Building Innovative Pathways in the Humanities

When Chad Howe stepped into the role of Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute at the University of Georgia earlier this year, he also found himself stepping into something less expected. The longtime professor of Romance Languages and Linguistics had never pictured himself working within entrepreneurship or commercialization. Yet through the Faculty Innovation Fellows program and working with the Innovation District, he is discovering how ideas rooted in the humanities can reach broader audiences and create impact far beyond the classroom.

“It has been fascinating to see what happens when humanities scholars start thinking about their work in new ways,” Howe says. “Most of us do not come in with commercialization on our minds. But once you realize your work can make a difference for others, the value becomes clear.”

For Howe, the Innovation District offers a space where faculty from across the university can come together with varying perspectives. The Fellows program, he explains, feels like a true classroom. “The Fellows are students again. We are troubleshooting each other’s understanding of how the Innovation District works and how entrepreneurship works. The team is always ready to answer questions and lead discussions, and it is highly collaborative.”

That environment has been especially meaningful for a humanities scholar. Academic research often moves slowly, with multiple layers of oversight and regulation. The Innovation District, by contrast, emphasizes progress, even if in small steps. “You do not need a fully formed idea to get started,” Howe says. “They want you to pour everything out, and if some of it sticks, that is a win. That mindset has been refreshing.”

Howe is already exploring projects that show how humanities work can scale. In collaboration with colleagues at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Department of English, he is working with a team that is developing AI-based writing tools that address challenges students face in the classroom.

Howe is also drawing on his own experience abroad to reimagine study opportunities. While walking the streets of Old San Juan, a guide pointed out the historic blue cobblestones that line the city. The story behind them struck Howe as the kind of detail that can transform a trip into a deeper cultural lesson. “If you did not have a local guide there to explain, you would miss that layer of history,” he says. Inspired by that moment, he envisions an app that would provide curated micro-learning experiences to students across universities, complementing traditional study abroad programs with expert-led materials and resources.

As Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Howe also sees opportunities to connect the Innovation District with communities and entrepreneurs abroad. He imagines UGA serving as a hub for partners in Latin America who want to expand their work. “I think about a small coffee grower in Bolivia who wants to build out their business and how we could help make that happen,” he says. “There is real potential to serve both the university and these international communities.”

This fall, Howe will take part in the Innovation Gateway bootcamp, a six-week program designed to give him and his fellow Fellows hands-on experience in moving ideas toward commercialization. He is eager to see the entire process from start to finish. “It has been rewarding to realize I know more than I thought. At the same time, I underestimated other aspects and now appreciate the risks entrepreneurs take,” he says.

That perspective is something he hopes to bring back to his own students. “It changes how you think about them,” Howe says. “Students are not just learners. They are collaborators. They are ideators. They are future entrepreneurs.”

For Howe, the Faculty Innovation Fellows program has been less about leaving the academic routine behind and more about opening new possibilities. He hopes to replicate the spirit of the Innovation District within his department and across Latin America and the Caribbean, giving students, colleagues, and entrepreneurs the confidence to test ideas and pursue global impact.

“The Innovation District has empowered us to be active participants,” he says. “Now the goal is to keep finding ways to help students see their ideas as viable and to put them into practice.”