Two College of Letters, Arts & Sciences faculty members earned a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant totaling $98,173 to explore their project, “To the Battlefield and Back Again: Conversations on War, Trauma and Life After Service.”
Max Shulman, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Jennifer Kling, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Center for Legal Studies, co-direct the grant-funded project, which is one of 225 projects across the U.S. to receive $24 million in NEH funding, the organization announced Wednesday.
“NEH is proud to support these 225 new projects, which embody excellence, intellectual rigor, and a dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, even as our nation and the humanities community continue to face the challenges of the pandemic,” said Adam Wolfson, acting NEH chairman. “We look forward to the contributions these projects will make to our understanding of ourselves and our society through exemplary humanities research, publications, documentary films, exhibitions, and undergraduate programs.”
The interdisciplinary project, housed within the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, is billed as a preparatory program and set of discussion groups for 60 veteran and active-duty service members from Colorado Springs and its surrounding areas. The project’s goal is to bring humanities to military community members while engaging UCCS faculty, students and veterans.
“The study of the Humanities is a foundational component of both curriculum and research at UCCS,” said Lynn Vidler, dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. “I’m thrilled, but not surprised, that our outstanding faculty have been entrusted with this significant award. Dr. Shulman’s and Dr. Kling’s work on veteran trauma and social reintegration will help us to better understand the impact of war – a uniquely human experience.”
Shulman and Kling’s project will receive more than 10% of the $858,000 in funding awarded to four total projects located in the State of Colorado.