ASU's Project Humanities recognized for its work as a model for community engagement

Arizona State University Foundation Professor Neal A. Lester received the People's Choice Presentation Award at the 2026 Community Engagement Administrators Conference in North Carolina on June 10, where he shared how ASU's Project Humanities has spent the past 15 years building community through dialogue, connection and civic engagement.

Lester, founding director of Project Humanities, earned the conference's top attendee-selected recognition for his presentation, "Project Humanities: A Model for Community Engagement," which highlighted the initiative's nationally recognized approach to fostering compassion, empathy, respect and meaningful dialogue across campuses and communities.

The award reflects growing national interest in Project Humanities, an ASU initiative that has engaged thousands of participants since 2011 through public programs, volunteer opportunities, community partnerships and its signature Hacks for Humanity event.

Launched in 2004, North Carolina Campus Engagement’s Community Engagement Administrators Conference brings together higher education professionals who develop, promote and sustain community and civic engagement. The 2026 conference welcomed over 100 participants from an estimated 30 colleges and university campuses across seven states for a day focused on models that demonstrate sustained commitment to civil discourse and deliberation.

During his presentation, Lester shared how Project Humanities fosters conversations and community connections across ASU and beyond. Since its founding, Project Humanities has engaged thousands of participants through programming grounded in the seven core values of Humanity 101: compassion, empathy, forgiveness, integrity, kindness, respect and self-reflection.

Through this framework, as well as public programs, volunteer initiatives, workshops and community partnerships, Project Humanities uses the humanities to foster dialogue, broaden perspectives and strengthen community connections. Lester's presentation highlighted the initiative's commitment to elevating voices and experiences often overlooked in academic and civic spaces, creating opportunities for meaningful engagement across campuses and communities.

Dr. Lester will share “Project Humanities as a Model for Community Engagement” at the 2027 annual Modern Language Association Convention in Los Angeles in January 2027. Additionally, the most detailed account of Project Humanities to date is included in Lester’s 2024 edited volume, "Social Justice in Action: Models for Campus and Community," published by the Modern Language Association of America.