The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute has signed on to the National Humanities Alliance’s statement on threats to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The statement was issued in response to news that the Department of Government Efficiency has targeted the NEH for dramatic cuts to its staff and funding. More recent news suggests that these funding cuts will include rescinding current and ongoing grants.
UCHI is the current recipient of an NEH grant that supports research on artificial intelligence (AI), large language models, and the ethical dimensions of how these technologies stand to shape how we see our past, present, and future. That funding has made it possible for us to support the production of new scholarship, contributed to our capacity to support graduate student workers, and allowed us to disseminate humanities research on a topic vital to our world today to a broad audience.
As the National Humanities Alliance (NHA) reminds us, “cutting NEH funding directly harms communities in every state,” including Connecticut.
The NHA has provided a list of actions that can be taken by those who wish to oppose these cuts. They are also asking for individuals to share how they, their organizations, and their communities are being affected by cuts to NEH funding.
Anyone at UConn who has received notice of grant termination should contact ovpr@uconn.edu with the subject heading “grant termination.” OVPR is checking these emails daily in order to get a complete picture across the university.
