UNI receives $2.4 million grant to launch Humanities Hub
UNI has been awarded a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the UNI Humanities Hub, a transformative initiative designed to expand paid internship opportunities and strengthen the role of the humanities on campus and in the community.
The Humanities Hub will centralize and scale ongoing efforts across majors including History, Languages & Literatures, Communication & Media, and Philosophy & World Religions. By embedding internships into curricula and incentivizing faculty participation, the Humanities Hub will provide structured career preparation for students while underscoring the enduring value of humanities degrees.
“This grant represents a landmark investment in UNI’s students and our mission as a regional public university,” said UNI Provost and Executive Vice President Jose Herrera. “The Humanities Hub will ensure that our students gain the practical experiences and adaptable skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing workforce while making a difference in our communities.”
Over the course of the grant, UNI will support 250 paid internships, beginning with 30 placements in the first year and scaling to 60 annually by year four. These internships will connect humanities majors with nonprofit organizations, community partners and employers across Iowa and the Midwest, linking classroom learning with real-world applications.
