UT's Marco Institute Names the Riggsby Directorship
A generous gift from a former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has helped a unique and growing humanities program reach a significant milestone.
Dr. Robert Bast
The Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UT recently named the director’s position to honor donors Stuart and Katherine Riggsby. Robert Bast, current director of Marco, is the first Riggsby Director.
“In honoring Stuart and Kate Riggsby with the naming of the Marco Institute Directorship, we warmly and gratefully acknowledge their extraordinary role in helping the Marco Institute to flourish from its very inception,” Bast said. “Yet equally precious was the administrative and institutional assistance provided by Stuart Riggsby, when the NEH first awarded us the prestigious Challenge Grant. The naming of the directorship testifies to future generations that the vision, encouragement, and support of Stuart and Kate Riggsby was the sine qua non of the Marco Institute.”
Stuart Riggsby joined the UT faculty in 1969 and served as dean of the college from 2002 to 2004, during the time the program was established. His wife, Katherine, is a systems programmer for UT and has been with the university’s information technology since 1982.
Dr. Stuart Riggsby
Riggsby, who was a professor of microbiology before becoming an associate dean in 1997, said he’s always loved the Renaissance period. “I can’t remember when I didn’t love Renaissance music. But for a long time, I didn’t hear that music in any historical context”, Riggsby said. “Now after many years of hearing and playing Renaissance and medieval music, I still love the music, but have come to realize that the context is even more important.”
Riggsby’s personal interests are as wide-ranging as the subject areas of Marco. Upon his appointment as dean of the college, Susan Martin, senior vice-provost for academic affairs, said “Dean Riggsby’s breadth of knowledge and interests mirrors the breadth of the college itself. He is a scientist who is an extremely knowledgeable aficionado and performer of classical music. He is widely read in literature and philosophy. He even speaks several languages.”
Katherine Riggsby joins her husband in his love of music. She has been involved in early-music groups for more than 40 years. Both are members of the Knoxville Chapter of the American Recorder Society, and Katherine is a member of the Marco Madrigal Singers.
Now in its fifth year, the program that focuses on medieval and Renaissance history, culture, and art has grown steadily in students, programming, and community involvement. The institute now comprises 30 faculty members from the English, history, art history, religious studies, modern foreign languages, classics, and music departments.
Founded in 2001with a grant from the President’s Initiative in Teaching, Research and Service, the program originally was named MARCO, an acronym for Medieval and Renaissance Curriculum and Outreach. The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the program a $3-million challenge grant in 2003, and the university designated the program as the Marco Institute in 2004.
Yearly fundraising goals must be met to receive NEH’s matching funds. To date each of those goals has been met or exceeded, and Marco has raised more $1.4 million toward the $3-million goal from more than a hundred individuals and foundations.
“As private donors, the Riggsbys led the way in making the first substantive contribution to the National Endowment for Humanities Challenge Grant that made possible the creation of the institute. Subsequently, their continued giving has been quite simply unparalleled,” said Bast.