have an obligation not merely to claim, but demonstrate that humanities are ever renewing gifts that enlighten and enrich the lives of our citizens.”

Cole recently spoke at Vanderbilt in honor of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities 20th Anniversary and as part of the Chancellor’s lecture series.

In addition to concerns over vocationalism, the most significant development in the humanities in the past decade that Cole has been chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has been the rise of the digital age.

“The scale of materials available has exploded,” Cole said. “Digitization can allow collaboration between scholars that spans continents and oceans.”

Digitization has become so important that the NEH has recently created a permanent Office of Digital Humanities.

“Digital technology will revolutionize the humanities through increased collaboration,” said Cole. “This data-driven scholarship will allow the humanist to ask new questions and have access to new knowledge.”

Cole has also been instrumental in starting the "We the People" and "Picture America" projects. We the People works to expand the teaching and understanding of American history and culture. "Picture America" works to get copies of masterpieces of American art into classrooms so students can “see” history. Thirty-two Nashville-area schools participate in these programs.


Contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS
Missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu