IU President’s Task Force on Arts, Humanities issues first working report

By Jayne Spencer

The university-wide task force was appointed by IU President Myles Brand following presentation of his 2000 State of the University address, which focused on arts and humanities. In the address, Brand announced his initiative to fund an arts and humanitie s research grant program, over a four-year period, with $4 million earmarked for that purpose from the Office of the President. The address also suggested the advantages inherent in new technologies for advancing the arts and humanities, as well as the ro le of the arts in promoting community, both subjects which are examined in the task force report.

The task force, chaired by IU Bloomington historian James Madison, presented three major recommendations for promotion of the arts and humanities at IU:

•Review of the undergraduate curriculum on all campuses, with primary focus on general education in the arts and humanities and creation of more collaboration for undergraduate and graduate students across units and schools.

•Continue the president’s arts and humanities initiative beyond four years, with attention to integration and broadening of arts and humanities opportunities.

•Promote and market the arts and humanities internally, among faculty, students and staff, and externally, to the public in general and the citizens of Indiana in particular.

The task force encourages all campuses to read and to discuss the recommendations of the full report. Those who wish to respond to a task force member (membership list is online), are encouraged to do so as the task force hopes to enlarge and revise the recommendations during the course of the present academic year. Go to this Web site.

President’s Task Force came to three central conclusions

1. We assert that the humanities and arts must have a permanent and central place because they are fundamental to the human condition

2. We assert that the arts and humanities are central to problems and opportunities labeled “social” or “political.”

3. We assert that the arts and humanities are central solutions to problems commonly labeled “practical” and “economic.”