The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) promotes excellence in research and creative scholarship by ISU’s arts and humanities faculty. As its central mission, CEAH provides internal grant support and creates programs that will strengthen the richness, productivity, national and international visibility, and continuing impact of faculty research.
CEAH reports to the Vice President for Research working closely with the College of Design and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
CEAH Director
The director of the CEAH guides the operations and development of CEAH in consultation with the Office of the Vice President for Research, the CEAH Advisory Council, and deans from the College of Design and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The director represents CEAH to the administration and other units in the university, to the faculty, and to organizations outside the university.
The CEAH director periodically reviews and updates annual goals for the center, the annual schedule, the internal grants review process, and RFPs for internal grants. The director convenes CEAH Advisory Council meetings, taking the role of chair.
CEAH Director, Matthew W. Sivils, is a Dean’s Professor of American literature in the Department of English. His research primarily focuses on issues related to nineteenth-century American literature and the environment, as well as on issues related to American Gothic fiction, the ecoGothic, and narratives of disease.
CEAH Advisory Council
The CEAH advisory council acts on a continuing basis as the review committee for CEAH internal grants and assists CEAH director in determining the appropriate use of faculty research development funds. The advisory council consists of six faculty members, three each from the College of Design and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Members of the advisory council are nominated by the college deans and appointed by the Vice President for Research. Advisory council members serve three-year terms.
An Associate Vice President for Research and the Associate Deans for Research from Design and LAS serve on the advisory council as ex-officio, non-voting members.