The University of Texas at Arlington's College of Liberal Arts is hosting the 2026 Festival of Ideas on April 2, an annual celebration of curiosity, creativity and scholarly exchange that draws together the full breadth of the college's academic community.
What began in 2005 with a generous gift from UT Arlington alumnus Mustaque Ahmed ('81) has grown into an endowed platform for cross-disciplinary exploration in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It offers a vibrant series of events that highlight thought-provoking ideas, performance, research and dialogue, and is open to the university and wider community.
This year's theme, awe, is inspired by the work of renowned psychologist and bestselling author Dacher Keltner, whose book "AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life" explores how encounters with awe can expand understanding, deepen connection and enrich well-being.
In his research, Dr. Keltner defines awe as the feeling we experience when we encounter something vast that transcends our current understanding and invites us to rethink our place in the world. Rather than prescribing a single definition, the 2026 Festival of Ideas invites participants to explore the many sources of awe identified in Keltner's work, including moral beauty, nature, collective experience, art, ideas, and human connection.
"Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world," said Keltner.
"The Festival of Ideas is at the heart of our mission to connect meaningful inquiry with community impact," said Elizabeth Newman, dean of COLA. "By bringing voices like Dr. Keltner's to campus, we celebrate wonder, learning and the power of the liberal arts to shape how we see the world."
The 2026 festival culminates Thursday, April 2, with an author Q&A at 12:45 p.m. in the Planetarium and a keynote event at 7 p.m. in SEIR 298. All events are free and open to the public.
