Why Visioning?

Message from the Dean.

Building upon the success of last year’s inaugural Visioning Grants Program, I invite and encourage you, the faculty and the creative heart of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, to participate in the 2009-10 Visioning Grants Program. The rich and diverse projects funded last year are underway and we will be hearing from project directors in the near future as they report their progress. Those projects now underway are engaging our immediate University colleagues in a dialog with the humanities and fine arts, as well as the broader Western Massachusetts community. Last year’s grant recipients are listed on this web site to illustrate the range of innovation and research in which our faculty members are involved.

As the Request for Proposals notes, the key purposes of this year’s program are “to highlight areas of excellence within the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, to fill critical intellectual and programmatic gaps in the, and to identify and fund excellent initiatives that otherwise might be underdeveloped.” I’ve spoken with many of you individually and learned first hand about the richness of the research and creative activities in which you are engaged. Your dedication to the time-honored practices that form the very focus of our educational enterprise is unmatched. I encourage you to speak with your colleagues throughout the College, many of whom share your interests and enthusiasm, and submit an application during this grant application round.

I will announce the winners of the 2009-10 CHFA Visioning Grants at a special ceremony in the spring. So, once again I ask you to accept this invitation, join your colleagues, and share your ideas so we may continue this conversation.

Joel Martin, Dean

College of Humanities and Fine Arts