Preface: On the College of Humanities Fine Arts Graduate Student Symposium

In the fall of 2006, we sat down to discuss the possibility of creating a venue for the celebration of excellence in student work in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Although we initially considered large-scale models that would include both undergraduate and graduate students and that would make space for the presentation of traditional research, creative work, and performance, we soon realized the wisdom of “starting small” by focusing on graduate-level work representing traditional research in the humanities. From the beginning, the goal has remained the same: to provide space for the presentation of excellent work, nominated by members of the graduate faculty in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and selected by a screening committee appointed by the Dean. That work is then presented to a live audience during a half-day event and is considered by a panel of adjudicators, who reflect on the presentations and choose students who will receive cash prizes or travel awards at the conclusion of the symposium