Willson Center seeks nominations for 2027-28 Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding

davemarr on September 15, 2026

Musicians perform on a brightly lit stage in a large concert hall with a seated audience and purple lighting above.

The Willson Center invites nominations from faculty and students for the 2027-28 Delta Visiting Chair. The Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding, established by the Willson Center through the support of The Delta Air Lines Foundation, hosts outstanding artists, writers, musicians, and creative thinkers.

Our most recent Delta Visiting Chair was five-time Grammy award-winning musician and humanitarian Angelique Kidjo (above, at the UGA Performing Arts Center’s Hodgson Hall). Previous recipients have included Robert Spano, Hua Hsu, Natasha Trethewey, Rebecca Rutstein, and Michael Ondaatje.

Nomination:

Any UGA faculty member or student (with a faculty sponsor) is eligible to make a nomination. Groups of faculty or students may also submit single nominations. Strong nominations usually include the involvement of multiple partners. Please email us at wcha@uga.edu if you have any questions, or need help or advice with a submission.

Delta Visiting Chair holders have included Man Booker and Pulitzer Prize winners, Tate Prize winners, a Poet Laureate of the United States, and holders of Guggenheim and other fellowships as well as individuals with comparable distinctions.

Submission:

Nominations (two-page maximum) should be submitted in Word or PDF form to the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts at wcha@uga.edu.

AI should not be used in the preparation of the submission, which is not a summary of achievements but a collective account of how the nominee can personally affect campus life. If AI is used, the submission will not be considered.

Nominations should:

  • Describe the nominee’s achievements and how a visit would highlight and energize the arts and/or humanities across campus. You can include books, exhibitions, performances or any other medium to showcase the nominee’s achievements. You can also share how the nominee will integrate or collaborate with ideas and initiatives on campus.
  • List any partners across campus who have been engaged in support of the nomination, including how the nominee would interact with students and faculty. This could include a performance with students, an installation, exhibition, workshops, or other events or programming. Please describe an outline for these activities (plans do not have to be concrete; an outline of ideas will do).
  • Academic year 2027-28 will be the Year of the Arts on campus. Nominees who can add to the profile and excellence of the arts across the university will be given preference. Please address this in your application.

Nominations will be accepted through October 30, 2026.

Selection:

Nominations will be considered by a committee comprised of members selected by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and the Office of the Provost. The nomination will be submitted to the University System Board of Regents for approval.