The Paul Peck Humanities Institute
Welcome
The Paul Peck Humanities Institute (PPHI) at Montgomery College was founded in 1998, as the result of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and through the generosity of Mr. Paul Peck and others.
Featured initiatives of the PPHI include the MC-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship; PPHI Honors Internships at the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution; Digital Storytelling (DS) Internships and Digital Storytelling Community of Practice; Portraits of Life: Holocaust Survivors of Montgomery County traveling exhibit and Holocaust education programs; Bella Mischkinsky Memorial Lecture; and with the Global Humanities Institute (GHI) at Montgomery College, our annual Humanities Days at Montgomery College (HD@MC.) These programs and events impact Montgomery College students, faculty and staff, as well as area residents and ensure that the advancement of the humanities at MC is ongoing, evolutionary, and permanent.
Please join us for a contemplative and joyful exploration of the humanities, across the disciplines!
-- Jamie Gillan, PPHI Director
Our Mission
The Paul Peck Humanities Institute advances interdisciplinary engagement for students, faculty, staff, and community through unique partnerships and content-rich programs.
We interpret human experience through connection, intellectual curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking, and community engagement.
Our work elevates storytelling; museum engagement; production of knowledge; internships; and the recovery, preservation, and sharing of history.
We challenge preconceptions while communicating across differences, promoting life-long learning, and building enduring professional skills.
2025 Humanities Days Keynote Speaker: Denice Frohman
CLICK HERE for performance details and to reserve your ticket! (PDF, 
)
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 12:30 p.m.
Takoma Park Cultural Arts Center, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus (map)
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 12:30 p.m.
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Rockville Campus (map)
Join us for an inspiring performance by Denice Frohman, a powerhouse poet and former Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and on NPR. Her performances explore identity, culture, queerness, and social change—and have been seen on stages from The Apollo to The White House.
PPHI calendar
The 2025 Bella Mischkinsky Memorial Lecture
Feature Speaker - Frank Cohn, Holocaust Survivor
November 18th, 11:00am - 12:15pm
The ignITeHub, 900 Hungerford Drive Rockville, MD (map)
PPHI Honors Internship Fall Showcase
Friday, December 19, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
IgniteHub 900 Hungerford Drive and Zoom (Zoom linknew window)
Erin Aust - ENGL | GT, Tiffany Banks - Communications | TP/SS, Heather Brown - Music | TP/SS, Cassandra Carter – Sociology | RV, Theron Coleman - English | GT, Orlando Genovese-Stewart - Chemistry | RV, Kevin Gibbons - Anthropology | RV, Mike McDavit – Chemical and Biological Sciences| GT, Ron Nunn - Anthropology | GT, Lane Schwager - Communications | RV, Basman Towfique-Dewald – Economics | RV
The Smithsonian Faculty Fellowships are the product of a unique collaboration between Montgomery College and the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital access—the first of its kind between the Smithsonian Institution and a community college.
More About Fellowships
Portraits of Life: Holocaust Survivors of Montgomery County is a collaborative social documentary project (photo portraiture and narrative) created to tell the stories of survivors who have lived in and around Montgomery County, Maryland. The exhibit consists of more than thirty 24 x 36" panels.
More About Portraits
Frank Cohn, Holocaust Survivor
Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia &
The Annual Bella Mischkinsky Memorial Lecture. Presented by the Paul Peck Humanities
Institute
Celebrate the Humanities! Connect with the Humanities Days committee to learn more about participating in this year’s unique Humanities Days 2024 week-long virtual event!
More About Humanities Days at MC
The Library of Congress (LOC), Smithsonian Institution (SI) and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Internship Programs are unique opportunities for MC students to experience the professional environment of world-class museum and library research activities.
More About Internships
The Digital Storytelling Internship is an on-campus leadership opportunity for students supported by a thriving Community of Practice as well as a dedicated network of on- and off-campus partners.
More About Storytelling Internship