National Humanities Center Selects New VP for Scholarly Programs

The National Humanities Center has announced the appointment of Tania Munz as Vice President for Scholarly Programs, effective August 1, 2017.

Munz comes to the Center having most recently served as Vice President for Research & Scholarship at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, MO, where she oversaw the library’s fellowship program and managed its collection of over half a million monograph volumes and more than 48,000 journal titles. She has previously held research and teaching positions at Northwestern University and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.
Munz holds a BA in the history of science and medicine from the University of Chicago, an MA in the history of science and technology from the University of Minnesota, and received her PhD in history from Princeton University. Prior to pursuing her graduate education, Munz taught biology and chemistry in Berne, Switzerland, and worked as a museum educator and exhibit developer at the Bakken Library and Museum in Minneapolis. She also served as a guest producer on National Public Radio’s popular Talk of the Nation “Science Friday” segment.
Munz’s scholarship has focused on the history of animal behavior studies, especially the work of Nobel laureate Karl von Frisch. Her book, The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language, was published in 2016 by the University of Chicago Press. Munz is also a member of the History of Science Society where she serves as a member of the society’s council and strategic planning committee.
Robert D. Newman, President and Director of the National Humanities Center, noted Munz’s experiences as a dedicated scholar and administrator as well as her experience as a public advocate as qualities that distinguished her to the selection committee. “Tania has a wonderful appreciation not only for how research is conducted and supported, but for how it must be championed,” he said. “Her scholarly and administrative experience make her an ideal choice to sustain and broaden the Center’s status as the premiere destination in which to incubate and accomplish advanced research in the humanities.”
“I am delighted for the opportunity to oversee the Center’s scholarly programs,” said Munz. “Over the past forty years, the Center has established itself as an ideal place for pursuing humanities research, and I look forward to helping ensure that reputation continues for years to come.”

About the Center

The National Humanities Center is the world’s only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities. Through its residential fellowship program, the Center provides scholars with the resources necessary to generate new knowledge and to further understanding of all forms of cultural expression, social interaction, and human thought. Through its education programs, the Center strengthens teaching on the collegiate and pre-collegiate levels. Through public engagement intimately linked to its scholarly and educational programs, the Center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for their foundational role in a democratic society.