Fred C. Esplin, general manager of KUED, Channel 7, has been named chairman of the Utah Humanities Council.
Esplin has been a member of the council's 22-member volunteer board of directors since 1991. The council meets three times a year to set policy, evaluate programs and judge grant proposals.An independent, nonprofit agency, the council promotes an understanding of human traditions, values and issues through public discussion. It is supported by an annual grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.
The council also awards grants to nonprofit organizations and collaborates on projects and services with other Utah cultural and educational groups.
Since 1975, the council has awarded $7 million to hundreds of projects in Utah's 29 counties.
A Utah native, Esplin graduated from Southern Utah University and earned a master's degree from the University of Utah. He has taught courses at the U. and Penn State.
He is on the board of directors for the Public Broadcasting Service and the Utah Shakespearean Festival.