Plains Humanities Alliance News Releases

Katz named new head of Plains Humanities Alliance

Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 15, 2011— Wendy Katz, associate professor of art history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been appointed program administrator of the Plains Humanities Alliance and associate director of the Center for Great Plains Studies.

Katz co-edited a book with former Plains Humanities Alliance administrator Timothy Mahoney called “Regionalism and the Humanities,” published by the University of Nebraska Press (2009). In addition to her interest in regionalism, Katz’s research specialties include 19th-century American genre painting, landscape painting, and sculpture. James Stubbendieck, director of the Center, made the announcement Wednesday, saying, “Katz’s association with the center and her previous experience with the Plains Humanities Alliance made her a natural choice for program administrator and associate director.”

In 2002, the Plains Humanities Alliance was one of nine regional centers established by the National Endowment for the Humanities to support research, curriculum development, and humanities programs. The late Susan Rosowski, Adele Hall professor of English, and John Wunder, professor of history and journalism, were the founding directors of the Alliance, followed by Timothy Mahoney, professor of history, in 2004. In 2007, the Alliance was placed under the administration of the Center for Great Plains Studies.

Katz commented, “I’m looking forward to pursuing partnerships and developing projects with people and organizations, both here in Nebraska and throughout the Plains, who are dedicated to understanding how human culture and nature shape each other.”


Plains Humanities Alliance and Center for Great Plains Studies Join Forces

Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 21, 2007— The 2007-08 Research and Region Lectures in the Plains Humanities Alliance mark the beginning of a new partnership between the Plains Humanities Alliance and the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The alliance became part of the center in June, reflecting the common goals and the focus of both projects in the preservation of the region's cultural heritage.

"As our goals and projects focused more on the digital preservation of the cultural heritage of the Great Plains region, it seemed appropriate for us to become aligned with the long-established UNL Center for Great Plains Studies," said Timothy R. Mahoney, Plains Humanities Alliance project administrator and UNL history professor. In 2002, the Plains Humanities Alliance was one of nine regional centers established by the National Endowment for the Humanities to support research, curriculum development, and humanities programs. The late Susan Rosowski, professor of English; and John Wunder, professor of history and journalism, were the founding directors of the Alliance.

Mahoney, who has served as head of the alliance since 2004, said, "Perhaps no region in the United States has more fertile ground for the cultivation of regionalist thinking than the Great Plains. That's why we established the Research and Region Lectures: to bring scholars to the UNL campus to discuss a wide range of topics relating to the Great Plains, plains regions, and regionalism in general."

"Incorporating the Plains Humanities Alliance into the Center for Great Plains Studies made sense economically and programmatically in that we could reduce duplication of our efforts while combining our resources to support PHA's development of digital initiatives," said James Stubbendieck, director of the Center for Great Plains Studies.