Humanities Research Institute at Illinois

🎉 We’re proud to introduce the six participants in the 2026 Summer Bridge Program! This eight-week immersive experience connects University of Illinois humanities graduate students with local Champaign-Urbana community partners to collaborate on projects that address community needs while developing professional skills and experience.�

* Johnson Adegbola (Department of Anthropology at Illinois)�* Madeline Belland (History at Illinois)
* Fredrick Gaisie (Illinois English)
* Janet Husunukpe (College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois)
* Erica Kolson (University of Illinois Department of Communication)
* Nathalie Martinez (Department of Anthropology at Illinois)

�The Summer Bridge program, supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, is a partnership between the Humanities Without Walls consortium, We CU, the The Graduate College at Illinois, and HRI.��➡️go.illinois.edu/Bridge26

We are excited to announce that Jerry Dávila, an expert in Latin American history and a leader in global humanities, will become the next director of the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dávila, the Jorge Paulo Lemann Chair in Brazilian History, currently serves as Executive Director of the Illinois Global Institute.

“Jerry Dávila is an outstanding researcher and visionary leader whose commitment to interdisciplinary humanities research and global engagement will inspire our community as he leads HRI into its next chapter.” -Susan Martinis, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

Read more!👇
go.illinois.edu/davila

History at Illinois Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois

“This position has allowed me to strengthen my writing skills, drafting and revising several articles, a skill that I am confident will help me succeed not only academically, but professionally.” – Lucy Roller, an English major undergraduate student who served as the David F. Prindable intern for 2025–26 at HRI.

Read more🔗 go.illinois.edu/lucyinternspotlight

Looking for an opportunity to advance your educational goals? The Odyssey Project may be the right place for you! You can earn up to eight transferable college credits in an environment designed to support non-traditional students. Sign up for an info session to learn more about the program and how to apply.

🔗go.illinois.edu/Odyssey

🎓 So proud to celebrate the Odyssey Project graduation with our students and their families! We’re excited to see what’s next—congratulations to all our graduates!
Interested in joining Odyssey this fall? Sign up for an info session to learn more. ➡️️ go.illinois.edu/odyssey

🧡💙Last week, HRI celebrated this year’s Prizes for Research honorees, recognizing the outstanding work of humanities scholars across campus. It was a wonderful evening of engaging conversations, great food, and celebration.

HRI and WeCU hosted a luncheon to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2026 Humanities in Action scholars. It was inspiring to hear the students talk about the projects they worked on and the meaningful connections they made with community organizations. Thank you to everyone who helped make HIA a success! 🎉

📚 Interested in starting a reading group with colleagues?
HRI will help promote your group to broaden participation and connect you with new members. Submit a short description through the link below before May 31 and be ready for fall 2026!
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Readinggroup2026

Early this month, the Humanities Research Lab Showcase was held at Levis, where students shared their research and reflected on what they gained from the courses. It was exciting to learn about Bethel AME Church and to see the zine books created in the Spanish class.