This week I’m delighted to be heading to Columbia, MO to celebrate the opening of the University of Missouri’s new Center for the Humanities. As part of the festivities, I’ll be participating in a panel to discuss the role of the humanities in addressing our most pressing global challenges with Stephanie Kirk, director of the Washington University Center for the Humanities, and Giselle Anatol, director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction and interim director of the Hall Center for Humanities at the University of Kansas.