Holden Thorp, provost at Washington University in St. Louis, will discuss the state of the humanities in American higher education at a free talk Nov. 3 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thorp, who became the Washington University provost and executive vice chancellor July 1, will deliver the 2013 E. Maynard Adams Lecture in the Humanities and Human Values at 4 p.m. in the UNC School of Social Work auditorium. He is the former chancellor and Kenan Professor of Chemistry at UNC.
His talk, “From Salesman to Hamletmachine: The Need for the Humanities,” will examine the arguments and strategies being used to garner support for teaching and research in the humanities in the current fiscal and political context.
Thorp is the co-author with University Entrepreneur-in-Residence Buck Goldstein of “Engines of Innovation” (UNC Press). He also is a co-founder of Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which is commercializing new drugs for prostate cancer and anti-fungal indications.
A dinner honoring Thorp will be held at the Carolina Inn at 6 p.m. For more information about cost and to register, visit http://humanities.unc.edu, or contact (919) 962-1544, human@unc.edu.
College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu