New York Times Publishes Op-Ed by AHA Member

On December 1, Ana Minian, AHA member and professor of history at Stanford University, wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times discussing America's current detention policies and charting how the federal government's position has changed throughout history.

Former AHA President Receives Prestigious Faculty Award

On November 26, William Roger Louis, former AHA president and Kerr Chair in English History and Culture, Distinguished Teaching Professor, and co-director of the British Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin, was conferred the University of Texas at Austin Civitatis Award in recognition of outstanding faculty citizenship. The award, bequeathed by university President Gregory Fenves, is the highest award a faculty member can receive at UT. It recognizes dedicated and meritorious service to the university above and beyond the regular expectations of teaching, research, and service.

AHA President Featured on Popular Television Series

On December 17, TLC aired an episode of its popular show Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Mary Beth Norton, AHA president and Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History at Cornell University. The television series investigates family histories and genealogy of popular celebrities.

AHA Member Weighs in on Confederate Monuments Controversy

On November 30, James Leloudis, AHA member and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published an article in the News & Observer on the future of Silent Sam and the ongoing debate surrounding Confederate monuments.  In the article, Leloudis offered context for the discussion and drew on the AHA's Statement on Confederate Monuments, published in August 2017.

AHA Asks NARA for Careful Consideration of Department of Interior Disposition Request

On November 26, the AHA sent a letter to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero expressing concern regarding the current records disposition request from the Department of the Interior. The AHA emphasized the value of the records for historical research and future policy making regarding issues related to resource management, endangered species and environments, and indigenous legal and cultural affairs. 

AHA Council Members Discuss History Education in the Washington Post

On November 22, Jim Grossman, AHA executive director, and Sophia Rosenfeld, AHA vice president, Research Division, offered thoughts on history education in schools today in an article published by the Washington Post. Talitha LeFlouria, AHA member and associate professor of African and African American studies the University of Virginia, was also interviewed for the piece.

AHA Past President Tyler Stovall Interviewed on Anniversary of WWI Armistice

On November 9, 2018, Tyler Stovall, AHA past president and professor of history and dean of humanities at the University of California, Santa Cruz, offered comments on the lessons and legacy of World War I during a live interview with i24News. Stovall drew parallels between the divisive nationalist fervor in Europe today and that of 100 years ago and discussed the war's lasting impact in the Middle East. The interview, available for download, comprised part of the global 24-hour television news network's coverage marking the centennial anniversary of the WWI Armistice.

AHA Member Receives Emmett Leahy Award

On November 9, Trudy H. Peterson, AHA member, former member and vice president of the AHA Professional Division, and former acting archivist of the United States, was honored with the 2018 Emmett Leahy Award for Excellence in Records & Information Management. The award recognizes an individual whose contributions and outstanding accomplishments have a major impact on the records and information management profession.

Karin Wulf to Represent AHA at 2019 William & Mary Presidential Inauguration

Karin Wulf, AHA member and executive director of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, will represent the Association at the official inauguration of Katherine Rowe as the 28th president of the College of William & Mary on February 8, 2019.

AHA Member Urges Action to Help First-Generation Students

On October 21, Marcia Chatelain, AHA member and associate professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University, published an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the difficulties faced by first-generation students. The AHA hopes to help evaluate and revise introductory courses for first-generation students through History Gateways.

AHA Tuning Project Featured in AACU Journal

The American Historical Association’s Tuning the History Discipline project has been featured in an article published in Liberal Education, the journal of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. In the article, Daniel J. McInerney discusses how the faculty-driven tuning project has helped "bridge the divide between academe and employment" by clarifying the goals of history programs.

Department of Interior Records Disposition Update

Many AHA members have expressed concern regarding the Department of Interior's recent records disposition request to the National Archives and Records Administration. The AHA’s colleagues at the National Coalition for History have issued a statement explaining the controversy and noted that NARA has extended the comment period to November 26.  The AHA will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether there are records of historical significance included in this and what, if any, actions the AHA should take.   

AHA Announces 2018 Prize Winners

The American Historical Association is pleased to announce the winners of its 2018 prizes, to be awarded at the 133rd annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on January 3-6, 2019. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 3, in the Palmer House Hilton's State Ballroom at 7:00 pm, immediately following the meeting's opening reception.

Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies Recognizes Paul F. Grendler

On October 2, 2018, the Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies of Boston College awarded to Professor Paul F. Grendler, Professor of History emeritus, University of Toronto, the George E. Ganss, S. J., Award for "excellence in scholarly contributions to the field of Jesuit Studies." He also delivered the Feore Family Lecture on Jesuit Studies.

Allan J. Lichtman Published in USA Today

On September 26, Allan J. Lichtman, Distinguished Professor of History at American University, published an op-ed in USA Today, based on his new book, The Embattled Vote in America. "The Founders unwisely gave states control of the vote," he wrote. The problem today "is not fraudulent voting but the suppression of voting" through "stringent voter photo ID laws, draconian purges of registration rolls, the disenfranchisement of former felons and restrictions on the opportunity to register."

