At the Newhouse Center, we strive to build a vibrant and inclusive humanities research and programming hub at the College through teaching initiatives and innovative programming that expands from the classroom out into the community. We support Wellesley faculty in all phases of their careers, providing a space to think and write in the middle of demanding professional lives, and we advocate passionately for the ways that the humanistic disciplines enrich human life, open human minds, and contribute to a more nuanced and empathic understanding of global issues.
Our origins
In 2004, a generous gift from Susan “Suzy” Marley Newhouse ’55 and Donald Newhouse established the Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities at Wellesley College to promote innovative, imaginative, and influential research in the humanities. Throughout her life, Suzy was known for her dedication to public service and the arts. In addition to her lifelong commitment to Wellesley, this dedication extended to her work as a trustee for the New York Public Library and Lincoln Center Theatre, among others. She was also the longtime chairwoman of the Fresh Air Fund. Suzy’s work touched many communities, and she is especially cherished at Wellesley.
Wellesley nurtures. I had a sheltered early life and found Wellesley’s boundless offerings and small classes forced personal growth, while the exposure to women, thinking women, talking women, excited women from every state and many foreign countries, expanded my horizons… Wellesley gives us hope for future generations.
The Newhouse Center helps shape those generations by creating a crossroads for scholars and students of the humanities broadly defined. In a tribute to Newhouse, President Emerita Diana Chapman Walsh, class of 1966, called the center a place “to preserve time-honored traditions and yet extend boundaries, to explore the highest values by which we humans can live, to be creative, curious, compassionate, alive, forever young.”
Our affiliations
The Newhouse Center is affiliated with three humanities organizations and an associated faculty support group. Through our collaboration with them, we seek to strengthen our mission and programming.
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New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC)
Begun by the University of Connecticut’s Humanities Institute (UCHI), this consortium connects 11 colleges and universities in New England. NEHC shares ideas and resources in speakers’ series, research collaborations, and institutional partnerships.
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Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI)
The CHCI is a worldwide network of over 250 humanities centers, institutes, research libraries and similar organizations. Its purpose is to support the future of the humanities by fostering new methods of interdisciplinary collaboration.
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National Humanities Alliance (NHA)
The NHA comprises over 200 colleges and universities, museums, libraries, state organizations and associations across the U.S. It seeks federal funding and promotes study and engagement in humanities in communities nationwide.
The Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481