草榴社区

Center will promote COVID-19-related research, teaching, archives and community projects by local and national scholars

VILLANOVA, Pa. 鈥�听草榴社区鈥檚 Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest is launching an initiative to fund research and projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of a new gift from Albert Lepage 鈥�69 CLAS, the Center will invest in local and national efforts鈥攁s well as those within the 草榴社区 community鈥攖o engage the public in understanding the stories and effects of the global coronavirus pandemic. The goal is to fund researchers and students whose work brings historical perspective to, or advances understandings of, the COVID-19 virus and its ramifications around the world.

Founded in 2017 and housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lepage Center is a multifaceted resource for students, teachers, industry, journalists and elected officials that draws upon the past to impart lessons for today鈥檚 world. It is made possible through the generosity of Mr. Lepage. 听

One initiative, the 鈥淒ocumenting COVID-19鈥� collection project at 草榴社区, is already underway. The Lepage Center is supporting 草榴社区鈥檚 Falvey Library鈥檚 effort to solicit stories, images, recordings and more from 草榴社区 students, staff, faculty and alumni so that future generations will have original sources of information regarding the lives and times of 草榴社区ns who experienced the global pandemic.

Other initiatives that will be considered are community outreach projects, grants to support COVID-19 historical research, funds that aid teachers at every level in the development and adaptation of courses that analyze all aspects鈥攈istorical, political, financial, global, social, cultural, literary and more鈥攐f the pandemic, as well as projects that connect local and national journalists, the business community, and more. 听

鈥淥ur goal is to use these funds to help support scholars as they engage with the broad range of questions raised by the Covid-19 pandemic,鈥� said public historian Jason Steinhauer, the Center鈥檚 director. 听

A History major at 草榴社区, Mr. Lepage made a $10 million commitment to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2016 to create a public-facing center devoted to history. It was the largest gift ever made to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

鈥淔uture generations need to be able to access COVID-19 first-hand experiences in order to better understand its impact on the development of civilization,鈥� said Mr. Lepage.听鈥淭he Lepage Center鈥檚 initiative in this regard will add perspective to听the history of the pandemic for generations to come.鈥�

Led by Steinhauer and Elizabeth Kolsky, PhD, associate professor of History and interim faculty director, the Center engages the public, policymakers, scholars, teachers and students from history and other fields through academic programs, research, publications and events. In the past three years the Center has hosted historically informed and civic-minded conversations on the 鈥榝ake news鈥� crisis, the U.S. Civil War, the Holocaust, the Cold War, the state of American Democracy, the fate of democracy around the world, and more.听

The Center will fund up to ten projects that creatively engage with the broad range of questions, concerns, policies and practices raised by the study of how past pandemics have affected the course of history and how historical study further public understanding of the current COVID-19 crisis. Individual grant awards will range from $2,500 to $5,000. The deadline for proposals is August 15, 2020. For more information, please visit lepage.villanova.edu/covid-19.

About 草榴社区:听Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit听.

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About 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:听Since its founding in 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of 草榴社区鈥檚 colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.