Dear Arts and Humanities Community,

Greetings from Gayle Karch Cook Center in Maxwell Hall. So much has transpired already this first month of 2026—both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

With so many changes swirling around us globally, nationally, statewide, and locally, it’s a true comfort to know that students, teachers, scholars, practitioners, and supporters remain steadfast in our support for the arts and humanities on IUB’s campus and beyond.

To reiterate what CAHI Director Brenda Weber stated at the start of this academic year, the College Arts + Humanities Institute stands poised and proud to continue its support of faculty and graduate students who work in the arts and humanities precisely because moments of precarity call for productive collaborations and transformative conversations.

One of the toughest challenges this academic year has been our 22% budget cut. We have tried hard to work within this constraint to keep doing what CAHI does best: nurturing scholarly and creative excellence in the arts and humanities at IUB. As the Acting Director this semester (filling in for Dr. Weber as she takes her sabbatical), I am happy to announce the following CAHI opportunities and programming between January and May 2026:

Graduate Student Funding (Capstone Research Awards and Conference Travel Awards). Deadline has been extended to February 15. Graduate students in the Core College and College Schools (Hamilton-Lugar, Eskenazi, and Media School) are eligible to apply during the Spring 2026 funding cycle. Application details and submission portal here.

(Note: While CAHI is able to accept graduate funding applications from HLS, Eskenazi, and Media Schools this semester, we do not know whether this will be the case in future funding cycles.)

Faculty Funding (Grants in Support of Research + Creativity Activity, Research Travel Grants, Grants in Support of Workshops and Symposia, Global Gateway Grants). Deadline is March 1. Faculty in the Core College and College Schools (HLS, Eskenazi, and Media School) are eligible to apply during the Spring 2026 funding cycle. Application details and submission portal here.

(Note: While CAHI is able to accept faculty funding applications from Hamilton-Lugar, Eskenazi, and Media Schools this semester, we do not know whether this will be the case in future funding cycles.)

Emily J. Sano Career Enhancement Travel Award

Thanks to a generous gift from Emily J. Sano, CAHI is pleased to offer a *new* faculty enrichment fund for NTT or TT faculty in the College or College Schools who have been at IU for at least five years. The fund is meant to provide a meaningful infusion between $2,000 and $5,000 at a strategic moment in a faculty person’s career. Deadline is March 1 to fund travel beginning after April 15, 2026. Application details and submission portal here.

CAHI Research Assistant Pop Up

CAHI is delighted to announce a new “Pop Up” research and creative activity support opportunity for IU Bloomington tenure-track faculty. CAHI’s hourly RA will provide targeted, short-term (3-4 weeks, maximum 9 hours per week) support on arts and humanities research / creativity projects during critical crunch times such as impending deadlines for grant proposals, publications, or exhibitions.

Potential projects that faculty might ask the CAHI RA to undertake include: compiling an annotated bibliography, copyediting, reviewing page proofs, indexing, securing image copyright and reproduction permissions, etc.

Applications for faculty projects will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted based on the RA’s availability and the suitability of the proposed RA tasks for the allotted 3-4 week duration.

Eligibility: Any IU Bloomington tenure-track faculty in the College of Arts + Sciences who has previously received CAHI funding is eligible to apply. Application details and submission portal here.

Meet-the-Author Events

We have an exciting lineup of IUB faculty authors this spring. Join us at the Cook Center to hear them in conversation with colleagues about their recent publications and the craft of book writing.

Kate Abramson (Philosophy), author of On Gaslighting (Princeton University Press), in conversation with Brenda Weber (CAHI/Gender Studies)
Wednesday, January 28, 4-5 PM with reception to follow

Samrat Upadhyay (English), author of Darkmotherland (Soho Press/Penguin Random House) and Shannon Gayk (English), author of Apocalyptic Ecologies: From Creation to Doom in Middle English Literature (University of Chicago Press), in conversation with Sara Gregg (History)
Thursday, February 19, 4-5 PM with reception to follow

Justin Garcia (Gender Studies/Kinsey Institute), author of The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love (Little Brown Spark / Hachette) in conversation with TBA.
Date/Time TBA

Alice Wong Celebration of Life
Wednesday, March 25, Cook Center
Join CAHI and friends for a special livestream of the celebration of life for the inimitable disability justice leader, champion of the arts + humanities, MacArthur Fellow, and Indiana University Indianapolis alumna Alice Wong (1974-2025). More Details TBA.

I am most grateful for CAHI’s incredible staff, our beautiful space at the Cook Center, and the arts + humanities community at IUB and beyond—including all of you.

Community is the indispensable foundation for a future where new ideas can take root and beneficial relationships—scholarly, artistic, and otherwise—can flourish.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year of the Horse.

Ellen Wu
Associate Director, College Arts + Humanities Institute