We are pleased to announce that Marek Wieczorek, Associate Professor of Art History, has been appointed the next Joff Hanauer Distinguished Professor in Western Civilization. One of the highest honors in the humanities at UW, the three-year professorship recognizes faculty whose teaching and research engage deeply with themes central to Western civilization. His term begins on September 1, 2025.

A scholar of 20th-century European art, design, and theory, Wieczorek is known for his work on the De Stijl movement and his interdisciplinary approach to modernism. As Hanauer Distinguished Professor, Wieczorek will lead a bi-monthly Hanauer Seminar (HUM 596), an interdisciplinary discussion-based course that explores the foundations, challenges, and future of Western thought.  

Hanauer Graduate Fellowship

Once appointed, Wieczorek was tasked with selecting six Hanauer Graduate Fellows for the 2025-2026 academic year. Among them is PhD student Bethany Palkovitz (MA 2024), who is entering their second year of the PhD in Art History program. The fellowship fosters critical inquiry into the Western cultural tradition and prepares emerging scholars and educators from different disciplines to think deeply about the role of Western civilization in the liberal arts. As a Hanauer fellow, Palkovitz will participate in the year-long seminar and will engage in collaborative work with graduate students from across the humanities and humanistic social sciences.

Congratulations to both Professor Wieczorek and Bethany Palkovitz on these prestigious appointments.