About Taft
The Charles Phelps Taft Research Center is an intellectually vibrant and nourishing hub for interdisciplinary conversations and collaborations that demonstrate the importance of the humanities, in their broadest sense.
Celebrating more than twenty years as a center and nearly one hundred years as an endowed fund, we offer a range of university and public programs that bring people together, inspire and advance new ideas, and explore enduring questions. We support the research and educational missions of our 15 member units, providing fellowships, awards, and enhancements for their faculty and students to pursue original research and creative projects. We are a member of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes and collaborate with partners across campus, the community, and beyond.
History
In 1930, Annie Sinton Taft made a generous $2,000,000 endowment for, "the study and teaching of 'the Humanities' in the College of Liberal Arts and Graduate school of the University of Cincinnati," in honor of her late husband Charles Phelps Taft, "whose interest in the advance of culture and art included an especial interest in the progress of the University of Cincinnati, and a real enthusiasm for those studies which relate to the improvement of the mind than to physical and material betterment." Her desire was, in her words, to “bring about a concentration of interest upon that group of ideas which are generally known as 'The Humanities,' hoping others may be inspired to join in the same work or other work of the University." She believed there was "a lack of emphasis on the value of thought and conduct and character", and to this end, she sought to fuel 'The Humanities', focusing on "the development of ideas, of thought and of character."
Between 1930 and 2004, the Charles Phelps Taft Memorial Fund provided monies from the endowment to UC faculty and students, towards the above purpose. In 2005, Taft gained an institution presence as the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. Our mission is to realize the vision of Annie Sinton Taft, funding excellent humanities scholarship in order to expand our minds and the conceivable.
Members of the Taft family continue to serve as trustees of the endowment, ensuring long term security over the fund.
Membership
The Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati has a unique membership model. While our many of our programs and events are public-facing and open to the broader university community, funding for undergraduate, graduate, and faculty scholarship is restricted to the following Uptown West Campus units, their tenure-track faculty, and students pursuing major courses of study offered therein:
Leadership
The Faculty Executive Board of the Charles Phelps Taft Memorial Fund (Humanities) oversees all programs associated with the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center. This body has policy-making and administrative responsibilities for planning and executing activities and programs that fulfill the purpose of the fund. The Director of the Taft Research Center serves as the Faculty Chair of the Executive Board.
- Jeff Blevins, School of Public and International Affairs
- Letisha Brown, Sociology
- Lenisa Chang, Economics
- Chandra Frank, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- Eric Jenkins, School of Communication, Film & Media Studies
- Cassandra Jones, Africana Studies
- Matthew Kraus, Judaic Studies
- Benjamin LaPoe, Journalism
- Sharrell Luckett, English
- Heather Norton, Anthropology
- Tanja Nusser, Asian, East European & German Studies
- Tom Polger, Philosophy
- Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, Taft Faculty Chair
- Leonid Slavin, Mathematical Science
- Patricia Valladares-Ruiz, Romance & Arabic Languages and Literatures
- Xia Wang, Mathematical Sciences
- Jeffrey Zalar, History
- Neville Pinto, President
- Rudolph G. Buchheit, Provost
- Loren Wold, Vice President for Research
- Ryan White, Interim Dean, Graduate College
- James Mack, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
- Frank W. Chandler, 1930–44
- Robert Shafer, 1944–46
- Edwin H. Zeydel, 1946–61
- Cedric Boutler, 1961–72
- Arnold Schrier, 1973–89
- Judy Muyskens, 1989-94
- Barbara Ramusack, 1994–98
- Chris McCord, 1998–2003
- Richard Harknett, 2003–08, Inaugural Center Director
- Jana Evans Braziel, 2008–12
- Adrian Parr, 2013–18
- Amy Lind, 2019–24
During the 2026–27 academic year, the Taft Faculty Executive Board will meet on the following Wednesdays, 10am–noon: September 9, October 7, November 4, December 9, January 13, February 10, March 10, and April 7. These are closed meetings, open to board members and invited guests only.