It is hard to believe that I have now been at NJCH for a little over a month! In that time, it has become clear to me very quickly that I have much to be thankful for — wonderful supporters and friends of NJCH, excellent scholars, committed grantees and partners, a remarkable board of trustees who have genuine enthusiasm for the humanities, and a dedicated and talented staff who manage programming of various sorts across the state. I am grateful to be a part of such an organization.
Over the last month, I attended several of our Public Scholars Project (PSP) programs and was inspired to think about how we can broaden the reach and impact of such programs. As you can see in the picture above from the “How We See Ourselves in What We Read” PSP program (I’m on the left), engaging conversations are always a part of each public humanities event. As I look forward to the year ahead, I hope to begin to think about new and innovative formats and sites for those talks, as well as new ways of addressing the more complex and multifaceted issues that face our society today. Our PSP programming draws on the talents and interests of New Jersey’s residents and can provide what the humanities do best: bringing people together through discussion and understanding of other people’s experiences and beliefs.
I look forward to continuing to meet NJCH’s friends, partners, and scholars around the state in the months ahead. And as I slowly work my way through our long list of friends, please feel free to drop me an email if you’d like to speak with me or if you want to be sure I attend an NJCH program near you. In the meantime, thank you for being a part of the New Jersey humanities community!
All best wishes,
Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D.
