ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Nearly $250,000 is going towards supporting the humanities and cultural preservation at Monmouth College and Augustana College.
The funds, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, were announced by Congressman Eric Sorensen on Thursday, Oct. 12. He told News 8 the grants were a part of his goal to bring federal tax dollars back to the community.
"My objective in Congress here is to make sure that we're bringing tax dollars home," Sorensen said. "It's also to make sure that the money that we bring back is an investment. And so there was just a little bit less than a quarter of a million dollars, that will be headed to Augustana College and Monmouth College, to advance humanities and education here in Western Illinois."
Monmouth College will use the funds to establish a two-week training course for 25 K-12 teachers to study the ancient Olympics and ancient Mediterranean life. Teachers from across the country will learn with Monmouth's classics department and faculty from Augustana College, Knox College, and the University of Illinois through hands-on instruction and activities. Monmouth College will be receiving nearly $175,000 for the program.
The course is intended to help teachers give students an appreciation for the classics, according to a press release.
Augustana College will be receiving nearly $50,000 to preserve records at the college's Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center. Two expert consultants will be hired to improve facilities and protect the archives for future researchers. Provost Dr. Dianna Shandy said the award demonstrates Augustana's commitment to its Swedish roots in a press release.
These awards are two of the 280 grants announced by the National Endowment for the Humanities, totaling $41.3 million.
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