History Gateways

The American Historical Association (AHA) has received a $1.65 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to lead "History Gateways," an evaluation and substantial revision of introductory college-level history courses to better serve students from all backgrounds and align more effectively with the future needs of a complex society, in partnership with the John N. Gardner Institute and eleven  2- and 4- year universities.

AHA Calls for Immediate Release of Xiyue Wang Imprisoned in Iran

The AHA sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing deep concern about the imprisonment of Xiyue Wang, a PhD student in the Princeton University department of history, on groundless charges of espionage.  The AHA called for his immediate release. Read the letter on the AHA website.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat Will Be Visiting Scholar at Penn's Annenberg's School Spring 2019

Ruth Ben-Ghiat will be a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Media at Risk, part of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Her last book, Italian Fascism's Empire Cinema, is a study of Fascist film propaganda. She is currently writing about threats to press freedoms in authoritarian regimes, and in President Trump's America.

Letter of Concern about Rutgers Investigation of Faculty Member

On September 10, the AHA sent a letter to Rutgers President Robert Barchi expressing concern about the university’s investigation of history professor James Livingston for comments he had made outside of the context of his university employment. In the letter, the AHA stressed its support for the right of historians to express their opinions as private citizens without fear of institutional discipline.

AHA Sends Letter Regarding Detention of Hatoon al-Fassi

The AHA has sent a letter to King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud expressing concern regarding the detention of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, an associate professor of history at King Saud University, because of her activism on behalf of women’s rights. Read the letter on the AHA website.

AHA Members Appointed to State Department Historical Advisory Committee

Earlier this week, the State Department appointed three AHA members to its Historical Advisory Committee. The newly appointed members are David Engerman (Brandeis Univ.), Adriane Lentz-Smith (Duke Univ.), and Julia Irwin (Univ. of South Florida). As members of the committee, they will be responsible for advising the Office of the Historian at the State Department. 

AHA Executive Director Sends Letter to Texas Historical Commission Concerning Postponed Porvenir Marker

AHA executive director Jim Grossman has sent a letter to the Texas Historical Commission expressing concern about the process of producing a marker describing a tragedy that historians have referred to as the“Porvenir Massacre.” The AHA’s letter emphasizes process and the integrity of historical work consistent with“the criteria for rigorous scholarship articulated in the AHA’s Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct. “ Grossman asks the commission to“trust the good work done by its professional staff in consultation with historians who have a record of scholarship on this topic and its context.”

ACLS Awards over $940,000 to African Humanities Scholars

The ACLS has announced the 2018 class of scholars for its African Humanities Program, now in its 10th year. Among the recipients are five historians, each of whom will be offered a two- to four-month-long residency at one of seven AHP residential centers on the continent, while they pursue their research. "Fellows taking up residencies will benefit from interaction with new academic communities and with library and other research resources at residential sites," noted Andrzej Tymowski, director of ACLS International Programs. 

AHA Endorses Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill

On August 13, AHA executive director James Grossman sent a letter to Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the US Treasury, endorsing suggestions from AHA members that Harriet Tubman be featured on the $20 Federal Reserve Note.

Download the Letter as a PDF.

AHA Members among Recent NEH Grant Recipients

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced August 8 that it will award over $43 million in grants for humanities projects across the country. Among those whose projects were selected were a number of historians, including 18 AHA members. According to the National History Alliance's statement concerning the news, "the NEH's investments generate public-private partnerships, cutting-edge research, promote teaching, and provide lifelong learning opportunities." See the full announcement and list of awardees on the NEH website.

AHA Establishes Sexual Harassment Policy

The Council of the American Historical Association has approved a policy on sexual harassment pertaining to the annual meeting and other sanctioned activities. Policies relating specifically to staff are articulated in the Staff Handbook, available to AHA members on request.

The process for creating this policy included a survey among members to assess the extent of sexual harassment experiences at recent AHA annual meetings. The full results of the survey will be reported in an upcoming issue of Perspectives on History. Remaining issues from the survey, including interviews in appropriately furnished hotel rooms, will be considered by the AHA Professional Division at its fall meeting.

AHA Signs COSSA Letter Opposing Citizenship Question on 2020 Census

The AHA has signed on to a letter from the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) and 24 other research organizations urging the Department of Commerce to remove a controversial citizenship question from the upcoming census. The letter criticizes the science and research implications of the question, arguing that "the inclusion of a question on citizenship in the 2020 Census will increase the burden on respondents, add unnecessary costs to the operation, and negatively impact the accuracy and integrity of one of the most valuable data resources the government produces." 

