National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to Fund Colgate Abolitionism and Underground Railroad Institute for Teachers

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A newly announced National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) round of grant funding will help one Colgate professor to develop and run a three-week, residential institute about abolitionism and the Underground Railroad for 25 middle- and high-school teachers.

Graham Russell Gao Hodges, the George Dorland Langdon Jr. Professor of history and Africana and Latin American studies, is the project director for nearly $214,000 in grant funding to Colgate University, as part of $3.7 million in grant funding for New York State institutions from the NEH.

“The NEH grant extends my long-term scholarship on abolitionism and the Underground Railroad,” said Hodges. “I incorporate the latest scholarship and teaching methods, interact with practitioners in the field and share everything with teachers from across the country. All that makes me a better Colgate professor and helps me serve our nation’s school teachers, the backbone of an educated citizenry.”

Teachers interested in learning about participating in the institute should contact Professor Hodges directly at ghodges@colgate.edu. 

News of Hodges’ grant award was announced today as part of $28.4 million in grants for 239 humanities projects across the country. According to the NEH, this round of funding will support vital research, education, preservation, digital, and public programs. These peer-reviewed grants were awarded in addition to $53.2 million in annual operating support provided to the national network of state and jurisdictional humanities councils. 

Forty institutions received grants to support professional development and research opportunities for K–12 and college teachers through summer workshops and institutes on humanities topics. 

“The grants announced today demonstrate the resilience and breadth of our nation’s humanities institutions and practitioners,” said NEH Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson. “From education programs that will enrich teaching in college and high school classrooms to multi-institutional research initiatives, these excellent projects will advance the teaching, preservation, and understanding of history and culture.”