Linked to the university’s strategic mission to foster research excellence and build capacity in cross-disciplinary research collaborations, the Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme's Society of Fellows (SOF) fosters a multidisciplinary community that supports the sharing of knowledge across disciplines to engage critical societal challenges focused on an annual theme. GAHDT’s signature SOF program encourages multidisciplinary PI research as well as single PI research in multidisciplinary settings. The program integrates evidence-based reflective and reciprocal mentoring (peer and individual) into all activities and brings together undergraduate, graduate and faculty researchers, community and external (multi-institutional) researchers. It pays particular attention to supporting mid-career faculty and regional campus faculty working toward promotion. 

Since its launch in 2020-21, the Society of Fellows has supported 45 faculty members, 55 graduate students, 30 undergraduate students and 6 external faculty fellows. The 2024-25 cohort consists of faculty and students spanning fourteen departments, three colleges and two campuses. Within the four-year period since the SOF’s launch, of the 36 mid-career faculty, eight have been promoted (two associate professors, six professors). 44 of the 45 SOF faculty have been retained.

Human Rights on the Move — the first volume in The Ohio State University Press’ new series On Possibility: Social Change and the Arts and Humanities, was published in June 2024. This book series publishes one volume each year linked to the SOF annual theme and features contributions by SOF fellows and Ohio State faculty. Supported by GAHDT and the Wexner Center for the Arts, the first volume was edited by Wendy S. Hesford (GAHDT director); Momar Ndiaye (GAHDT faculty) and Amy Shuman (GAHDT faculty fellow).