In a time of funding cuts and budget constraint, what is the direction of the humanities, and what are the prospects for humanists, especially those just beginning their careers?
In her lecture, "Advocacy and Coalition Building for Humanists Now," Cecily Hill (PhD ’14) will draw on her experiences as deputy director of the National Humanities Alliance to sketch a path forward. At the NHA Dr. Hill is on the front lines of the fight to preserve funding for the NEH, the NEA, and other organizations in a difficult moment, and she works with member organizations like the MLA and other humanities advocates to “bolster undergraduate humanities enrollments, promote public engagement with the humanities, and increase funding for the humanities.” One of Hill's central contentions is that all humanists—including graduate students—should be advocates for the humanities.
In this moderated conversation, Hill will discuss how a PhD in English led to her career as a registered lobbyist, and she’ll share thoughts on how we might all make the case for the value of the humanities at Ohio State, in Columbus, or even on Capitol Hill.
Cecily Erin Hill is the deputy director of the National Humanities Alliance. In this role, she oversees research into the impact of federal funding for the humanities, devises strategy for communicating about that impact, and supports projects across the organization. Previously, she led the NEH for All and Community Case Study initiatives, which focused on the impact of the humanities on public life in the United States. Prior to joining NHA, Cecily served as marketing and Communications Director for Books@Work (now Reflection Point), a public humanities nonprofit based in Cleveland, OH. She has published in Studies in English Literature, 1500–1900, and Women’s Writing and has taught writing and literature at The Ohio State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. She holds a BA and an MA from the University of Southern Mississippi and a PhD in English from The Ohio State University.
