The Alumni Chair in Humanities was established in 1993, with support from a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and matching support from University alumni. The first three faculty members who held the chair, Eugene R. August, Ph.D., Michael H. Barnes, Ph.D., and Richard P. Benedum, D.M.A. set high standards for this office. Their effectiveness in promoting the centrality of the humanities on the UD campus is impossible to overestimate, and has laid the groundwork for all those who follow them in the office. For a more detailed history of the office, please see our history page.

The purpose of the Alumni Chair in Humanities is to provide leadership in establishing the humanities in the curriculum and in the broader intellectual life of the community. The office assists other humanities faculty in developing interdisciplinary courses, organizes an annual humanities symposium, conducts research in the humanities, manages the humanities library fund, and maintains a visible presence for the humanities on campus.

John Heitmann
Professor of History