Dunbar Initiative
Bridging campus and community, teaching and research, the humanities and other disciplines, the Dunbar Initiative engages students, researchers and community members with many facets of Paul Laurence Dunbar's life.

What we do.
The Dunbar Initiative at the University of Dayton is a multi-year, interdisciplinary effort to promote the life, works and legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar. It is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project is led by Minnita Daniel-Cox, Ju Shen, and Jennifer Speed.
The Dunbar Initiative is proud to announce the Spring 2022 cohort. These faculty members have taken up the challenge of course development with the goal of promoting the life and/or work of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The faculty members are:
- Michelle Hayford, Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology program, Department of Music
- Misty Thomas-Trout, Department of Art and Design
The Dunbar Initiative is proud to announce our 2021 cohort. These seven faculty members have taken up the challenge of course development with the goal of promoting the life and/or work of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The faculty members are:
- R. Darden Bradshaw, Department of Art and Design
- David Fine, Department of English
- Suki Kwon, Department of Art and Design
- Van Tam Nguyen, Department of Computer Science
- Teresa Saxton, Department of English
- Vanessa Winn, Department of Teacher Education
In addition to this exciting initiative, the University of Dayton is home to other scholarly works revolving around the life and works of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
- The Dunbar Music Archive, spearheaded by Minnita Daniel-Cox, preserves Dunbar's literary career by giving public access to the myriad of ways his work has been presented, particularly in the musical arena.
- The Scholarship of Herbert Woodward Martin has long revolved around public performance of Dunbar's work.
- Read biographical information about Paul Laurence Dunbar, gathered by researchers at the University.

A University of Dayton initiative to develop interdisciplinary courses and create a digital archive to help preserve the legacy of Dayton native Paul Laurence Dunbar launched its first faculty cohort, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the University of Dayton nearly $100,000 to develop interdisciplinary courses and create a digital archive to help preserve the legacy of Dayton native Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first influential black poets in American literature
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