Teagle Foundation gifts $175,000 Cornerstones grant to Lyon College

Lyon College has been awarded a $175,000 “Cornerstones” grant from the Teagle Foundation to expand the role of humanities in general education.

The funding will support the implementation of a renovated core curriculum, “Conversations,” as well as a brand-new medical humanities minor and enhancement of YearOne, Lyon’s first-year seminar. The Teagle Foundation awarded the grant to help Lyon College foster a transformative experience for its diverse student body.

The funding will be used for faculty development and stipends as the college launches its innovative core curriculum in the fall of 2025 and its medical humanities minor in the fall of 2024.

“We have found ourselves at the vanguard of a movement,” said Dr. Wesley Beal, who serves as W.C. Brown, Jr. Professor of English and as a principal investigator on the grant project. “The Teagle Foundation is marshaling an incredible campaign for the soul of liberal learning. It sounds like hype. But it’s true. They’re leading this movement while the humanities are in retreat nationwide, and the timing is especially favorable for us because it’s a pivotal moment in Lyon’s history, as we build out important pre professional programs.”

The Conversations curriculum, a series of three courses all students will take beginning their first semester, focuses on texts that engage students with questions relevant to their lives. These courses will cover themes such as American political traditions, global historical developments, and world literature, fostering a deeper understanding of self and society. YearOne will also integrate “Meno”, one of Plato’s dialogs, to achieve the same goal.

In addition to the core curriculum, the new medical humanities minor will cater to health science students, combining electives in anthropology, literature, history, and ethics with a capstone seminar.

“This grant allows us to offer a richer and more comprehensive educational experience. By intertwining humanities with medical studies, we can cultivate more empathetic and well-rounded healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Alexis Baldacci, assistant professor of history and another principal investigator for the grant project.

“The Teagle Foundation is excited to support Lyon College’s innovative approach to liberal arts education,” said Dr. Andrew Delbanco, president of the Teagle Foundation. “By integrating powerful works of literature into their curriculum, Lyon College is preparing students to navigate a complex world with empathy and insight.”