History

In 1987 the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences established the University of Washington Center for the Humanities with a mandate to support interdisciplinary activities in the humanities. The Center sponsored a major conference on a subject of broad humanistic interest each year, and supported a variety of faculty research and teaching activities.

In 1997 the University Initiative Fund (UIF) awarded the Center substantial resources for the enhancement and expansion of its programs. In the same year, the Center was renamed the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities in honor of a major gift made by Barclay Simpson as a tribute to his father. This gift established an endowment fund for the support of excellence in the humanities at the University of Washington.

Autumn of 2000 brought the advent of Kathleen Woodward’s tenure as director of the Simpson Center and professor of English. Since joining the Simpson Center, Woodward has overseen the development of a variety of programs including the launch of a new initiative, generously funded by Fredric Danz, to develop large-scale team-taught interdisciplinary courses in the humanities for freshmen; the implementation of Teachers as Scholars, a professional development program for K-12 teachers organized in collaboration with Seattle Arts & Lectures; and the creation of a Public Humanities Institute for Doctoral Students aimed at introducing graduate students to a variety of methods of public scholarship. In 2004, Miriam Bartha joined the Simpson Center as Assistant Director.

Through the Danz Courses in the Humanities, the Center provides unique opportunities for University of Washington first-year students to engage in challenging, cross-disciplinary work. Danz Courses introduce students to the study of the humanities (including literature, history, philosophy, cultural studies, and film) and build the intellectual foundation for a liberal arts education through the study of human thought, values, beliefs, creativity, and culture. Teams of talented faculty from diverse disciplines bring perspectives that encouraging students to become active and creative learners within the university community.

In 2003 the Center received a generous bequest from Yasuko Endo, a friend of the Simpson Center. Through her bequest, Mrs. Endo created an endowed fund in her name and that of her late husband, UW psychology professor Robert Bolles. The gift provides support for UW graduate students in any field of the humanities, honoring in perpetuity the donor's lifelong interest in literature and culture.

The Simpson Center has also recently received important funding from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation as well as support from individual donors. In addition, the Simpson Center administers a fund established by donors to the UW's College of Arts & Sciences for the Solomon Katz Distinguished Lecturers in the Humanities series and the Katz Professorship.

The Simpson Center's first two directors, Ronald Moore (Philosophy) and Leroy Searle (English and Comparative Literature), demonstrated the value of a center dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary activity at the UW, as well as around the greater Seattle area. Thanks to these crucial sources of support and the enthusiasm of UW faculty, students, and staff, the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities has become an essential resource both locally and nationwide (as a member of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes) for stimulating and supporting innovative and interdisciplinary research, teaching, and dialogue in the humanities and arts.

In 2005 the Center became a member of HASTAC, the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory. A consortium of humanists, artists, scientists, social scientists, and engineers from universities across the country, HASTAC is committed to new forms of collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and communities to promote creative uses of technology. The September 2005 HASTAC meeting of people from many of its member institutions was held at the Simpson Center.

Our fact sheet provides an overview of the Simpson Center's activities.