With honorees and program participants, the University was woven throughout the Nevada Humanities 2015 awards ceremony, attended by more than 150 people at the Nevada Governor's mansion in Carson City March 26. This year's theme, Poetry of Nevada, was brought to life as homegrown Nevada poetry was read during the program, including a reading by University President Emeritus Joe Crowley.

"At Nevada Humanities, our programs define the Nevada experience, feature local culture and heritage, encourage intellectual curiosity, and facilitate the exploration of issues that matter to Nevadans and their communities." Christina Barr, executive director of Nevada Humanities, said. "We share these values with the University, and applaud the University for its continued understanding of the power of the humanities to provide an intellectual framework and context for thriving in a changing world."  

Every other year, Nevada Humanities presents the state's awards recognizing individuals and organizations that foster cultural enrichment and deepen the understanding of the human experience by facilitating opportunities for Nevadans to engage with the humanities.  

The top honor of the evening, the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities, was presented to Trish L. Geran of North Las Vegas, and University Professor of English Phil Boardman. The University's Core Humanities Program was also recognized with one of the four Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Awards.  

"We are honored to recognize the University of Nevada, Reno Core Humanities Program for its excellence in humanities education, and University English professor Phil Boardman for his lifetime achievement as a scholar, teacher and humanities advocate," Barr said.  

In celebration of the creativity the awardees have helped foster, the awards presented to the winners were original works of pastel art created by Nevada artist Sidne Teske.  

"The Core Humanities Program has been providing high-quality education in the humanities for many years as a major part of the University's Core Curriculum," Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Heather Hardy said. "The Core Curriculum provides the foundational general education experience for all majors at the University. We are pleased that this College of Liberal Arts program that has enriched the education of so many students has been recognized for its long-standing contribution to humanities education."  

The Nevada Humanities Board of Trustees established the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in Humanities in 2008 to honor the exemplary work of Winzeler who served as executive director of Nevada Humanities from 1984 to 2009. Past award recipients include Rollan Melton, Scott Slovic, Christopher Hudgins and Congresswoman Dina Titus.  

"It is very fitting that Professor Philip Boardman, who has been such a key figure in the development of Core Humanities, is being recognized at the same time with the Judith Winzeler Award," Hardy said.  

Boardman has taught at the University for 41 years and is a specialist in medieval literature and the culture of the Middle Ages. He was the author of a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant that established nearly $3 million in endowment funds supporting three Distinguished Professorships in Core Humanities as well as post-doctoral fellowships in the contributing humanities department.