The following Message from President Killeen was emailed to all UIS employees on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the next phase of the Presidential Initiative to Celebrate the Impact of the Arts & Humanities, the Arts & Humanities Integration Initiative.

The arts and humanities play a critical role in society and in the education of our students, leading to graduates who are engaged citizens. The Arts & Humanities Integration Initiative reflects our commitment to expanding opportunities for faculty, staff, and students in the arts and humanities by committing up to $1.2M over three years to advance innovative work.

The Arts & Humanities Integration Initiative is designed to support innovative projects that demonstrate and extend the impact of the arts and humanities. The initiative will support and advance activities that benefit students, local communities, and society at large through integrated projects and/or opportunities for student engagement in experiential and creative activities.

Through an annual call for proposals, the Arts & Humanities Integration Initiative will provide funding for selected projects. A steering group with representation from the three universities and the U of I System will identify a broad theme for the annual call. Proposals outside the theme will also be accepted for review. Funding opportunities will include seed grants for integrated projects as well as mini-grants that support courses or student creative experiences.

Proposals will be evaluated by a separate review panel using established criteria including, centrality of arts/humanities; impact and visibility; interdisciplinary quality; feasibility; sustainability; and student opportunity.

The first call for proposals will be announced this fall along with information about the selected theme. Please visit our System website for more information and watch for an email announcing the initial call for proposals.

I look forward to seeing the creativity, scholarship, and engagement that will emerge through this initiative and learning more about the remarkable and innovative work of our faculty and staff in the arts and humanities.

Tim