FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153
 

Marshall receives $300,000 to support “Faces Of Appalachia” initiative

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University President Dan Angel today announced the university has received $300,000 to support “Faces of Appalachia,” a comprehensive initiative by Marshall and the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) to advance the study of ethnicity and gender in Appalachia.

Two grant awards presented today to the university – $125,000 from the West Virginia Legislature and $25,000 from the West Virginia Humanities Council – represent matching funds for a $150,000 first-year National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Challenge Grant.

“The ‘Faces of Appalachia’ initiative will strengthen the humanities segment that is such a critical element of our university’s foundation,” said President Dan Angel. “Through its funding commitment, the NEH has demonstrated its strong belief in the importance of this project. We thank Delegate Margarette Leach, Senator Bob Plymale and the members of the Cabell/Wayne state legislative delegation, as well as Executive Director Ken Sullivan and the members of the West Virginia Humanities Council for their support of this effort.”

NEH Challenge Grants are designed to assist the recipient in raising substantial financial support over a given period of time. The terms of the grant require Marshall University and the ASA to raise three times the grant amount in matching funds ($1,500,000) during the next three years to build a $2 million endowment to support this program in perpetuity.

The endowment will sustain multiple levels of work, from scholarly research and graduate level teaching to a distinguished chair in the College of Liberal Arts, expanded post-doctoral research opportunities for newer scholars and the continuing education in the humanities of the region’s K-12 teachers. Dr. Linda Spatig and Dr. Lynda Ann Ewen, co-chairs of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia, authored the grant proposal.

“The NEH challenge grant will strengthen a well-established program – the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia – and further expand its reach,” said Dr. Sarah Denman, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Dr. Spatig and Dr. Ewen’s leadership is vital to the continued success of Marshall University’s scholarly efforts in this area.”

In a congratulatory letter to Marshall University, NEH Chairman Bruce Cole noted that Marshall was one of only four universities in the nation to receive a challenge grant during its application cycle. “This is a high honor,” he said, adding that Marshall’s proposal was reviewed by leading scholars with experience in research, programming and long-term planning for the humanities.

For more information about the “Faces of Appalachia” initiative, contact Dr. Linda Spatig, project director, at (304) 696-2875.

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