September 24, 2024

Reflecting on the past, looking to the future: Susannah Smith, acting director of the Institute for Advanced Study, outlines our priorities for 2024–25 as we approach our twentieth anniversary.

On September 9, 2005, the Institute for Advanced Study celebrated its grand opening; I joined the staff as Managing Director shortly thereafter. As the IAS approaches our twentieth anniversary, it is my great honor and privilege to serve as the Acting Director during Bianet Castellanos’s sabbatical. As I reflect on the past nineteen years, I am awed by what the IAS has accomplished and the impact that the IAS has had on the University as a whole, from the establishment of new centers and programs that were first incubated at the IAS—including what is now Heritage Studies and Public History and the Center for Premodern Studies—to wider supports for the kind of collaborative projects that the IAS modeled, and the many people whom we have supported, encouraged, and inspired. 

We look forward to sharing many of these stories on the occasion of our twentieth anniversary. If you have a story to tell, please let us know!

This past summer, the IAS began the process of strategic planning, with the director and staff taking a deep dive into how we work and our vision for the future. As we consider our mission, how we have grown, and how we can best serve our many audiences, we will continue building out the IAS strategic plan this year. Meanwhile, we have an exciting year planned that furthers our current priorities of advocating for racial and social justice, strengthening community engagement, expanding international partnerships, and creating pathways for institutional transformation.

Our (In)Justice Series this year is in partnership with the Mellon Foundation–supported Sawyer Seminar, “Just Policing: Transnational Perspectives on the Definition and Possibility of Justice in Law Enforcement.” This timely series will examine how policing intersects with broader societal issues, drawing on examples from around the world that include efforts to reform, transform, or abolish policing, with thoughtful contributions from leading academics, policy makers, and activists. 

The IAS Incubator Program continues to grow. This program seeks to develop interdisciplinary projects in alignment with IAS priorities to a fundable stage of development. We have already submitted grant proposals for Incubator projects this year and are continuing our work with other teams to clarify their ideas and develop robust proposals for submission. Applications for this program are accepted on a rolling basis; check here for further details.

As the IAS approaches its twentieth anniversary, Open Rivers also approaches its tenth anniversary! This fall, Open Rivers is convening a new cohort of our Graduate Student Committee as part of our commitment to offering students professional development and publishing experience. Our forthcoming Fall 2024 issue includes articles discussing innovative practices for rethinking environmental questions and conditions through art. Your support of Open Rivers will enable new investments in innovative digital storytelling, more editorial support for our authors, and more open-access, rigorous public scholarship.

Our Residential Fellows cohort this semester includes faculty from the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses, a postdoctoral and four doctoral fellows, and a community fellow jointly supported with the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub. They come from diverse fields and disciplines—from Forest Resources to American Studies, Art-in-Health to Public Policy, and Law to Literature—and they bring their distinct expertise to shared concerns about inclusion, representation, and community-engaged work. We are looking forward to exciting discussions!

The IAS currently supports twenty Research and Creative Collaboratives and seven interdisciplinary grant-funded projects, many of which are engaged in crucial community-based work. We are particularly proud to support efforts led by Indigenous scholars and community partners on collaborative projects such as the American Indian Child Removal Study, which addresses coming to terms with and healing from the damage wrought by Indian boarding schools; Oshkiigin Noojimo'iwe, which amplifies the work of the TRUTH Report; and Enhancing Collaborative Research Toward Prospects of STEM AI/AN Tribal College Graduate Students, a Spencer Foundation–supported effort to reconceptualize STEM graduate training for American Indian/Alaska Native/Indigenous Tribal Colleges and University faculty and related tribal members. 

For those interested in joining the IAS community, many deadlines are approaching! Find deadlines and apply now on our website.

I am delighted to be working with the IAS’s new Managing Director, Jen K. AlVarez Hughes. Jen possesses the rare combination of intellectual curiosity, artistic skill, and solid administrative chops, rolled up in an enthusiasm for the IAS that may even surpass my own. The IAS’s programs and operations are in good hands!

We have a big year ahead of us and I am thrilled to be leading the IAS through it. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to digging into our archives to pull out the highlights as we prepare for a big celebration of our twentieth anniversary one year from now. Stay tuned, and make sure you share your story!

Have a wonderful semester, and I hope to see you soon.

Susannah