Commitment launched for arts and humanities

Students and programs in the arts and humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will benefit from an initiative – the first phase of a long-term commitment – announced Thursday by campus officials.

“The Arts and Humanities Initiative will strengthen our already rich menu of offerings and provide a foundation for future excellence,” says Chancellor John D. Wiley. “It’s a way to underscore our continuing commitment to arts and humanities education and to our students.”

Using campus funds set aside for reinvestment, the university will provide $500,000 on an annual basis to support arts and humanities education across campus.

It is expected that much of the funding during the first years of the initiative will be used to provide tuition assistance for graduate students in those disciplines.

“Although budget resources are tight, the arts and humanities are critical to our mission,” says Provost Patrick Farrell. “This ongoing initiative recognizes their importance and contributions to enriching our lives and broadening our knowledge.”

The university also plans to provide funding to support the director of the Arts Institute, the campus arts consortium aimed at making the arts more visible and effective at UW–Madison.

Additionally, the initiative proposes that the university spend $1.3 million for renovation at the Memorial Library that will provide needed space for the Institute for Research in the Humanities and the Arts Institute. The new facilities, proposed for the fifth floor of the library, once approved, could be completed by summer 2008.

Plans call for the Institute for Research in the Humanities to move from the Washburn Observatory, which would be remodeled to accommodate the College of Letters and Science Honors Program.

Wiley says the initiative dovetails well with previously announced plans to develop an arts and humanities district in the lower campus area. Among the parts of that plan are an addition to the Chazen Museum of Art, an East Campus Pedestrian Mall and a new music performance facility.

“Our vision for the arts and humanities incorporates support for the programs and students, as well as world-class facilities in which to learn and perform,” Wiley adds.

More announcements on other elements of the initiative are expected in coming months.