Slides from the plenary address I gave at the CIC workshop on "Humanities Research for the Public Good." 30 April 2022, Baltimore MD

1. Institutionalizing Public
Humanities Projects
Peter Kerry Powers
Dean, School of Arts, Culture and Society
Messiah University
ppowers@messiahedu

2. Center for
Public
Humanities
Thriving
Congregations
Digital
Humanities
Initiative

3. Common Features
• External Funding, but Not Enough
• Struggles with Bandwidth; Time, but Not Enough
• Student Research Components, but Mentoring Challenges
• Struggles with a Process of Change and Redefinition.
• Existing in a Larger Framework with Different Purposes.

4. Know Your Mission

5. “Messiah University is a Christian
university of the liberal and
applied arts and sciences. The
University is committed to an
embracing evangelical spirit rooted in
the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan
traditions of the Christian Church.
Our mission is to educate men and
women toward maturity of intellect,
character and Christian faith in
preparation for lives of service,
leadership and reconciliation in church
and society.”

6. KNOW YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN
• 2000-04: Develop School distinctives=CPH founded
• 2008-12: Technology Strategic Plan=DH founded
• 2012-16: Undergraduate Research=PH Fellows relaunch
• 2016-20: Common Good=Commonwealth Monument Project
• 2020-24: Digital Citizenship=??
• Ongoing: Diversity Strategic Plan=Ongoing Project focus
of most projects.

7. Know Your Policies
(To bend them to your will)
• Faculty Replacement Costs
• Faculty Hiring Criteria
• Faculty Promotion and Tenure
requirements
• Faculty Loading policies
• Student compensation parameters
• Grant indirect costs and buyout policies
• Curricular Policies

8. Know Your People
• Invest time in human capital
• Champion your champions.
• Flow around obstacles.
• Be willing to say no.
• Know when to say it's
enough.

9. Know Yourself
• A few thoughts on the idea of institutionalization

10. Institutionalizing Public
Humanities Projects
Peter Kerry Powers
Dean, School of Arts, Culture and Society
Messiah University
ppowers@messiah.edu