Will Chou Receives Hudson Institute Fellowship
(Posted May 26, 2023)
Congratulations to history alum, Will Chou, PhD, who will be joining the Hudson Institute as the Japan Chair Fellow later this summer. His work will be focusing on initiatives that support US, Japanese, and partner efforts to build a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific during this pivotal time.
Recently, National Defense interviewed Will for their report on Australia's new Defence Strategic Review, "ANALYSIS: Australia's New Strategic Review Has Big Implications." He observed that the document reflects the US, Japan, and their partners' commitment to shared strategic concepts, interoperability, and industrial resilience, and would create decisions for the Chinese leadership.
Yulonda Eadie Sano and Cherisse Jones-Branch Edit New Book Series, Rural Black Studies
(Posted May 24, 2023)
Ohio State PhD history alums Dr. Yulonda Eadie Sano and Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch are editing a new book series, Rural Black Studies, by the Univ. of Arkansas Press. The series focuses on the history of rural Black people who opted out of the South’s Great Migration.
Both Dr. Jones-Branch and Dr. Sano are from the South (South Carolina and Mississippi) and have written about African Americans in the rural South in their research. Dr. Jones-Branch, the Dean of the Graduate School at Arkansas State University, is the author or editor of several University Press books, including Arkansas Women: Their Lives and Times(University of Georgia Press), Crossing the Line: Women’s Interracial Activism in South Carolina during and after World War II (University Press of Florida), and Better Living by Their Own Bootstraps:Black Women’s Activism in Rural Arkansas, 1914-1965 (University of Arkansas Press). Dr. Sano is assistant professor of history in the Department of Social Sciences at Alcorn State University, where she teaches courses in American, African American, and world history. Her scholarship on physician Edith Mae Irby Jones and the integration of the University of Arkansas School of Medicine appears in Arkansas Women: Their Lives and Times (University of Georgia Press, 2018)
“The Rural Black Studies series,” write the editors, “will be both multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary, focusing on how race, gender, culture, economy, and agriculture shape our understanding of African Americans in rural communities.”
Find out more about the series.
Steve Gietschier Recipient of Henry Chadwick Award
Steve Gietschier has been named a recipient of the Society for American Baseball Research’s 2023 Henry Chadwick Award - an award established to honor the game’s great researchers, historians, statisticians, annalists, and archivists for their invaluable contributions to making baseball the game that links America’s present with its past. Gietschier earned his PhD in History at Ohio State and worked at The Sporting News for many years and then taught at Lindenwood University. He recently retired from teaching and continues to be a productive scholar as evidenced by his new book from the University of Nebraska Press, Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years.
Frank Blazich, Jr. Awarded Prize
(Posted Jan. 13, 2023)
Congratulations to history alum Frank Blazich, Jr. on receiving the Smithsonian Institution Secretary's Research Prize, which recognizes and promotes excellence in scholarship across the Smithsonian. The award is for his work, "Notre Cher Ami: The Enduring Myth & Memory of a Humble Pigeon," and carries a $2,000 prize. More information about the award is available here.
Leticia Wiggins Wins Emmys
(Posted July 2022)
Congratulations to history alum Leticia Wiggins whose teams were the recipients of three Emmy Awards for work on WOSU public media programming for work produced in 2021. The 58th Annual Ohio Valley Regional EMMY Awards were announced during a virtual ceremony on July 30, 2022. Read more about it here.
Frank Blazich Pens New Monograph
(Posted Feb. 9, 2021)
Ohio State History Alum Dr. Frank Blazich has published a new monograph. "An Honorable Place in American Air Power: Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Operations, 1942-1943" is the result of years Dr. Blazich has spent researching records of the Civil Air Patrol's coastal patrol operations of WWII. Find out more at https://bit.ly/3p4069p.
Jeffrey Giauque Appointed Chargé d’Affaires
(Posted October 30, 2020)
In July 2020, history department alum Jeffrey Giauque was made Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, Belarus. Giauque has a BA in history and French from the University of Utah and an MA and PhD from Ohio State University in European international history and the history of American foreign relations. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the EU, and taught international relations and European history at Miami University (Ohio). Find out more here.
Jelani M. Favors Awarded MAAH Stone Book Award
(Posted September 9, 2020)
Congratulations to history alum Jelani M. Favors (PhD, History, 2006) upon being awarded the 2020 Museum of African American History Stone Book Award. His book, "Shelter in the Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism" also won the 2020 Lillian Smith Book Award. Dr. Favors is currently an Assistant Professor of history at Clayton State University.
