By Courtney Wentz
The Humanities Project at MWCC is in its third year with events that can be attended throughout the year.
The project started in 2014, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to enhance humanities programs at MWCC. The grant is up to $500,000, which is matched 50 cents on every dollar raised.
According to the pamphlets scattered around the building every year, Henry David Thoreau was chosen because he considered himself a scientist and a poet. Last year’s theme was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, but it didn’t just focus on the book. It also focused on the science of the monster and even psychology. This year’s theme is Imagining Work that shows how artists, writers, and photographers viewed work in the 19th century.
The project’s co-chairs are Professor Michelle Valois, Professor Lorie Donahue, and Professor Susan Blake. The administrator is Dean Laurie Occhipinti. Donahue and Blake referred to Valois as their “fearless leader.”
Every school year, they work hard to come up with a theme that is going to be relevant in other classes, not just humanities and English, but science and maybe even history. The theme is decided by surveys students, faculty, staff, and even the community can take part in. The chosen theme comes with events throughout the semester that students, faculty, and the community can attend, either at MWCC or local libraries.
To raise money for the project, a fundraiser is hosted at Wachusett Mountain where contributors hike the mountain, which raises about $6,000 a year. This will be their third year for this fundraiser to take place. The project has also gotten $240,000 in anonymous donations. The money spent each year has been approximately $8,000.
Professor Blake also wanted to give credit and thanks to the LaChance Library for their help in providing “theme-related materials, creating research guides, and promoting events.”
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