Inside Iowa State

June 4, 2008

Joseph Kupfer to lead arts/humanities center

Joseph Kupfer, University Professor of philosophy and religious studies, has been appointed director of the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, effective July 1.

Kupfer teaches aesthetics and has developed a cluster of courses in value theory: medical ethics, philosophy of law, and family ethics. In addition to recent publications on the aesthetics of nature and care ethics, his work in philosophy of film and virtue can be found in his latest books, Visions of Virtue in Popular Film and Prostitutes, Musicians and Self-Respect.

As associate director of the center, Kupfer developed the "Imagining Iowa" public scholarship initiative, with special emphasis on promoting public art and sustaining creative communities.

He said he envisions the center will:

• Foster the impact of the arts and humanities throughout the university
• Facilitate ways its faculty can engage Iowa's communities
• Continue to help the university's artists and scholars demonstrate the intrinsic value of their work and its contribution to everyday life

Kupfer succeeds Brenda Daly, who is retiring this summer.

The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities promotes the research and creative activity of arts and humanities faculty. Faculty in nine academic departments and various interdisciplinary programs are affiliated with it. The center receives support from two colleges as well as the offices of the vice president for research and economic development, the provost and the president.

Joseph Kupfer, associate director this spring of the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, has been named center director, effective July 1. He succeeds Brenda Daly.