{"id":1673,"date":"2019-04-19T10:01:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T17:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/?page_id=1673"},"modified":"2020-07-07T16:10:36","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T23:10:36","slug":"letter-from-the-chair-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/letter-from-the-chair-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Letter from the Chair, Steve Kale"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Letter from the Chair<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Welcome to the latest issue of History News!\u202f This installment contains highlights of some department accomplishments in the 2018-2019 academic year and updates on plans for 2019-2020. Thanks for reading!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next year will be a time of transition for the History department.\u00a0 I will be stepping down as chair after four years.\u00a0 The incoming chair, Professor Matt Sutton, will inherit a department that has grown over the last half decade (due mostly to the RCI program) and has undergone a considerable amount of internal reorganization.\u00a0 The department was fortunate to have seen many members of the faculty earn sabbatical for 2019-2020 (Professors Spohnholz, Hatter, Hoch, Peabody, and myself).\u00a0 Each one of us plans to conduct research overseas on a wide range of topics, from sixteenth-century refugees to nineteenth-century Russian economic history.\u00a0 As a result of our good fortune, and Professor Sutton\u2019s appointment, there will be a lot of leaderships changes.\u00a0 Rob McCoy will take over as Interim Director of the RCI Program, Katy Fry will become the program\u2019s Assistant Director, replacing Clif Stratton, who will be moving into a position in the Provost\u2019s Office as Director of UCORE, and <\/span>Ashley Wright will take Professor Fry\u2019s former job as Curriculum Director for RCI.\u00a0 Professor Sanders will be our next Director of Graduate Studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We were all pleased to have Professor Jennifer Barclay join the History department in 2018 as a transfer from another department.\u00a0 Unfortunately for us, she has accepted a new position at SUNY Buffalo, beginning in August 2019<\/span>.\u00a0 The <\/span>move makes a lot of professional and personal sense for her, and we wish her well.\u00a0 <\/span>Peter Boag will remain on the faculty but he will be transferring to the Vancouver campus.\u00a0 <\/span>Professor Eugene Smelyansky was hired in the summer as an RCI teaching postdoc.\u00a0 He <\/span>earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Irvine in 2015<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>His research interests focus on the history of religious persecution in medieval Central Europe and <\/span>the <\/span>history of urban culture, society, and environment. Another of Dr. Smelyansky\u2019s academic passions is the study of the survival and popularity of medieval themes in popular culture from books and movies to video games.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Except for <\/span>Professor Barclay,<\/span> everyone on the faculty who was with us in 2018-1019 will remain, and we will have a new colleague to teach courses in Ancient Greek and Roman history.\u00a0 <\/span>N<\/span>ikolaus Overtoom (Ph.D., Louisiana State University, 2016) is currently Visiting Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of New Mexico.\u00a0<\/span> He has previously taught as an instructor at LSU, Baton Rouge Community College, and Missouri State University. His book <\/span>Reign of Arrows: The Rise of the Parthian Empire in the Hellenistic Middle East <\/span><\/i>is forthcomin<\/span>g from Oxford University Press.<\/span>\u00a0 This year, we also welcomed a new Financial Manager, Jaime Colyar, who is doing an amazing job.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As in previous years, the department saw a number of significant scholarly publications <\/span>and projects of various sorts <\/span>in 201<\/span>8<\/span>-1<\/span>9.\u00a0 Since they can be found on our website, I will mention only the most noteworthy.\u00a0 Julian Dodson\u2019s book,<\/span> Fanaticos, Exiles, and Spies, <\/span><\/i>was published this spring by Texas A & M Press.\u00a0 It explores conflict on the U.S.-Mexican border during the era of the Mexican Revolution.\u00a0 Jeff Sanders organized a very successful symposium at the <\/span>Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation around the theme of \u201c<\/span>Reframing Landscapes: Digital Practices and Place-based Learning<\/span>\u201d which highlighted projects both external and internal to WSU that seek to reframe assumed narratives, representations, and relationships to and with place, new <\/span>digital projects and techniques, and innovative pedagogical practices with an eye toward collaborations and meaningful partnerships.<\/span>\u00a0 Professor Svingen\u2019s compelling documentary, entitled <\/span>In Good Faith<\/span><\/i>, appeared on public television in April 2019.\u00a0 <\/span>Filmed over the course of eight years, <\/span>In Good Faith<\/span><\/i> documents research on an unratified treaty between the U.S. and the mixed-band of Shoshone, Bannock, and Sheep-Eater people.\u00a0 <\/span>Shot in Idaho and Montana, th<\/span>e film r<\/span>eveals new discoveries about <\/span>the <\/span>tribe, the<\/span> history of the <\/span>United States, and historical revelation<\/span>s<\/span> that could change the history of southwestern Montana.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Professor Kawamura was selected as <\/span>the Arnold M. and Atsuko Craft Professor<\/span>.<\/span> The professorship lasts for <\/span>three <\/span>years<\/span>, with her term beginning in <\/span>August<\/span> 2018.\u00a0 She will be using the fellowship to travel to Japan to research her next book, which examines the role of Emperor Hirohito during the Cold War.\u00a0 <\/span>Finally, <\/span>Professor Sue Peabody organized a WSU Alumni Mixer for WSU History graduates in the greater Portland-Vancouver region.