Announcing the Humanities@CMU Initiative
By Richard Scheines
Media InquiriesDear faculty, staff and students:
Since the great recession of 2008, the humanities have become less popular with students (and especially with parents). While this is undoubtedly true on a national level both for humanities degrees and humanities courses, at CMU enrollments in humanities courses have increased since 2008. Students majoring in the humanities at CMU are among the best in the nation, both compared to other humanities students but also compared to STEM students. Likewise, humanities faculty at CMU are among the finest scholars and researchers in their areas, with national and international reputations on par with those of their peers at institutions known for strength in the humanities. We thus have an excellent opportunity to create a distinctive CMU brand in which the humanities shine in their own right but are also integrated synergistically into all areas of a university that is known for its technological leadership.
In order to take advantage of this opportunity, and in response to the town hall on the humanities held in April 2019, the Dietrich College is launching the Humanities@CMU Initiative.