In 1976, Kansas University's Hall Center for the Humanities was founded to enrich faculty on campus.
As the center celebrates its 25th birthday this year, the focus is shifting to educating the public.
Kansas University's Hall Center for the Humanities at its founding 25 years ago was one of only a handful of university humanities centers.
"The ivory tower's beginning to crumble," said Victor Bailey, center director.
"We're no longer so much the snobs on the hill. It's time to reach out."
The Hall Center's celebration is spanning the entire year. In January, it had an anniversary dinner with former directors, and it's planning a celebratory reception Sept. 7 at the Alumni Center. Officials also plan to publish a history of the center.
Originally called the Center for Humanistic Studies, the center changed its name in 1983 after receiving a donation from the Hall Family Foundation of Kansas City, Mo.
At the time, the KU center was one of only a handful of humanities centers in the nation. Now, Bailey said, there are about 150 such centers at universities.
Through much of its history, the center has provided seminars and grants for faculty members, but it is expanding its horizons to include more public outreach.
That includes the "Whatever Happened to ..." series at Unity Temple on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Lectures, which run through May, are on the status of 20th century ideas in the 21st century, including Freudian psychology, liberalism and classical music.
It also includes the Kansas History Daily Web site, set for launch later this spring. The site will feature a different topic in Kansas history each day, complete with photographs and local community links.
The Hall Center also organizes the programming for the New Generation Society of Lawrence, a group of predominantly retired people who take day trips and meet with professors to learn about the university.
Despite these newer public-outreach programs, Bailey said the center remains committed to educating university faculty.
"We don't want to lose sight of the faculty development, which is where we began," he said. "There's no point in outreach unless you have a good faculty to go out with."
The Hall Center sponsors seminars conducted by faculty members and outreach experts, which it has done since 1989. Nine such seminars currently are available, and executive director Janet Crow said many professors and graduate students attend the seminars.
"It seemed every year we'd add two or three seminars, and we still seem to add about one a year," she said.
Another method of faculty development is competitions. The Hall Center sponsors competitions for travel grants and research fellowships and conducts book competitions.
The Hall Center is funded by a mix of state, grants and donations. Bailey said he has received calls from officials at other universities wanting to establish a humanities center. The Hall Center, he said, is a model for others to follow.
And, Bailey added, prospective professors interviewing at KU know that.
"Many of the candidates say the Hall Center was a direct reason why they decided to come here," he said. "They didn't see anything like the Hall Center at other places."
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