Supporter Spotlight: Sarah Noonan

Indiana Humanities thrives because of the generosity of our donors — individuals and corporate supporters alike — who help us bring the humanities to life across the state. Their contributions fuel public programs, fund grants, and provide Indiana communities with meaningful opportunities to think, read, and talk. To celebrate their impact, we’re spotlighting the donors who make our work possible, going behind the gift and sharing their stories.  

For our new Supporter Spotlight series, we had the opportunity to connect with Sarah Noonan — a current member of our board and as well as a member of our Meredith Nicholson Society, which is a special subset of our donor base that you can learn more about here. We’ve developed a series of five questions for our Society members to better understand their dedication to supporting the humanities.

Why do the humanities matter to you?

I’ve always thought that the humanities are vital to personal happiness, professional success, and civic health. Humanities disciplines, such as English, history, philosophy, art history, religious studies, and modern languages, teach us how to live meaningful lives alongside others in a world full of both joy and suffering, both beauty and horrific injustice. But these disciplines also expand our capacity to think logically, structurally, and creatively about how to solve the most complex problems of our current moment. I believe, also, that the intellectual depth and flexibility that humanities approaches provide will become all the more important as we confront AI technologies that will demand adaptability and resilience within our future professional and social lives.

What’s your favorite humanities discipline (and why)?

As a professor of English Literature, I have to say literature! We understand ourselves and the world through the stories that we tell. Friendships are sustained by stories that we exchange.  Communities are strengthened through the sharing of historical and personal narratives. Histories of our nation provide us with a better understanding not only of what our ethical and political ideals are but also of how and why those ideals came to be. 

Stories can also, importantly, upend our expectations and teach us new ways of being in the world. They expand our horizons, creating a communal ground of experience through which we can better understand ourselves and each other so that we can more effectively respond to the needs of our world in the present. 

What are you feeling curious about lately?

Lately I have been seeking to understand more about AI, particularly Generative Artificial Intelligence. I increasingly believe that this technology is going to clarify the value of humanities approaches over the coming years, as questions about what fundamentally makes us human and what distinguishes human creativity and intelligence from computationally-derived outputs become more urgent. Advances in AI have the potential to bring many efficiencies and save many lives within healthcare contexts. But I also think that, in a world where GenAI assists or fully replaces humans in workplace environments, we will be driven to reassess what we value in ourselves and others as we seek out characteristics and interactions that are irreplaceably human.

What’s your all-time favorite Indiana Humanities experience?

Although I was just a virtual participant, I loved the INconversation event with Robin Wall Kimmerer that was hosted at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in 2023. This event thoughtfully brought people together to contemplate how we interact with the environment and the beings that surround us, and Kimmerer introduced the audience to the indigenous wisdom of the Potawatomi nation that asks us to question how our actions in the present might affect the flourishing of future generations. The discussion was profound, and it continues to stick with me today.

Why do you support Indiana Humanities?

Indiana Humanities is a thriving non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving the stories of the communities in our state and to fostering dialogue and personal connections that lays the foundation for a strong society. Their programming fosters curiosity and creativity, and they are just a fantastic organization. I hope everyone realizes what a treasure they are to our state. 

About Sarah Noonan

Sarah Noonan is Chair of English and Program Coordinator for the Digital and Public Humanities Program at Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Indiana), where she specializes in medieval English literature, manuscript studies, and the digital humanities. Her research and teaching are inspired by an ongoing fascination with how reading early literature encourages us to reevaluate our present cultural moment with renewed vigor and from diverse perspectives.