
About Us
The David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities springs from earlier efforts to establish a center that supported humanistic research. Expanding this idea to include both the arts and humanities, a group of faculty from architecture, English, fine arts, history, music, philosophy, and the School of Languages, Cultures and Race designed a proposal to create a center that supported not only traditional forms of scholarly and creative work but also the sort of publicly-engaged work that characterizes a land-grant university. This vision subsequently garnered support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research, the Graduate School, the WSU Libraries, and the Office of the President, all of which believe that the arts and humanities are vital to the health and vitality not only of our institution but also our society. The center was formally approved by the WSU Board of Regents in May 2019.
Center activities are coordinated by a director who is jointly appointed by the dean of the College of the Arts and Sciences and the vice president of research. The director is supported by an advisory board, as well as other faculty who participate in the planning and selection for the center’s scholarships, fellowships, and public programming. Faculty interested in participating more directly in the operations of the Center are encouraged to contact us via email.
David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities Leadership
- Trevor J. Bond
CAH Director
Associate Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries - Chris Dickey
CAH Associate Director
Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium
School of Music - Nazua Idris
CAH Graduate Assistant
PhD Candidate in Literary Studies, Department of English
Advisory Board
- Donna M. Campbell
Professor
Department of English
(Fall 2022–Spring 2025) - Kim Christen
Associate Vice President
Associate Vice Chancellor (Pullman)
Office of Research Advancement & Partnerships
(Fall 2022-Spring 2025) - Lawrence Hatter
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Department of History
(Fall 2020-Spring 2023) - Desiree Hellegers
Professor
Department of English (Vancouver Campus)
(Fall 2022-Spring 2025) - Erin Hvizdak
Humanities Librarian
WSU Libraries
(Fall 2021-Spring 2024) - Becky James
Research Development Manager
College of Arts and Sciences - Stephany Runninghawk Johnson
Assistant Professor
Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education (CSSTE)
(Fall 2022-Spring 2025)
- Jolie B Kaytes
School of Design and Construction
(Fall 2022–Spring 2025) - Melissa Parkhurst
Associate Professor
School of Music
(Fall 2022-Spring 2025) - Reza Safavi
Associate Professor
Fine Arts
(Fall 2021-Spring 2024) - Nishant Shahani
Associate Professor
Department of English and Program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Vancouver Campus)
(Fall 2020-Spring 2023) - Matt Stichter
Associate Professor
School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs
(Fall 2020-Spring 2023) - Sophia Tegart
Associate Professor
School of Music
(Fall 2022-Spring 2025)