\u00a0 It included a Calling Party, a series of short talks on careers for History majors, socializing, a raffle, and organizational work for the History Alumni Club for social and service purposes in the wider community.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing facilitates doctoral research better than substantial external funding.\u00a0 This year, a number of the department\u2019s PhD students succeeded in obtain<\/span>ing<\/span> some very high-profile grants and fellowships that will allow them to undertake prolonged research trips either abroad or in the U.S.\u00a0 Karl Krotke-Crandell, whose thesis advisor is Professor Farley, was awarded the <\/span>Stephen F. Cohen-Robert C. Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship for his dissertation, \u201cThe Holocaust in Russian Life: New Perspective on Soviet Jewish Memory<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 He is current in Russia working in private archives and conducting oral history interviews.\u00a0 Ryan Booth, who is completing a dissertation under the direction of Professor Boag, received a <\/span>Fulbright U.S. Student award to spend nine months in India exploring socio-cultural characteristics attributed to indigenous soldiers during the British Raj up to a century ago.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Booth is WSU\u2019s 62nd student to receive a Fulbright since 1949, the ninth from <\/span>History, <\/span>and the fifth to study or teach in India<\/span>.\u00a0 He also received <\/span>a $1500 grant from the Arizona Historical Society<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> to do research for his dissertation i<\/span>n their archives.\u00a0 Daniel Fogt, who is working with Professor Spohnholz, <\/span>was awarded <\/span>a Graduate Student Research Fellowship at the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies, in Grand Rapids Michigan<\/span> to support research for a thesis tentatively t<\/span>itled \u201cRegulating Marriage and Socio-Religious Boundaries: The Reformation and Acts of Nonconformity in Netherlandish Refugee Communities, 1550-1590.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 He also received a grant from the <\/span>Catharina Halkes Foundation, a Dutch institution that provides support for scholarship relating to gender and religion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Department faculty and st<\/span>aff<\/span> received a number of notable awards in 201<\/span>8 from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Provost\u2019s Office.<\/span>\u00a0 Professors Ashley Wright and Clif Stratton both received Arts and Humanities Fellowships for WSU newly inaugurated Arts and Humanities Center.\u00a0 Professor Wright will be working on a book entitled <\/span>Difficult Cases: Governing Marginal Women in Colonial India and Burma, 1855-1915<\/span><\/i> and Professor Stratton will be working on a book on <\/span>Race and the Atlanta Braves from Summerhill to Cobb County<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Stratton was also selected to receive <\/span>selected to receive the 2019 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching by a Clinical Faculty Member Award.<\/span>\u00a0 Professor Sanders received the<\/span> CAS International Travel Grant<\/span>, the CAS Block Grant, and a summer fellowship for the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation to support summer research and a trip to Estonia this summer to attend an Environmental History conference.<\/span>\u00a0 Professor Spohnholz also received a CAS <\/span>International Travel Grant to travel to the Netherlands, where he is receiving continual funding for his research on Dutch refugees during the Reformation from <\/span>the Netherland<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s Organ<\/span>ization for Scientific Research.\u00a0 History faculty also received a number of awards associated with instruction:\u00a0 Professor Phoenix was made a LIFT Faculty Fellowship; Professor Fry received an\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Undergraduate Education <\/span>Curriculum Grant from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education for <\/span>a<\/span> proposal entitled \u201c<\/span>Roots of Contemporary Issues Library Research Assignments Analysis Project<\/span><\/i>\u201d; Professor Faunce was awarded a <\/span>Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Teaching and Learning Grant from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education<\/span>; Professor Sun was made a\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Faculty F<\/span>ellow in the WSU Honors College; Professor McCoy was a<\/span>warded a Learning Communities Excellence Award for 2019 in recognition of <\/span>his <\/span>exemplary work i<\/span>n First-Year Focus in Fall 2018.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last but not least, I want to acknowledge the crucial role played by our donors, alumni, and friends. Your support is critical to the success of our programs.\u202f Without it, we would have a harder time supporting and rewarding the fine teaching, learning, and scholarship for which the department is known.\u202f As the 201<\/span>8-2-19<\/span> record of achievement indicates, this help is having a positive impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Letter from the Chair Welcome to the latest issue of History News!\u202f This installment contains highlights of some department accomplishments in the 2018-2019 academic year and updates on plans for 2019-2020. Thanks for reading!\u00a0 Next year will be a time of transition for the History department.\u00a0 I will be stepping down as chair after four […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5421,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1673"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2175,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions\/2175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1673"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=1673"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.wsu.edu\/history-newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=1673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}