THE CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HUMANITIES DATA [THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA) REQUESTS $30,000 TO SUPPORT A 1.5 DAY CONVENING FOCUSED ON AN ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT AND POTENTIAL FUTURE DATA PROJECTS AND PRACTICES RELATED TO THE STATE OF THE HUMANITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THE CONVENING HAS TWO VERY PRAGMATIC AIMS: 1) TO STRENGTHEN OUR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT DATA WE HAVE ? AND LACK ? IN EFFORTS TO ADVANCE OUR DISCIPLINES IN THE MIDST OF ONGOING BUDGET CRISES, UNDER-ENROLLMENT, AND PREVAILING NARRATIVES ABOUT THE RELATIVE VALUE OF THE HUMANITIES, AND 2) TO IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE THE HUMANITIES ARE DISADVANTAGED DUE TO DATA GAPS OR BECAUSE OF HOW EXISTING DATA STRUCTURES LEAD TO AN UNDERVALUING OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF HUMANITIES DISCIPLINES.]