Your Impact
We are grateful for the many ways our donors and friends have shaped and supported a vibrant humanities research community on the Illinois campus.
Our advancement to institute status renews our sense of purpose and urgency about the key role humanists play in imagining just, productive, and innovative futures for all.
A gift to HRI will help to sustain the work of brilliant scholars and ensure that we continue to offer life-changing programs, such as the Odyssey Project, as well as thought-provoking events and symposia.
Community Impact
We are grateful for the generosity of our supporters like Dr. Dan Shin, a double-major alumnus (Honors Biology, Economics) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (’91). HRI’s 2020 Medical Humanities Lecture featuring Dr. Kirsten Ostherr was possible in large part due to support from Dr. Shin, who is an infectious disease specialist with El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA and Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
Dr. Shin also recently donated funds toward book purchases for Odyssey Project students and established funding for the new Humanities Action program for undergraduates in the humanities who wish to make a difference through community engagement. We are grateful for his continued stalwart support—a shining example of direct, tangible impact on our students and programs.
Research Impact
Christine Hedlin (Ph.D. 2018), an HRI graduate fellow in 2016–2017, shares the transformative impact of her fellowship.
“To be able to focus intently on the research that I was doing, the more intellectual side, was absolutely stimulating for my thinking. Often, especially in Research One institutions, departments can be cordoned off by themselves. So to have financial support, but also to combine that with a community of thinkers from different departments, meant I was able to push my thinking in ways that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to do.”
National Reach
Issy Marquez (LAS), 2019-2020 David F. Prindable intern, traveled with faculty to Washington, D.C. in spring 2020 to advocate on behalf of the national endowment for the humanities.
“Because of [HRI] I had the best experience of my undergrad career,” she said. The internship, established by donor David F. Prindable, supports communications and undergraduate outreach at the institute.
Christine and Issy are among the many students, faculty, and community members who have benefited from the programs at HRI. Read more about what your support can make possible in our Features section.