Book description (from UNC Press):
"For generations, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been essential institutions for the African American community. Their nurturing environments not only provided educational advancement but also catalyzed the Black freedom struggle, forever altering the political destiny of the United States. In this book, Jelani M. Favors offers a history of HBCUs from the 1837 founding of Cheyney State University to the present, told through the lens of how they fostered student activism."
"Favors chronicles the development and significance of HBCUs through stories from institutions such as Cheyney State University, Tougaloo College, Bennett College, Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Southern University, and North Carolina A&T. He demonstrates how HBCUs became a refuge during the oppression of the Jim Crow era and illustrates the central role their campus communities played during the civil rights and Black Power movements. Throughout this definitive history of how HBCUs became a vital seedbed for politicians, community leaders, reformers, and activists, Favors emphasizes what he calls an unwritten "second curriculum" at HBCUs, one that offered students a grounding in idealism, racial consciousness, and cultural nationalism."
More information about the award is available here.
Mark Boonshoft Joins Duquesne University
(Posted Febrary 26, 2020)
Congratulations to alum Mark Boonshoft (PhD, History, 2016) on his appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He has been teaching at Norwich University in Vermont, and before that held a two-year digital fellowship at the New York Public Library. His book, Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic, will be published by the University of North Carolina Press later this year.
Douglas B. Palmer Receives New Appointment
(Posted February 17, 2020)
Congratulations to Alum Douglas Palmer (PhD, 2004) on his new position as the 27th President of Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. Find out more about his position on the Culver-Stockton College web site here.
David J. Dzurec Pens New Book
(Posted June 13, 2019)
Congratulations to history alum Dr. David J. Dzurec (PhD, Ohio State, 2008) on his new book, Our Suffering Brethren: Foreign Captivity and Nationalism in the Early United States (Univ. of Mass. Press). From the University of Massachusetts Press website:
"In October 1785, American statesman John Jay acknowledged that the more his countrymen 'are treated ill abroad, the more we shall unite and consolidate at home.' Behind this simple statement lies a complicated history. From the British impressment of patriots during the Revolution to the capture of American sailors by Algerian corsairs and Barbary pirates at the dawn of the nineteenth century, stories of Americans imprisoned abroad helped jumpstart democratic debate as citizens acted on their newly unified identity to demand that their government strengthen efforts to free their fellow Americans. Deliberations about the country’s vulnerabilities in the Atlantic world reveal America’s commitment to protecting the legacy of the Revolution as well as growing political divisions."
"Drawing on newspaper accounts, prisoner narratives, and government records, David J. Dzurec III explores how stories of American captivity in North America, Europe, and Africa played a critical role in the development of American political culture, adding a new layer to our understanding of foreign relations and domestic politics in the early American republic."
David Dzurec is currently Chair and Professor in the Department of History at Scranton University.
Hideaki Kami Wins Book Award
(Posted June 7, 2019)
Congratulations to Ohio State history alum Hideaki Kami (Ph.D. 2015) on winning the Japanese Association for American Studies, Hiroshi Shimizu Award for his book, Diplomacy Meets Migration: US Relations with Cuba during the Cold War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018). While at Ohio State, his advisor was Dean Peter Hahn.
Ian Johnson Receives Position at Notre Dame
(Posted March 12, 2019)
Congratulations to Ian Johnson (OSU PhD 2016), who will be joining the faculty in the department of history at the University of Notre Dame as the new “J. P. Moran Family Assistant Professor of Military History.” Ian will take up this chair in the fall of 2019. Following a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas, Ian has spent the last two years as Associate Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Lecturer in the Department of History at Yale University. His book, “The Faustian Bargain: Secret Soviet-German Military Cooperation, 1918-1941,” which evolved from his dissertation, is expected to appear with Oxford University Press later this year.
Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton Receives Honor
(Posted January 10, 2019)
Ohio State history alum Selika Ducksworth-Lawton (Ph.D. 1994) has recently been named one of the most influential black leaders in Wisconsin by Madison365, a nonprofit online magazine.
History professor named one of most influential black leaders in Wisconsin
by Judy Berthiaume
(From University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire web site)
Madison365, a nonprofit online magazine, has included Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, a UW-Eau Claire history professor, on its annual list of the most influential black leaders in Wisconsin.
Ducksworth-Lawton also was recently featured in an article in Volume One, a popular local magazine and website. The article, "A Woman of Action: UW-Eau Claire Professor Improves Her Community by Doing," explains how her teaching, scholarship and service activities in her academic department, university and community have enriched one another.
