A Remarkable Year for the Department of History: 2024–2025 Highlights
The 2024–2025 academic year provided many powerful reminders of the public mission at the heart of the Department of History. We spent the year collaborating with students, partnering with communities, and tackling urgent questions through research that reaches beyond the classroom. From public history projects to engaged teaching and civic dialogue, this year underscored our commitment to making history matter—on campus and far beyond. And yes, of course, we still found time to cheer on the Cougs!
Celebrating student success
We are proud to celebrate our students’ accomplishments this year. Fifty-nine undergraduates earned their degrees in history and social studies. Six were inducted into Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. Three students completed master’s degrees and two earned their PhDs—testaments to the strength and dedication of our graduate program.
The History Club remained a dynamic force on campus, creating a welcoming space for students from all majors. Through film nights, trivia contests, and timely faculty-led discussions, the club fostered a sense of community. This year, it also brought in visiting scholars for stimulating research talks.
History in the field
Whitman Mission National Historic Site and Treaty Rock of 1855
Seattle Experience project
Indigenous partnerships and public history
Half-scale model of Nisqually activist Billy Frank Jr. on display at Terrell Library
Hosted a Blanket Witnessing Ceremony
Faculty research and recognition
Our faculty continue to produce pathbreaking research and receive national and international recognition. Andra Chastain published Chile Underground: The Santiago Metro and the Struggle for a Rational City. This important book tells the story of the Santiago Metro system as a microcosm of Chilean national identity during the twentieth century. It examines the contested process of implementing neoliberalism and shows how the Metro became a critical site where planners, workers, and urban residents contested Chile’s path to modernity.
Faculty also published nearly a dozen academic articles and book chapters on topics including: Catholic women on the US-Mexico border engaged in espionage; migrant labor and the Pacific Northwest oyster industry; transnational refugee networks in the early Dutch republic; the role of Parthia in the First War with Rome; and the Meiji Shrine games in Japan.
Honors and awards
Faculty also landed some major honors and awards. Andra Chastain won a Fulbright US Scholar award, which she will use to focus on her new book project on the history of air pollution in the Americas, with case studies focused on Santiago, Mexico City, and Los Angeles. Sue Peabody has been awarded a major research award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. She will spend two months in Bremen and four months in Berlin working on her current book The Failure of the Succès: Anatomy of a Slave Smuggling Voyage. L Heidenreich’s co-authored book, Writing that Matters: A Handbook for Chicanx and Latinx Studies, (University of Arizona Press, 2024) received the 2025 Catrióna Rueda Esquibel Award from the Chicana Caucus of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies.
History faculty also won multiple awards for excellence in teaching and service. Jesse Spohnholz was awarded a 2025 Richard G. Law Excellence Award for Undergraduate Teaching from the Provost Office’s Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement. JoAnn LoSavio was awarded the Excellence in Teaching by a Career Track Faculty Member Award across the College of Arts and Sciences. I was awarded the Outstanding Department Chair award by the Office of the Provost.
Thank You
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our alumni, donors, and friends. Your support makes a real difference—fueling the research, teaching, and public engagement that define our department. The successes of this past year would not have been possible without your generosity and belief in our mission.
— Matthew Sutton, WSU Department of History Chair