Institute for Humane Studies

Amplifying Research through Focus Areas: With a community of 5,000+ university-based scholars spanning a variety of fields and hundreds of institutions, IHS is supporting and connecting the brightest minds who are developing and advancing the ideas that support thriving and free societies in which all people have the opportunity to flourish. IHS will concentrate its activities and investments from 2022 to 2026 across seven focus areas by convening scholars through online and in-person programs and workshops and funding innovative research that advances our understanding of, and solutions to,complex social, economic, and collective action problems.

Faculty Support Programs: The Institute's faculty-support programs work to help faculty who are engaged with ideas in the classical liberal intellectual tradition to improve the reach and effectiveness of their teaching, research, and campus activities. It accomplishes this through support for on-campus events, academic research seminars, discussion colloquia, workshops, grants, and networking at academic conferences.

Academic Talent-Development Programs: The Institute's academic talent-development programs work to develop talented graduate students who are interested in careers in academia. It accomplishes this through fellowships, grants, career development workshops, academic research seminars, and networking at academic conferences.

Public Affairs: The public affairs program seeks to inform alumni, faculty, and supporters about the efforts of the Institute and support the development of a network of faculty, supporters, and nonprofit allies who share an interest in classical liberal ideas.

Scaling the IHS Digital Community: The Institute's digital platform and suite of resources empowers scholars and research communities in the IHS network with the knowledge and tools they need to grow their impact. This includes tailored recommendations for connection to scholars and researchers well beyond their own communities, along with tools to pursue those connections, including user-driven outreach, collaboration tools, programs, and funding to support collaboration.

Academic Career Development and Placement: The Institute's academic career development programs provide resources, funding support, and connections to graduate students working within the liberal tradition. These programs help students across a variety of humane disciplines maximize their research productivity, prepare for the academic job market, and engage with established scholars in their fields to build their research networks.

Student Education and Outreach Programs: The Institute's student educational programs work to inspire and educate a wide range of young people with ideas in the classical liberal intellectual tradition, encourage interested students to learn more, and identify and evaluate students who have the potential to make scholarly contributions to a free and open society. The Institute accomplishes this through intensive weekend and multi-day seminars, on-campus programs such as discussion colloquia and guest lectures co-sponsored with local faculty, and production and marketing of short educational videos.