Misericordia University was recently awarded a CARES Act economic stabilization grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The grant award of $263,567 is part of the National Endowment for the Humanities: CARES Act, economic stabilization grants program announced in June. 

NEH grants are typically awarded to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio stations, and individual scholars. For a complete list of national grant recipients, please go to https://bit.ly/neh2020​. Additional information about NEH can be found at www.neh.gov.

"At Misericordia University, these important funds will promote a discussion regarding the pandemic that focus on the intersection of health and society and reinstate several furloughed employees"  said Dr. Heidi Manning, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

"Over the past few months we have witnessed tremendous financial distress at cultural organizations across the country, which have been compelled to furlough staff, cancel programs, and reduce operations to make up for revenue shortfalls caused by the pandemic," said NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. "NEH is pleased to provide $40 million to preserve thousands of jobs at museums, archives, historic sites, and colleges and universities that are vital to our nation's cultural life and economy."

"In addition to community programs, Misericordia offers academic programs that teach our students to explore the connections between health and the humanities. One program that illustrates this is Medical and Health Humanities (MHH). The MHH program applies humanistic skills approach to critical assessment, reflective learning, collaborative problem-solving, and effective communication. Students learn about healthcare and medicine issues with an emphasis on cultural, familial, philosophical, spiritual, and social factors," said Dr. Manning.

Most recently, Misericordia held a webinar open to the public to discuss COVID-19 and the wide-ranging impact this virus is having on our society. Attendees asked questions about the biology of the COVID-19 virus and its effect on healthcare, the economy, and our communities. Additional discussions about the impact of pandemics on society will be explored through the support of this NEH grant as Misericordia humanities faculty will produce new video lectures for the public that continue this dialog. For a schedule of the list of topics that Misericordia humanities faculty are presenting this summer, please visit  www.misericordia.edu/medicalhumanities.