Garnett S. Stokes, President - The University of New Mexico Board of Regents | University of New Mexico
Garnett S. Stokes, President - The University of New Mexico Board of Regents | University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico-Valencia campus has announced the receipt of a new grant, which they describe as ‘revolutionary’ for their humanities curriculum. The grant, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is titled ‘Centering Humanities Curriculum around Cultural Relevance at a Small, Rural, Hispanic-Serving Institution.’
This two-year project aims to develop a culturally-sustaining humanities curriculum and offer undergraduate research opportunities that emphasize local Hispanic and Indigenous authors and history.
“Our goal is to create new curricular frameworks in several of our Humanities classes that emphasize culturally relevant and sustainable pedagogy in the classroom,” said Dean of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer Laura Musselwhite. “Our population at Valencia is 64% Hispanic/Latino, so we want to use local history as a theme in these classes and expand undergraduate research."
Musselwhite noted that out of 71 applications submitted for the grant, only 16 were awarded, with UNM-Valencia being one of the recipients. The grant amounts to $60,000 over the next two years, starting July 1, 2024.
“We have had grants in the past that allowed us to focus on STEM undergraduate research but we have said for a long time we want to expand it into non-STEM areas, so having this funding will put more emphasis on humanities undergraduate research. That's great -- it’s been a goal for a while," Musselwhite added.
This marks the first NEH grant received by the branch.
“We have targeted five classes to begin with across various areas of Humanities, and then we want to expand it," Musselwhite stated. “It’s going to provide a new way of looking at that subject matter for the faculty members and the students."
Musselwhite expressed hope that emphasizing the humanities would increase student interest in various educational programs offered at UNM-Valencia.
"It will help us get the word across more effectively to students that the Humanities is an area where they can find careers and grow," she concluded.
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