Digging In and Building Up Students through the Humanities at St. Olaf College

FAIN: AH-275811-20

St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN 55057-1574)
Karil Jean Kucera (Project Director: May 2020 to present)

The retention of 15 library and museum staff positions through the creation of new First-Year Experience courses.

In Fall 2019, St. Olaf College resolved to implement humanities-based First-Year Experiences as a foundation for its new core curriculum while further developing its signature Conversations programs. These changes ensure that each student receives a liberal arts experience that a) emphasizes the importance of the humanities; b) promotes connections between students through collaborative projects exploring materials in the college’s collections; and c) promotes student connections to the community through academic civic engagement projects. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the planned Fall 2021 implementation of these curricular enhancements as it has forced the College to fully or partially furlough many positions. We request support for 15 positions—librarians, museum personnel, and a civic engagement administrator—central to the First-Year Experience and Conversations courses because their continued, full-time work is essential to implementing these curricular changes as scheduled.