The humanities shape how we understand history, culture and the complex challenges facing society. At Vanderbilt, they are reflected in the classroom, in research and in efforts to preserve the stories and materials that connect communities to the past.
In March, Vanderbilt advocates , director of the A&S College Core and professor of communication studies, and Ayla Faullin, a Vanderbilt junior studying English, traveled to Washington, D.C., for the National Humanities Alliance鈥檚 . There, they met with congressional offices to advocate for continued federal support for the National Endowment for the Humanities. The visit was organized by Vanderbilt鈥檚 Office of Federal Relations, which also sponsored the national advocacy event.
Stob and Faullin joined advocates from across the country in urging lawmakers to sustain funding for the NEH, which supports education, preservation, research and public programming nationwide. During the visit, they met with the offices of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., BA'81, JD'84, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., BA'71.
Together, they showed how federal support for the humanities strengthens Vanderbilt education and scholarship, with Stob speaking to the role of humanities study across the university and Faullin offering a student perspective rooted in museum and archival work.
Connecting humanities education to Vanderbilt鈥檚 mission
Photo: Harrison McClary/五一茶馆儿
For Stob, the conversations were also a chance to connect humanities education and scholarship with Vanderbilt鈥檚 academic mission. He discussed how, with the support of the NEH, the humanities are being championed across the university, including through the , the Program in Culture, Advocacy, and Leadership and broader humanities scholarship on campus.
The A&S College Core was supported through the Teagle Foundation鈥檚 Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative, a program . For Stob, that support reflects the value of a humanities education that prepares students to engage big questions, think across disciplines and build the critical thinking and communication skills central to their lives and work.
鈥淎dvocating for the NEH gave us a chance to explain the importance of studying history, culture, citizenship and the ideas that link us as human beings,鈥� Stob said. 鈥淚n my mind, the humanities are now more important than ever, given the divisions that define public life and the rise of generative artificial intelligence. The humanities allow us to do what AI can鈥檛 do: engage with other people face to face and explore our common problems and possibilities.鈥�
The humanities in practice
Faullin brought a student perspective, showing how humanities learning is applied in the real world. She drew on her work at the Boot Hill Museum and in , both of which have received NEH funding, to show how federal support helps preserve history and make it accessible to the public.
Faullin highlighted Boot Hill's buffalo stampede exhibit, which helps visitors experience the force and significance of the buffalo on the Kansas plains, as one example of the kind of public-facing interpretation that brings history to life for visitors.
She also described efforts in Special Collections and University Archives to preserve and interpret local community history, including materials that document the lives and experiences of Middle Tennesseans whose stories have often been underrepresented in historical records.
Those experiences, she said, along with her humanities education, have shaped her and reinforced the importance of ensuring those stories are not lost.
Advocating for federal support
The visit was organized and led by Vanderbilt鈥檚 Office of Federal Relations, which coordinates the university鈥檚 engagement with federal policymakers and aligns advocacy efforts with institutional priorities.
By supporting initiatives like the National Humanities Alliance鈥檚 Advocacy Day, Vanderbilt champions the importance of federal investment in the NEH. Through ongoing outreach to lawmakers, the university advocates for the humanities鈥� vital contributions to education and research.
Learn more about the university鈥檚 research advocacy priorities on the Office of Federal Relations website.