New Book by Victoria Clement
(Posted Oct. 15, 2018)
Victoria Clement's new book, Learning to Become Turkmen: Literacy, Language, and Power, 1914-2014, was published in May, 2018 by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
Shannon Li Wins 2018 ICI Purple Pen Competition
(Posted September 14, 2018)
Shannon Li has won the 2018 Purple Pen Competition sponsored by the Institute of Certified Indexers. Her winning index will appear in the book The Politics of Middle English Parables: Fiction, Theology, and Social Practice by Mary Raschko (pending publication autumn 2018, Manchester University Press). Shannon's knowledge of the subject matter and high standards of conceptual analysis were noted by the judges. Shannon has established her own freelance indexing business, Li Indexing. Information about her services can be found here.
New Book and New Role for Anna Peterson
Jeffrey Jaynes Pens New Book
Congratulations to Ohio State History Alum Jeffrey Jaynes (PhD 1993), who has just had a new book, "Christianity Beyond Christendom: the Global Christian Experience on Medieval Mappaemundi and Early Modern World Maps," Wolfenbüttler Forschungen 149 (Harrassowitz, 2018) published. Details about the book are available here.
Scott King-Owen Named Bexley Educator of the Year
History alum Scott King-Owen (PhD in History 2011) was named 2018 Bexley Educator of the Year by the Bexley Education Foundation on April 25th. He was recently interviewed about the award by ThisWeekNews.com. The article is available here. Watch our videos featuring Dr. King-Owen in which he discusses his career in teaching and the video,"Where will history take you?," about career pathways with a history degree.
Aaron George joins Tarlton State Faculty
Congratulations to history PhD alum Aaron George who has accepted a position at Tarlton State University in Forth Worth, Texas, teaching the US survey and gender & sexuality histories. While at Ohio State, Professor David Steigerwald was his advisor.
Dan Vandersommers Obtains New Position
(Posted June 19, 2018)
Congratulations to history alum Dan Vandersommers, who will be starting in the fall as an assistant professor at the Indiana Academy at Ball State University, an interdisciplinary program. Professor Vandersommers received his Ph. D. in 2014. His advisor was Prof. Randy Roth.
Yigit Akin Pens New Book
(Posted March 14, 2018)
Congratulations to alum Yigit Akin (Ph.D., History, 2011) on publication of his new book, When the War Came Home: The Ottomans' Great War and the Devastation of an Empire, (Stanford University Press). Dr. Akin is currently an assistant professor of history at Tulane University.
The following book description is from the Stanford University Press web site: "The Ottoman Empire was unprepared for the massive conflict of World War I. Lacking the infrastructure and resources necessary to wage a modern war, the empire's statesmen reached beyond the battlefield to sustain their war effort. They placed unprecedented hardships onto the shoulders of the Ottoman people: mass conscription, a state-controlled economy, widespread food shortages, and ethnic cleansing. By war's end, few aspects of Ottoman daily life remained untouched."
"When the War Came Home reveals the catastrophic impact of this global conflict on ordinary Ottomans. Drawing on a wide range of sources—from petitions, diaries, and newspapers to folk songs and religious texts—Yiğit Akın examines how Ottoman men and women experienced war on the home front as government authorities intervened ever more ruthlessly in their lives. The horrors of war brought home, paired with the empire's growing demands on its people, fundamentally reshaped interactions between Ottoman civilians, the military, and the state writ broadly. Ultimately, Akın argues that even as the empire lost the war on the battlefield, it was the destructiveness of the Ottoman state's wartime policies on the home front that led to the empire's disintegration."
Pam Pennock Promoted to Full Professor at Univ. of Michigan
(Posted August 24, 2017)
Congratulations to Pam Pennock (Ph.D., History, Ohio State 2002) whose full professorship at the University of Michigan will go into effect in September. She has been employed at the University of Michigan-Dearborn since receiving her PhD. Her second book was published earlier this year by University of North Carolina Press. It is entitled: The Rise of the Arab American Left: Activists, Allies, and Their Fight Against Imperialism and Racism, 1960s-1980s.
Joe Faykosh Appointed Professor of History at Central Arizona State
(Posted July 6, 2017)
Congratulations to Ohio State History alum Joe Faykosh, (B.A., History, Ohio State, 2006), who has accepted a position as Professor of History at Central Arizona College, beginning in August 2017. He earned his PhD in History from Bowling Green State University in December 2016. His dissertation, "A Party in Peril: Franklin Roosevelt, the Democratic Party, and the Circular Letter of 1924," examined Franklin Roosevelt's behind-the-scenes maneuvering to reform the Democratic Party. He also received Bowling Green State University's Graduate College Distinguished Dissertation Prize for 2017. He was advised at Ohio State by Dr. Robin Judd and Dr. Randy Roth.
