Newman University was recently awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the project “Emphasis in Technology and Human Values (ETHV).”
This three-year project is led by co-directors Cheryl Golden, professor of history and director of international studies, and Jamey Findling, associate professor of philosophy. The goal is to implement a technology and human values certificate at Newman.
“The aim of the ETHV program is to develop connections between the humanities and professional disciplines such that students and faculty can understand the vital role that the humanities play in developing the skills and competencies that students need to excel in their professions while developing and placing into action those values that Newman hopes to instill in our graduates,” Golden says.
She explained that faculty and students from a number of programs will benefit from the grant, including those in history, philosophy, criminal justice, biology, psychology and more.
The work to create the ETHV certificate will ultimately tackle a number of issues.
Golden shared that contemporary advances in technology promise benefits for humanity across a seemingly limitless range of applications. On the flip side, they pose serious challenges to efforts to promote human flourishing and even to peoples’ understanding of what it means to be human.
It is confirmation that we are doing excellent work at Newman, that we are indeed developing programming that is mission-driven with a proven track record of preparing students to enter and transform our world.
Cheryl Golden, professor of history and director of international studies
“We interact with technologies that track our movements, map our faces, predict our choices,” Golden said. “Tomorrow’s professionals must grasp not only the technical aspects of such tools, but also the implications these tools have for humanity.”
Newman’s new ETHV certificate will address these issues by making intentional connections between the humanities and undergraduate professional programs that study these new and emerging technologies. The ETHV certificate purposefully integrates humanities content from Newman’s general education program into the degree requirements of professional majors.
The total grant awarded by the NEH is just under $150,000. A majority of the funds will be used to support work done by faculty and staff to develop the ETHV certificate, as well as service projects and internships for students in the program.
“We are so proud that our university and our ETHV team has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities,” Golden said. “For the liberal arts university, the imprimatur of the NEH carries more than money, more than prestige. It is confirmation that we are doing excellent work at Newman, that we are indeed developing programming that is mission-driven with a proven track record of preparing students to enter and transform our world.”
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The Newman University School of Arts and Sciences is the largest of Newman’s five schools and home to divisions of arts & letters, humanities, science & mathematics and social sciences.
