ROCK ISLAND, IL – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) is announcing $224,655 awarded from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to Augustana College and Monmouth College to advance the humanities in Northwestern Illinois.
“I am proud to announce these two prestigious awards given to Monmouth College and Augustana College for the purposes of supporting educators and advancing the study of the humanities across our region,” said Sorensen. “Colleges and Universities here in Central and Northwestern Illinois are once again putting the talent of our students and the tenacity of our educators on full display.”
“The NEH Summer Institute that Monmouth College Classics will offer in 2024 will put a national spotlight on Monmouth’s talented faculty, beautiful campus, and excellent facilities, and it will provide a notable financial boost to the College and to a breadth of contributing educators. The twenty-five superb K-12 teachers from around the nation who are chosen for the Institute will spend its two weeks learning primarily from the co-directors, Monmouth Classics professor Bob Holschuh Simmons and 2021 Louisiana Teacher of the Year Nathalie Roy, who both have been among the nation’s leaders in promoting hands-on approaches to Classics. Supplementing and assisting in that instruction will be five current Monmouth faculty members, one retiree, one alumna, one current student, one professor from each of Augustana College, Knox College, and the University of Illinois, and high school teachers from Chicago and Alabama. This session will provide welcome summer wage boosts to all of that talent. Monmouth College, as well, will realize a significant windfall through payments for facilities, administrative costs, and participants’ lodging and food,” said Robert Holschuh Simmons, Associate Professor and Chair of Classics at Monmouth College.
“Augustana’s commitment to its Swedish roots is demonstrated by this award and our thriving partnerships, including student exchange programs and President Andrea Talentino’s selection to speak during Higher Education Week at Uppsala University in October,” said Augustana College Provost Dr. Dianna Shandy.
The NEH is awarding Monmouth College $174,657 to establish a two-week training institute for 25 K-12 teachers to study ancient Olympics and ancient Mediterranean life through hands-on instruction and activity. According to the college, the experiential education model will help the teachers instill a deeper appreciation and understanding for the humanities and ancient living in their students.
The NEH is also awarding $48,998 to Augustana College for the purpose of preserving valuable records at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center. Specifically, the funding will be used to hire two expert consultants to find ways to improve facilities to ensure archives are protected for future generations of researchers.
These two prestigious NEH awards come as part of 280 recently announced awards for humanities projects across the country.