Mississippi Humanities Council Honors Dr. Parry for Excellence in Education

January 16, 2025 (Jackson, Miss.) - The Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) awarded Dr. Seth Parry, Belhaven’s Dean of Humanities and Ministry, the prestigious 2025 Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award. This special honor recognizes the contribution of humanities faculty at each of the Mississippi's colleges and universities.

“The Mississippi Humanities Award highlights Dr. Parry's extraordinary contributions to education and the humanities,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Audrey Kelleher. “An accomplished historian and educator, he teaches his students with a dedication to excellence. This award celebrates his commitment to advancing the humanities and inspiring the next generation of thinkers and leaders.”

Each honoree is required to deliver a public lecture of their choosing and relevant to their expertise. Parry will give his presentation Friday, February 7 at 3 p.m. His lecture, “Ancient Foes, Modern Narratives: Framing the Ottomans as Trojans in Venetian,” will be in Belhaven’s Student Center Theatre and is free and open to the public.

Parry came to Belhaven in 2016 after eight years at Emmanuel College and four years at Brooklyn College. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Houghton College, a master’s degree from Hunter College, and a doctorate with a Renaissance certificate from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Parry is a professor of history and serves as chair of the History and Pre-Law Department, chair of the English Department, and chair of the Academic Appeals Committee at Belhaven University.

Parry is the author of several articles for Oxford Bibliographies, including entries on the Italian humanists Francesco Barbaro, Lauro Quirini, and Bernardo Guistiniani. He is a regular book review contributor to Fides et Historia and has recently written on The Refugee-Diplomat by Diego Pirillo, The Jesuits and Italian Universities by Paul Grendler, The Wise King by Simon Doubleday, and Machiavelli by Christopher Celenza. He has also contributed book reviews to Renaissance Quarterly on texts originally written in French and Italian.

Parry met his wife while in college, and they have three children. He enjoys long-distance running and has completed six marathons. He also enjoys reading and rooting for his hometown Cleveland sports teams.

All award recipients will be recognized at the Mississippi Humanities Council’s annual awards banquet in the spring. The Mississippi Humanities Council is a private nonprofit corporation funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities and provides public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi.