Indian River State College is pleased to announce that it has received a $98,036 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to assist with the development of Infusing African American Culture into the Digital Learning Space, a 3-year project that will expand the teaching of African American studies across humanities disciplines through the lens of Florida’s Treasure Coast.
The innovative digital project is aligned with NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative, which seeks to open pathways for students to engage meaningfully with the humanities through projects that focus attention on diverse topics in the history, culture, and political thought of the United States’ first 250 years as a nation.
Collaborative teams of Indian River State College humanities faculty, library faculty, virtual campus staff, students, and community partners will contribute to innovative digital content, which will culminate in a digital archive situated around the Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail. The project will chronicle the author’s time in Fort Pierce before and after her death.
“We are grateful to NEH for supporting this endeavor to protect, preserve, and digitize such important cultural records and heritage,” says Dr. Ed Massey, President of Indian River State College. “This initiative will help us share Treasure Coast African American history with students and others well into the future.”
For the full list of NEH grant-funded projects, visit neh.gov.
About Indian River State College
A leader in education and innovation, Indian River State College (IRSC) transforms lives by offering high quality, affordable and accessible education to the residents of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties through traditional and online delivery. IRSC is recipient of the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. The College serves nearly 30,000 students annually and offers more than 100 programs leading to Bachelor’s degrees, Associate degrees, technical certificates and applied technology diplomas.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.