Innovative Practices in the Humanities
In the first of an ongoing series highlighting innovative practices in the humanities, the CCHA Deans’ Committee would like to highlight the work of Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, NY.
In January 2018, faculty and administration collaborated on the creation of the Monroe Community College Institute for the Humanities (MCCIH), a public-facing platform for the exploration of locally-relevant issues through a humanistic lens.
In its inaugural year, the institute developed three highly relevant events that attracted hundreds of participants from MCC and the Rochester community. In October 2018, MCCIH presented Rochester Remembers the 1960s: The Legacy of Social Justice Activism. The two-day retrospective on the movements, moments, and conditions that defined both Rochester and the nation featured presentations, dialogue, film, and photography from noted scholars, artists, and students.
Building on the success of this event, MCCIH developed a half-day program on the intersections between 1960s social justice activism and the current sociopolitical climate for area high school students and teachers.
Its most recent event, Why STEM Needs the Arts and Humanities: Education and Industry in the 21stCentury, was by far the most successful. In May of 2019, hundreds of regional business leaders, scholars, students, teachers, and members of the community attended a moderated dialogue featuring Eric Berridge, CEO of the global tech consulting firm BlueWolf, an IBM Company; David Munson, President of Rochester Institute of Technology; and Amanda Roth, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies at SUNY Geneseo.
From left to right, Eric Berridge, Amanda Roth, and David C. Munson speak at the May 2019 Monroe Community College Institute for the Humanities.
By working with regional partners, and with support the of MCC, The Monroe Community College Institute for the Humanities has raised the profile of humanities education while helpings the Rochester community develop a richer understanding of its past, and its pathway towards future cultural and economic prosperity.
For questions about MCCIH, or to build collaborative community programming, please contact Dr. Michael Jacobs, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monroe Community College at mjacobs20@monroecc.edu.
If you would like to see the work of your college and its faculty featured here, please contact Dr. Brian Stipelman, Dean of Liberal arts at Frederick Community College at bstipelman@frederick.edu