Allison Gough Receives New Appointment
(Posted June 29, 2017)
Congratulations to Allison Gough (PhD, History, Ohio State, 2000) on her appointment to Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hawai'i Pacific University.
Hawai'i Pacific University Senior Vice President and Provost Matthew Liao-Troth states, "Dr. Gough will be responsible for leading the College of Liberal Arts, developing internal and external partnerships, driving enrollment, and ensuring the overall success of the college."
Patrick Potyondy Appointed 2017 Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow
Stewart Dippel Pens New Book
(Posted June 19, 2017)
"Redeemed at Countless Cost: The Recovery of Iconographic Theology and Religious Experience from 1850 to 2000" by Stewart Dippel (PhD, History, 1983) will be published by Peter Lang in August. Future information about the book will be available here.
Kyle Nappi Attends 2017 Manfred Wörner Seminar
Christopher Allen Howard Receives PhD from University of Akron
(Posted June 7, 2017)
Christopher Allen Howard, (BA in History, 2000, Ohio State) received his PhD on May 25, 2017 from the University of Akron. The crux of his dissertation, "Black Insurgency: The Black Convention Movement in the Antebellum United States, 1830 - 1865", is that during the antebellum era, black activists organized themselves into insurgent networks, with the goal of achieving political and racial equality for all black inhabitants of the United States. He argues that the Black Convention Movement functioned as the era’s premier activist organization that inadvertently pushed the American nation toward civil war and the destruction of institutionalized slavery.
(Photo: Christopher Allen Howard (L) with Professor Walter Hixson (R))
Dr. Leonard Moore Named Interim VP at UT Austin
(Posted June 7, 2017)
Leonard Moore (PhD in History, Ohio State, 1998) has been named interim vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. While at Ohio State, his advisor was Emeritus Professor Warren Van Tine.
UT Austin President Gregory L. Fenves states, "As a scholar, Dr. Moore has examined the intersections of race, history and politics in groundbreaking ways. As a teacher, he has challenged UT students to understand their world, to answer difficult questions and to seek truth in their studies and in their lives. And now, as interim vice president, Dr. Moore will apply his expertise to strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion on campus and throughout the city of Austin.
Carol Anderson wins National Book Critics Circle Award
(Posted April 4, 2017)
Ohio State history alumna Carol Anderson (PhD, history, 1995), an Emory historian, has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for her book, "White Rage: the Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide" (Bloomsbury). The New York Times bestseller examines the policies that have disenfranchised African Americans. Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor and chair of African American Studies at Emory University.
New Publication by Rachael "Ray" Ball, PhD
(Posted March 13, 2017)
Professor Ball's book Treating the Public: Charitable Theater and Civic Health in the Early Modern Atlantic World will appear in print next month (April 10) from LSU Press. More information about it is available here.
Professor Ball received a PhD in History at Ohio State in 2010 and is currently an Assistant Professor of History and International Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is the recipient of the 2016 UAA Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Frank Blazich, Jr. Obtains Position at Smithsonian Institution
(Posted Feb. 6, 2017, updated May 24, 2017)
Congratulations to alum Frank Blazich, Jr., Ph.D. in Military History, 2013, on his new position at the Smithsonian Institution. Frank is the Curator of Modern Military History in the National Museum of American History. He is responsible for collecting and interpreting modern American military history objects and sharing this work through exhibitions or print media.
Frank has also just published a new book, "Bataan Survivor: A POW's Account of Japanese Captivity in World War II." The book is described as, "A forgotten account, written in the immediate aftermath of World War II, which vividly portrays the valor, sacrifice, suffering, and liberation of the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor through the eyes of one survivor." (Read Frank's Biography.)
Audra Jennings publishes book on the history of disability and disability rights movement in the United States
Posted November 1, 2016
Drawing from extensive archival research, Out of the Horrors of War demonstrates that disabled citizens in the World War II era organized a national movement for economic security and full citizenship, reshaping the U.S. welfare state and laying the foundation for the disability rights movement.
Alum Zach Bell Podcasting about 1960s History
Posted September 28, 2016
Zach Bell, a 2014 graduate of the Ohio State History Department and 2014 Teach for America Corps Member, has been working on several digital history projects with Stanley Nelson author of the upcoming book Devils Walking. This book details the brutal killings of a secretive branch of the Klu Klux Klan known as The Silver Dollar Group based in Louisiana and Mississippi during the 1960's. You can obtain more information about the book and listen to episodes of the podcast which feature Zach's interviews with the author here.
Anna Peterson wins Historisk Tidsskrift Prize
Posted September 16, 2016
