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OCH News is a monthly electronic newsletter that provides information about events, activities, and opportunities from the Oregon Council for the Humanities. Please visit the Contact page to sign up to receive the e-newsletter by e-mail.
OCH News: April 2008
HIP Students Graduate
Students from Portland and Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution celebrate the completion of a year's work.
Graduates of the Humanity in Perspective (HIP) courses in Portland and Pendleton received their diplomas last week in ceremonies at Reed College and Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. EOCI graduates presented OCH with "Letters from EOCI," modeled after a favorite text for this term's students, Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," which was also drafted on a roll of toilet paper. One student wrote, "HIP brought to light my abilities, not only intellectually, but socially. I came into this class nervous and timid, and am leaving far more confident and ready to continue on the road to higher learning." The past two years of HIP graduates, as well as prison administrators, educators, and community supporters from Pendleton attended the ceremony.
In Portland, this year's HIP graduates praised the Reed faculty for encouraging them to challenge their assumptions about race and our nation's history, and to pursue more ambitious futures for themselves and their families. James Boyd, one of three student speakers, acknowledged that HIP helped him question the racist beliefs with which he was raised and credits the course with encouraging him to be a leader in his community by fighting discrimination against people who are HIV positive.
Powerful stories like these are proof of how the humanities can change lives. OCH is so motivated by these stories that Director of Programs Jennifer Allen is talking with community leaders around the state in hopes of expanding the Council's HIP offerings in the coming years. Please contact Jennifer if you're interested in finding out how you can support this effort.
New Oregon Chautauqua Programs
OCH welcomes eight new Oregon Chautauqua programs for the 2008-09 season. These programs will join twenty programs that remain on the roster from last year. This season's catalog includes programs that are part of OCH's larger Borders and Boundaries programmatic theme exploring complex issues of nationalism, race, class, identity, and community.
Oregon Chautauqua, a speakers bureau of humanities-based lectures and discussions, is OCH's oldest and most well-known program. Last year, more than 6,000 Oregonians attended 194 Oregon Chautauqua programs in communities across the state. Oregon nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for up to three Oregon Chautauqua programs each year. OCH pays the presenters' honoraria, mileage, and meal per diems; host organizations provide lodging when necessary.
The new programs for 2008-09 are as follows:
Catalogs will be mailed the last week of April, and organizations can begin booking programs for September through December 2008 in June. If you are an Oregon nonprofit that is not already on the Oregon Chautauqua catalog mailing list but would like to be, please contact Program and Development Coordinator Annie Dubinsky by e-mail or at (503) 241-0543, (800) 735-0543.
Oregon Humanities "Strangers" Issue Now Available
The spring 2008 issue of Oregon Humanities, on the theme of strangers, is in the mail and on its way to readers everywhere. The issue's main feature, "On Paper Wings," is the story of a young filmmaker's efforts to document the little-known use of Japanese balloon bombs during World War II, the weapon's devastating effect on a small Oregon community, and the remarkable gestures of reconciliation that followed. OCH was proud to award a Public Program Grant to Film Action Oregon, the nonprofit organization that sponsored this project. This issue also includes an article about how online social networking sites have changed the way that some members of the Millennial Generation view friends and strangers, as well as essays by Oregon writers Monica Drake, Melissa Madenski, Gigi Rosenberg, and Alice Tallmadge.
The Strangers issue may look a little different to long-time Oregon Humanities readers. This new look reflects the feedback and suggestions OCH received from its editorial advisory board as well as from readers who participated in a survey this winter. The most noticeable changes include more graphics throughout, a new section of excerpts on the theme by Oregon writers and scholars, and a beefed-up Field Work section that includes stories about humanities work at the Council and across the state.
If you don't currently receive the magazine but would like to, please give us a call at (503) 241-0543 and ask to be added to the mailing list. The magazine is distributed for free to any Oregonian who wants a copy. You can also read most of the content online.
The summer 2008 issue, due out in July, will look at the theme of class. We're still accepting submissions of art, photography, and Posts for this issue; we've extended the deadline to April 28, 2008. Please visit the writers' guidelines page for more information. And watch next month for details about the call for submissions for the fall 2008 issue, on the theme of civility.
Two Job Openings at OCH
Finance Manager: OCH seeks an individual to assist the Executive Director in the management of finances and budget, including requests, reporting, and communication to federal agency; budget oversight; financial statements; and accounting. Qualifications for this .62 FTE, salaried position ($29,990 + benefits) include a B.A., interest or experience in humanities-based programming, and at least five years of experience in nonprofit finance administration.
For more information, please download and review the job description. By April 15, 2008, send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to Cara Ungar-Gutierrez, Oregon Council for the Humanities, 812 SW Washington St., Suite 225, Portland, Oregon, 97205.
Communications Assistant: OCH is also hiring a part-time Communications Assistant to work with the Communications Director/Editor on all OCH communications and publications, including Oregon Humanities magazine. Qualifications for this .5 FTE, salaried position ($17,160 + prorated benefits) include a B.A.; minimum two years experience in publishing, marketing, and/or communications; proven excellence in writing and editing; proficiency with Mac-based word processing, desktop publishing, and HTML editing programs; and interest and experience in humanities-based programming.
For more information, please download and review the job description. By April 30, 2008, send a resume, cover letter, two published writing samples, and three professional references to Kathleen Holt, Oregon Council for the Humanities, 812 SW Washington St., Suite 225, Portland, Oregon, 97205.
No phone calls, please.
Message from the Executive Director
This past week I attended two Humanity in Perspective (HIP) graduations--one at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and one in Portland (see story above). I asked students to describe the most powerful and important aspect of the course. The overwhelming majority responded that the opportunity to delve deeply into complex and enduring questions and to engage in conversations about difficult issues provided them with a sense of hope and empowerment.
The long-term results of this program have been astounding. HIP course participants have climbed their way out of debt, rekindled relationships with estranged family members, overcome addictions, secured stable employment and housing, matriculated at universities, and become powerful voices for social change.
Through our programs and publications, OCH provides all Oregonians, regardless of class or educational background, opportunities to engage in difficult and meaningful conversations about a variety of issues. For example, this month, Four Questions participants in Portland are reading scenes from provocative plays and then gathering weekly at Portland Center Stage's Gerding Theater at the Armory to discuss timeless questions about virtue, justice, power, and desire. This summer, Oregon high school teachers will convene in Bend to talk about class at our Teacher Institute, and Oregon high school students will ponder happiness at the OCH Honors Symposium in Beaverton. We understand that it is important for Oregonians to talk with each other and learn more about our diverse perspectives, and we are committed to bringing a humanities-based perspective both to questions that are timeless and those that are timely and urgent to Oregonians for the purposes of creating and solidifying community. We encourage you to join us by participating in our programs or making a donation today.
Sincerely,
© 2008 Oregon Council for the Humanities