Pushing Knowledge Forward

A collage of photos with the words, Research in the Liberal Arts: Tackling today's biggest challenges

Committed to tackling today’s biggest challenges and questions, our research takes many forms—from publications to performing art—and even more varied directions. CLA scholars are constantly seeking to discover new knowledge, highlight perspectives, confront inequity, and create lasting contributions. 

In turn, these discoveries help forge new relationships between the University of Minnesota and its surrounding communities, and produce globally relevant insights. The liberal arts are front page news. And our scholars’ research illuminates, and inspires solutions, to the pressing issues of our time.

Leading Learning

Research impacts all levels of CLA, from the important work of our faculty to the in-class experiences of our undergraduate students. 

Psychologists are concerned that the practice of science has been open to too few and that the dispersion of scientific findings is too limited. Who practices science and who benefits from science also have a bearing on its credibility among the general public. Scientific practice has been considered to be too 'closed,' thereby thwarting the ability of others to confirm or contest scientific findings and to support or question scientific agendas.

From “The (R)evolution of Open Science”

Kelley Harness and Andrew Oxenham

Scholars of the College

Congratulations to CLA's 2024 Scholars of the College:

The Scholar of the College award is presented annually by the College of Liberal Arts to recognize and celebrate outstanding achievement by faculty in the college. Scholars of the College are chosen based on past accomplishments and contributions in the areas of scholarly research or other creative work, teaching, and service, and the promise of further achievement. 

* denotes Waldfogel Scholars of the College. Funding for Melvin and Gertrude Waldfogel Scholars of the College is provided by the Waldfogel Family Foundation at the direction of Asher, Sabra, and Joel Waldfogel. The fund honors their mother, Gertrude, and their father, Melvin, who was a long-time faculty member in the Department of Art History.

Methods and Modes

The work of our faculty and students contributes to ongoing discussions of how knowledge is created, from research methods to the construction of art and meaning.

The current way we work with Cisco is ideal in that we have room for addressing overall research problems along with the opportunity to put it into practical impact. It’s great to blend both perspectives. They shouldn’t be isolated.

Associate professor Jie Ding (statistics) from “Combining Academic and Industry Research Modes to Advance Machine Learning”

 

CLA draws the world's brightest minds to Minnesota

A dozen CLA faculty and alumni have won Nobel Prizes in economics, literature, chemistry, and physics. Six CLA faculty members have been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the past decade. And since 2000, CLA students have won 4 Rhodes, 10 Truman, and 5 Beinecke Scholarships, plus 99 Fulbright awards.

At the Heart of Why

A powerfully personal “why” drives some of CLA’s research, lending space to the investigation of identity and experience. 

During my Guggenheim Fellowship, I will travel to rural Georgia to research and rediscover forgotten Black artists and their artworks. Through collecting oral histories and engaging with communities, my goal is to challenge conventional narratives, honor the resilience of these overlooked artists, and connect with my father's artistic legacy.

Lamar Peterson, from “Associate Professor Lamar Peterson awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship”

Kat Hayes

"A reluctant archaeologist"

Associate Professor Kat Hayes, the college's 2024 Dean's Medalist, seeks to challenge many of the inherently destructive practices of archaeology while centering representation and inclusion; contributions that have made an enduring impact on CLA, the University, and broader Minnesota communities.
 

The Intersection of Discovery and Discrepancy

Challenging Narratives

Housing the arts and humanities and social sciences alike, the scholars of CLA interrogate bias and injustice from countless angles.

To really get people to reframe the racial disparities that we are living with today, and to understand that they were deliberately constructed through policies and structural racism — that was the impetus behind Mapping Prejudice.

Kirsten Delegard, public historian and project founder of Mapping Prejudice, from “Revealing Public History Through Maps”

 

Discovery Made Possible

Faculty are at the heart of CLA’s thriving academic community. CLA faculty are top researchers and experts in their field that continue to seek new knowledge and development. Beyond their own work, they enhance the academic environment of CLA by providing guidance, mentorship, and opportunities to new scholars. 

Their expertise and commitment to pushing knowledge forward makes CLA’s faculty and their work essential to our mission. 

Your gifts to support faculty will help strengthen relationships with community partners, advance measurable experimentation, and test new ideas.

CLA Faculty Support 

This story was edited by Cass Bryant, an undergraduate student in CLA.

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