Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities Shelly Lowe Says Humanities are "Fundamental and Necessary" to a Thriving Society
"I often tell students the humanities take courage," Lowe says.
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Shelly C. Lowe, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), visited the UMass Amherst campus on March 3 to deliver a public lecture, Q&A, and roundtable discussion. The events, sponsored by the College of Humanities & Fine Arts, underscored the importance of humanities.
Lowe kicked off the day with a talk on her life and career, sharing her experience as a citizen of the Navajo Nation and her path from young girl growing up Arizona, to time spent in Cambridge, Mass., to life in Washington, D.C., as chair of the NEH.
"I never thought I'd be in this space," Lowe says of her difficulty envisioning herself in such a prominent role. "I had adopted someone else's vision of who should chair [this position]."
Inspired by Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, Lowe asked herself: What if I could amount to something? What if I could do this job?
"Deb reminded me my stories are powerful lessons, and that the humanities are what I do," Lowe says.
She said yes to the job and now oversees the NEH's $207 million budget, supporting projects and grants for libraries, universities, researchers, and more across the U.S. Through her work, she promotes the importance of the humanities.
"To me, the essence of humanities is really in the stories we tell. . . stories that guide us and tell us where to go," Lowe says. "The humanities are fundamental and necessary to a thriving country."
She said the humanities help us tell our stories and weave together the past, present, and future, addressing the things that matter most.
"I often tell students the humanities take courage," Lowe says. "It can be hard to confront our histories. But, in return, the humanities give us strength. . . The humanities are never about what I can achieve, but about what we can achieve—together."
Lowe concluded her talk by encouraging all to bravely and proudly share their stories and pursue work in the humanities.
"I always want students to know that there are great, non-academic jobs within the humanities," she says. "There's a misconception that the humanities are dying. But they're not."
Following the lecture, Director of Public Interest Technology Francine Berman moderated a roundtable conversation with HFA faculty on "The Current and Future State of Humanities Research." Lowe was joined by panelists Anne Kerth, assistant professor, W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies; Ned Markosian, professor, Department of Philosophy; Sarah Patterson, assistant professor, Department of English; Joseph Pater, professor and chair, Department of Linguistics; Emiliano Ricciardi, associate professor, Department of Music and Dance; Malcolm Sen, associate professor, Department of English; and Anthony Tuck, professor and chair, Department of Classics and Department of Languages, Literatures, & Cultures.
Lowe is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Ganado, Arizona. From 2015 to 2021 she served as a member of the National Council on the Humanities, the 26-member advisory body to NEH, an appointment she received from President Obama.
Lowe’s career in higher education has included roles as Executive Director of the Harvard University Native American Program, Assistant Dean in the Yale College Dean’s Office, and Director of the Native American Cultural Center at Yale University. Prior to these positions, she spent six years as the Graduate Education Program Facilitator for the American Indian Studies Programs at the University of Arizona.
Lowe has served in a variety of leadership roles nationally, most recently as a member of the University of Arizona Alumni Association Governing Board and of the Challenge Leadership Group for the MIT Solve Indigenous Communities Fellowship. In addition, Lowe has also served on the board of the National Indian Education Association and as a trustee on the board for the National Museum of the American Indian.
Lowe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a Master of Arts in American Indian Studies, and has completed doctoral coursework in Higher Education from the University of Arizona.