Huge congratulations to Professors Richard Bell (History) and Valentine Hacquard (Linguistics), named 2026 Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at UMD! This is one of the university's highest honors, recognizing faculty who excel at both research and teaching. arhu.umd.edu/news/richard...

ARHU Philosophy Professor Fabrizio Cariani says students booing AI at graduation are asking real questions about jobs, the environment & authenticity. Our commencement speaker was ARHU alum Jason Reynolds, who reminded us exactly why the humanities matter. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Here's why people are booing college commencement speakers this year

Multiple college graduations were marked by booing at featured speakers, who came to realize they had "struck a chord." What set the crowd off?

usatoday.com

What does it mean to use communication for good? A new COMM course at the University of Maryland is helping students turn ideas into action. Terps pitch projects, vote on them and fund the winners with Do Good grants. Read more: today.umd.edu/class-teache...

Class Teaches Terps to Speak Up for Good | Maryland Today

Students Choose, Pitch, Vote for Causes to Support With Mini Do Good Grants

today.umd.edu

Congratulations to Professor of History Richard Bell, whose book “The American Revolution and the Fate of the World" is a finalist for the 2026 American Battlefield Trust Prize for History.

The Ethics and Governance of Climate Intervention Should we rule out geoengineering? The Schlaretzki Lecture 2026 Friday, April 17, 3 p.m. Thurgood Marshall Hall, Room 0301 Featuring Anna Stilz, Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley Learn more: philosophy.umd.edu/events/schla...

What does the Fourth of July mean now? Join the launch of The Douglass Dialogues as scholars revisit Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech and ask what it means in 2026. April 20, 1 to 2:30 p.m. David C. Driskell Center

Join Betsy Rosen, UMD School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies puppetry Artist in Residence, in conversation with Dean Stephanie Shonekan as she reflects on her journey, from UMD to the national tour of "Life of Pi." April 6, 6 PM Free and open to all go.umd.edu/betsyrosen26

Has a professor challenged you in positive ways? Or maybe they’ve been a mentor and role model to you...Take 5 minutes and nominate them for a teaching award! Visit go.umd.edu/dh26. Nominations close April 1 at 5 p.m.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Art Mollye Bendell, Assistant Professor of Art Brandon Donahue-Shipp, David Page MFA ’02, Noah McWilliams MFA ’21 and Pamela J. Thompson MFA ’91, who are semifinalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize. baltimoretimes-online.com/arts-culture...

Create Baltimore Announces 23 Semifinalists for 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize - The Baltimore Times

Baltimore, Md. — Create Baltimore has announced the 23 semifinalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, one of the region’s most prestigious visual arts awards. Now in its 21st year, the ...

baltimoretimes-online.com

Congratulations to Director of the Language House and Associate Clinical Professor of French Marilyn Matar, recipient of the 2026 Grand Prix de la Francophonie! Left to right: H.E. Nada Hamadeh Moawad (Ambassador of Lebanon), Matar and Brigitte Blachere (Program Manager at Smithsonian Associates).

Join the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities for a Lessons in Leadership conversation with Dr. Terry Scott and Dr. David Domke, co leaders of the Institute for Common Power. @theinstitutecp.bsky.social Register: douglasscenter.umd.edu/events/educa...

Congratulations to several UMD College of Arts and Humanities faculty who received the 2026 Independent Scholarship, Research and Creativity Awards (ISRCA), supporting bold research and creative work across disciplines. today.umd.edu/faculty-hono...

Faculty Honored With Independent Scholarship,… | Maryland Today

Grants Provide Up to $10K for Projects Spanning AI, Migration, Literature, Music, Environmental Justice and More

today.umd.edu

Join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and a panel of ARHU experts for an engaging pop-up roundtable discussion on war and its impact on communities, democracies and futures. March 12 | 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | Taliaferro Hall Learn more: arhu.umd.edu/events/arhu-...

Today: How do songs become prayer, testimony and praise? Join UMD ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan for a virtual lecture exploring five songs that African American communities turn to as sites of worship, reflection and collective memory. March 9 | 12:30-2 p.m. Register: arhu.umd.edu/events/preci...

We are proud to share a roundup of recent honors earned by faculty and staff in the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities. arhu.umd.edu/news/spring-...

Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at @peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity. Register now: arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...

UMD Research Professor of History Julie Taddeo provides insight on the recent arrest of former Prince Andrew and what it means in the broader context of accountability and public scrutiny. Listen to the full segment:

Former Prince Andrew arrested

Nick Iannelli is an award-winning broadcast journalist whose versatility and journalistic excellence have made him a trusted voice in the industry. You can hear him on WTOP, Washington, D.C.'s premier

soundcloud.com

We’re taught the American Revolution ended at Yorktown in 1781. but its final battle was fought in southern India in 1783. In his latest book, Richard Bell (@rickbell.bsky.social) of @umdhistory.bsky.social explores the revolution as a global war that reshaped empires. arhu.umd.edu/news/rethink...

Do not miss Stephanie Shonekan’s Feb. 24 book talk at @peoplesbooktakoma.com on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow, Tears and Blood. Explore how music shaped political resistance and cultural identity. Register now: arhu.umd.edu/events/steph...

A WUSA9 feature highlights a University of Maryland course taught by Professor Juan Carlos Quintero Herencia, where students examine Bad Bunny’s music as a lens on culture, politics, language and identity. Watch the story: go.umd.edu/270b

Why he teaches about Bad Bunny in his University of Maryland course

Bad Bunny has crossed over into academia ahead of his performance at Super Bowl LX.

go.umd.edu

Join us Monday at 9 a.m. to kick off Love Data Week 2026 at UMD with a virtual fireside chat hosted by Chief Data Officer Michelle Appel and featuring ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan. The conversation explores how data show up differently in the humanities and STEM. umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: LDW26 Kickoff: A Fireside Chat with Stephanie Shonekan and Michelle Appel. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meetin...

Join us as we kick off Love Data Week 2026 at UMD. Chief Data Officer, Michelle Appel, will host our welcome session, including a fire sidechat with Dr. Stepahie Shonekan, Dean of the College of Arts ...

umd.zoom.us

Revolution Summer reshaped D.C. punk in 1985. Forty years later, its cultural and political impact lives on through the UMD Libraries D.C. Punk Archive, a leading collection documenting punk’s DIY media, political expression and community. Read more via WAMU: wamu.org/story/25/12/...

In 1985, D.C. punks declared a "Revolution Summer." Its legacy resonates today

In 1985, D.C. punks sought to reset the politics and music of the D.C. punk scene. 40 years later, punks carry Revolution Summer into middle age.

wamu.org

Our Dean, Stephanie Shonekan, is featured on today’s 1A rebroadcast discussing protest music, Afrobeats, and Fela Kuti’s legacy of political resistance. The segment highlights her research on his mother and her influence on his life and music. the1a.org/segments/pro...

Protest songs, Afrobeats, and Fela Kuti's legacy of political resistance (Rebroadcast)

Musicians have had a lot to say about the state of the world.

the1a.org

What role do you think humanities play in addressing today's challenges? dbknews.com/2025/11/20/r...

Join the UMD Libraries on Thursday, November 6th, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in McKeldin Library room 4109 as Dean Stephanie Shonekan discusses their work Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Sorrow Tears and Blood. www.lib.umd.edu/research/eve...

New episodes of our "Rhyme and Reason” podcast are here! From Black barber shops to Haitian cinema to immigrant political life, these conversations reveal how the arts and humanities help us see beyond headlines, connect past and present and support communities. Listen now: umd-arhu.podbean.com

UMD’s Freedmen and Southern Society Project has received a $300k grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its landmark book, “Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861–1867,” chronicling one of the most consequential moments in U.S. history. go.umd.edu/241s

As part of Disability Awareness Month, join ARHU Dean Stephanie Shonekan and panelists for a conversation on disability and accessibility at UMD. Open to UMD students, faculty, and staff. Oct 23, 4–5 PM, Taliaferro 1126.

Dean Stephanie Shonekan unveiled ARHU’s Timely & Timeless strategic plan at our annual assembly as we celebrated 2025 Service Award winners—with music, poetry, and student reflections on the four commitments. arhu.umd.edu/news/arhu-20...

UMD’s Roshan Institute for Persian Studies received a major gift to establish the Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Persian Digital Library, the first open-access, scholar-vetted archive of Persian texts. today.umd.edu/roshan-insti...