The Value of the Humanities Project
On-going research conducted by the Center for Humanities research team
How do educational experiences in the humanities – whether majoring in history, taking a course in philosophy, or attending extra-curricular activities in religious studies or English – shape the course of human lives? How do these experiences facilitate or foreclose certain career paths? To what extent do they foster a lifelong learning mindset? Do they have any influence on human well-being and the ability to lead a good life? These are the questions that the Center for Humanities aims to answer through The Value of the Humanities Research Project, focusing specifically on the impacts of humanities education at Virginia Tech.
At a time when the worth of humanities education and scholarship are increasingly questioned, the Center is committed to data-informed advocacy. The Value of the Humanities Project is a multi-faceted effort to demonstrate the positive impact of the humanities on people’s lives and careers. The Center’s 2025-26 Graduate Assistant, Sara Naghibizadeh, working with Paul Quigley (CfH director), David Kniola (School of Education faculty member), Eliza Souser (Oral History graduate student), and others, advanced the project in two principal ways:
Surveys of Virginia Tech students taking courses that fulfil the Pathways general education requirement in the humanities. The surveys revealed that students greatly value the opportunities humanities courses provide to develop affective skills such as understanding other people’s perspectives—skills that are increasingly appealing to employers. Results from the surveys have been presented to the CfH seminar, the University Curriculum Committee for General Education, and Virginia Tech’s Summer Institute for General Education.
Oral history interviews with Virginia Tech alumni, including graduates from the Institute for Leadership in Technology program.
Stay tuned for more information and research data!