Humanities Center Newsletter

Spring 2026

Sharon Ryan, PhD, Director, Humanities Center, WVU Libraries

Dear Humanities Center Community,

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. In it, we capture some highlights from our 2025-2026 events, shine the spotlight on some exciting faculty research projects, make note of the Center’s remaining activities for Spring 2026, share some plans for next academic year, and pause to extend our deep gratitude to Dean Karen Diaz who is retiring.

I want to thank all of you for the many ways you make the Humanities Center a beacon of hope, joy, exploration, and discovery. Your research projects and your participation in our events have made a significant impact on the intellectual life and scholarly reputation of WVU. I am proud of what we have accomplished in just over one year of working together. All of the Center’s work depends on private support from people just like you and me. If you appreciate what we are doing and embrace our mission to ignite, support, and promote humanistic inquiry, please consider becoming a financial supporter. The kind of work the Humanities Center does is vital. In these turbulent times, your support is needed more than ever.

Sincerely,

Sharon Ryan, PhD

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In this issue

Sparking the Joy of Discovery Interview with Dean Karen Diaz

Karen Diaz, Dean of Libraries, will be launching a fresh new chapter of her life this Spring when she retires from WVU. Karen has a rare and special gift of finding the good in all things and the Humanities Center chatted with her about her journey.

Sculpting A National Identity: Interview with Dylan Collins

With a 2025-2026 research support grant from the WVU Humanities Center, Professor Dylan Collins spent June 2025 participating in a digital stone carving residency in in the northern part of Tuscany, Italy. The residency brought together a diverse, international cohort of studio artists, architects, designers, and students.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Sarah Morris on Identity, Place, and Belonging

Dr. Sarah Morris, Assistant Professor of English and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Writing Program at WVU, published her first book, Lessons from “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: Identity Be(Longing), and Imagined Landscapes with West Virginia University Press in October 2025.

Tell Me More! A Humanities Center Discussion Series

This academic year, the Center hosted a new discussion series, “Tell Me More.” We focused on the theme of hope. Given the turmoil and uncertainty we are navigating as citizens of the world, the theme hit home and created a strong sense of community grounded in exploration and discovery.

Hyperscaling: Policy and Protest in the AI Supply Chain with Dustin Edwards

Data centers are having a moment. From the White House to county commissioner meetings, data centers are being trumpeted for their promise to reshape economies and secure national dominance. With support from the Department of English and the Department of Geology and Geography, the Humanities Center welcomed Dr. Dustin Edwards to our campus on April 9 to discuss.

Bringing together Interdisciplinary Conversations on Care with Dr. Catherine Gouge

With generous support from the Humanities Center’s James M. Shumway & Lizbeth A. Pyle Health Humanities Fund, faculty and staff from across campus gathered for (Re)imagining Care, a humanities-based workshop led by Dr. Catherine Gouge, WVU Professor of English.

Going Public with Dr. David Perry

In Fall 2025, we welcomed University of Minnesota historian, Dr. David Perry, to our campus. In addition to giving a lecture about the value of doing serious public humanities work, Perry led a hands-on workshop teaching participants how to turn their academic research expertise into publications aimed at the general public.

Jewish Comedy: A History in Five Jokes with Dr. Jeremy Dauber

During Summer 2025, the WVU Provost’s office placed the Pi Lambda Phi Jewish Studies Lectureship Endowment under the guidance of the Humanities Center. This relationship is a mutually supportive opportunity for both the Humanities Center and Jewish Studies.

WVU HEPI Wins Grant to Support Associate Degree Program

The WVU Higher Education in Prison Initiative (HEPI), led by Katy Ryan (WVU English Department), was awarded a subgrant of $30,000 from the Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education in Prison. This funding will assist HEPI in strengthening the associate degree program, admitting a second cohort of students, and providing reentry support.

Research Shout-Out to Dr. Megan Leight

The WVU Humanities Center is pleased to celebrate the publication of Living between Worlds: Archaeology and History at the Southern Edge of the Maya Lowlands, edited by Megan E. Leight (Teaching Assistant Professor of Art History at WVU) and Brent K. S. Woodfill (Professor of Anthropology at Winthrop University).

Research Shout-Out to Dr. Austin McCoy

Dr. Austin McCoy, Assistant Professor of History, just published his first book, Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and the World De La Soul Made. Congratulations, Dr. McCoy!

Breaking News

Dr. Erin Brock Carlson, Associate Professor of English, wins 2026 WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching.