Bard College Professor Roosevelt Montás Awarded $100,000 Prize for Work in the Humanities
The Heitt Prize was established in 2005 to support emerging leaders in the humanities who are actively contributing to ideas around what it means to be human.
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture has named Laura Y. Chang and Arnold Chavkin Professor in Liberal Education and Civic Life at Bard Roosevelt Montás as the recipient of the prestigious Hiett Prize. The $100,000 cash prize was established in 2005 to support emerging leaders in the humanities who are actively contributing to ideas around what it means to be human.
Montás, a specialist in American literature and culture with a particular interest in American national identity, joined Bard’s faculty in 2025 as part of the Chang Chavkin Center for Liberal Education and Civic Life. He also teaches in Bard’s literature program. Through his research and teaching, Montás has focused on the importance of liberal education and the future of the humanities.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Hiett Prize in the Humanities,” says Montás. “I have devoted my career to the conviction that the humanities are not a luxury but the most powerful means we have for cultivating free minds, enlarging our moral imagination, and preparing us for lives of purpose and responsible citizenship.”
Programming honoring Montás will take place at Southern Methodist University on October 15–16.
The Chang Chavkin Center for Liberal Arts and Civic Life is focused on the connection between liberal education and civic life. It hosts discussion-based classes and supports faculty in building general education programs for students in all disciplines.
Post Date: 09-10-2026
Montás, a specialist in American literature and culture with a particular interest in American national identity, joined Bard’s faculty in 2025 as part of the Chang Chavkin Center for Liberal Education and Civic Life. He also teaches in Bard’s literature program. Through his research and teaching, Montás has focused on the importance of liberal education and the future of the humanities.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Hiett Prize in the Humanities,” says Montás. “I have devoted my career to the conviction that the humanities are not a luxury but the most powerful means we have for cultivating free minds, enlarging our moral imagination, and preparing us for lives of purpose and responsible citizenship.”
Programming honoring Montás will take place at Southern Methodist University on October 15–16.
The Chang Chavkin Center for Liberal Arts and Civic Life is focused on the connection between liberal education and civic life. It hosts discussion-based classes and supports faculty in building general education programs for students in all disciplines.
Post Date: 09-10-2026