Robert Walrond, a specialist in continuing education at St. Louis University, was among the group that founded the Missouri Committee, and he served as its executive director until 1986.
MH is committed to "building a thoughtful, engaged and civil society" by providing and supporting programs and projects which promote humanities education, encourage family reading, and assist Missouri museums, libraries, and community organizations in offering humanities-based activities.
In recent years, MH staff and board members also have come to place considerable emphasis on responding to what constituent and partner communities and organizations see as their needs and priorities, rather than from the "top down."
Another equally important guiding principle is collaboration: in an era of diminishing resources, MH works to extend its impact and relevance by engaging as much as possible with partners in its initiatives and programs.
MH awards competitive grants to Missouri institutions, organizations, and communities to help them develop and present high-quality, humanities-based programs, events, exhibits, and publications.
Our Veterans Programs offer support to new and experienced writers through workshops, readings, podcasts, and an annual publication, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors.
Other successful components of this program include an annual writing contest and the production of an anthology, "Proud to Be," which is published in partnership with Warriors Arts Alliance and Southeast Missouri State University Press.
Across all our core programs, MH staff plan events, workshops, presentations, and activities on the chosen theme to hold across the state throughout the calendar year.
By creating programs that bring greater awareness to local literature, MH is encouraging reading for pleasure and expanding literary education for Missourians of all ages.