Building Community through California Regional Gatherings

ACLS hosted regional gatherings in California in March 2026, bringing together about 90 local scholars and members of the ACLS community with the shared goal of supporting and promoting the humanities and social sciences. On March 30, attendees gathered at San Francisco State University (SFSU), hosted by Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo, Dean of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, and on March 31, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), hosted by Alexandra Minna Stern, Dean of the UCLA Division of Humanities, and Abel Valenzuela, Dean of the UCLA Division of Social Sciences. 

At both events, ACLS President Joy Connolly led conversations about the importance of individuals sharing the value of humanities and social sciences research and teaching, particularly with scholars in other fields and those outside academia. Guests were excited to hear about our advocacy efforts, including updates from our litigation with the American Historical Association and Modern Language Association to restore the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s previous function and funding, and the new community-building initiative DASSH (Defending the Arts, Social Sciences, and the Humanities), which aims to improve public understanding of and investment in humanistic knowledge.

In addition to the gatherings, ACLS Senior Director of US and International Programs Christopher Thornton shared fellowship and grant opportunities and application tips with faculty at SFSU and was joined by ACLS Program Officer Nike Nivar Ortiz for grant presentations at UCLA and the University of California, Riverside. 

San Francisco Regional Gathering

Los Angeles Regional Gathering

ACLS Fellowship and Grant Presentations