National Partnerships

The Obermann Center frequently acts as a bridge to larger national organizations, particularly in the humanities. Our most energetic partnerships include:

Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI)

While the Obermann Center has a long and distinguished history of promoting interdisciplinary research, the Center also energetically supports humanities scholarship. The CHCI connects leaders of humanities centers from across the world and facilitates postdoctoral scholar exchanges, international collaborations, best practices, and imaginative programs. The theme of this year’s meeting, “Humanities by the Numbers,” was especially relevant as the interest in the digital humanities grows at the university.

Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life (IA)

Each year University of Iowa faculty and graduate students attend the annual Imagining America conference to share exciting work in the publicly engaged arts, design, and scholarship. IA is the leading national organization in communicating how the arts and humanities can help create a more just society. Obermann director Teresa Mangum serves on the National Advisory Board and on the editorial board of the organization’s peer-reviewed online journal, PUBLICS.

National Humanities Alliance (NHA)

The NHA connects leaders from colleges, universities, libraries, museums, professional organizations, and state humanities councils through projects such as a new mapping initiative: “Engaged Humanities: Model Programs for Cultivating Vibrant Local Humanities Communities.” As a member of the Board of Directors, Obermann director Teresa Mangum helps to shape national policy for the humanities and to communicate University of Iowa scholars’ successes with colleagues and legislators on Capitol Hill.

The Dickens Project/Dickens Universe, University of California–Santa Cruz

The Project creates opportunities for collaborative research on Dickens and the Victorian age, and disseminates research findings through annual conferences, institutes, and publications. It supports the professional development of graduate students and produces curricular material for teaching Victorian literature at both secondary and postsecondary levels. The Dickens Project is a Multi-campus Research Unit (MRU) of the University of California. Its research activities have been supported by extramural grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Education, the California Council for the Humanities, the California Arts Council, the Exxon Education Foundation, dues from member schools, and private gifts.