Archivist of US Responds to AHA’s Letter Opposing Destruction of ICE Records

On August 1, 2018, David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, responded to the AHA's letter opposing the destruction of US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records. In his response, Ferriero outlined the review process for proposed records schedules, which included a mandatory public comment period.  NARA staff "received an unprecedented number of comments" on ICE's proposed records schedule, and ICE will be required to amend the proposed schedule based on these public comments. NARA will respond to comments via a public notice in the Federal Register and has added the AHA to the list of contacts to inform as NARA moves on to the next phase of the review process. 
The National Coalition for History (NCH) also called on Congress to investigate claims of the apparent disappearance or destruction of records by the Department of Homeland Security connecting migrant children with their parents, a potential violation of the Federal Records Act. The NCH sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs urging Congress to "exercise its oversight responsibility in ensuring that federal agencies are held accountable for their responsibilities" under the records act.

AHA Job Openings

Join our collaborative team of staff dedicated to promoting history and the work of historians. The AHA is accepting applications for a Marketing Manager and a Meetings and Executive Assistant. We will begin reviewing applications on August 13, 2018.

AHA Executive Director Sends Letter to NARA Opposing Destruction of ICE Records

On July 25, AHA executive director James Grossman sent a letter to David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, opposing any "threats to the preservation of records relating to the treatment of immigrants by the US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)." Given the historical significance of recent events surrounding immigration, the American Historical Association urges the archives to "deny any request for authorization to permit ICE or the Border Patrol to destroy records related to individuals in their custody." 

2018 AHA Election Results Announced

AHA members elected Mary Lindemann (Univ. of Miami) as the next president-elect in the 2018 balloting for officers and committee members of the American Historical Association. Visit Perspectives Daily to see the full list of historians who will begin serving in January 2019. 

Member Op-Ed on the Importance of the 14th Amendment

Martha Jones, professor of presidential history at Johns Hopkins University and AHA member, published an op-ed in the Washington Post concerning the historical context of the 14th Amendment in the wake of President Trump's comments on birthright citizenship. "Birthright has been affirmed, again and again, ensuring that no matter how racist the regime, the Constitution grants citizenship to all people born in the United States," Jones writes in her piece, specifically pointing to cases like U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark that cited the 14th Amendment in their defense of citizenship by birth. "The rising calls to repeal birthright citizenship demand that we equip ourselves for the debate that is on the near horizon."

House Considering Amendment to Reduce Funding for NEH

On July 17, the US House of Representatives is considering an amendment to the FY 2019 Interior Appropriations bill that would cut the proposed budget of the NEH by 15%, or nearly $23 million. Contact your member of Congress here to oppose the amendment and encourage others to contact their members of Congress as well. 

AHA Member Writes Op-Ed Concerning State of Medieval Studies

Matthew Gabriele, AHA member and professor of medieval history at Virginia Tech, penned an op-ed in Forbes urging historians to be aware of the role they play in the political appropriation of traditional medieval symbols and iconography. "Marginalizing the voices of scholars asking questions about the state of the field, about what we study and how we study it, is not only ignoring the history of Medieval Studies but further distancing us from the past we're all so interested in," Gabriele concludes. 

AHA Executive Director Backs Effort to Award Medal of Honor to WWI Women Veterans

AHA executive director Jim Grossman has sent a letter to US senators Dean Heller and Jon Tester regarding a recent effort to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to 226 American women who served in the US Army Signal Corps during World War I. This effort has been initiated by the World War I Centennial Commission. 

ACLS Announces Inaugural Class of Project Development Grants

The American Council of Learned Societies announced the inaugural recipients of the ACLS Project Development Grants. The $5,000 seed grants are intended to support humanities faculty at teaching-intensive institutions. Among the 15 recipients are six historians. Visit the ACLS website to see the full list of recipients. 

Former AHA Council Member Passes Away

Willie Lee Rose, former AHA Council member and professor emerita at Johns Hopkins University, passed away on June 20 at the age of 91. Among her many accomplishments, Rose served as the head of the AHA committee that wrote the influential 1970 Rose Report, a gender discrimination report that outlined the challenges women faced as history faculty. Read her obituary on the Johns Hopkins website.

AHR Article Awarded Berks Prize

Congratulations to Vanessa Ogle (Univ. of California, Berkeley) for receiving a 2017 article prize from the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians. Published in the December 2017 issue of the American Historical Review, Ogle's article, "Archipelago Capitalism: Tax Havens, Offshore Money, and the State, 1950s-1970s," was recognized as one of the best articles in a field of history other than the history of women, gender, and/or sexuality. 

AHA Sends Letter to the College Board Concerning Changes to AP Curriculum

The AHA sent a letter to the College Board urging reconsideration of recent changes to the Advanced Placement World History exam that limit it to "content only from c. 1450 to the present." The AHA expressed concern that this change is likely to reduce the teaching of precolonial and non-Western history at the high school level. Read the full letter here. 

AHA Members Included in 2018 Class of ACLS Public Fellows

The ACLS announced the eighth annual cohort of Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows. Among the program's 24 fellows are three AHA members. Each fellow will be placed in a two-year, full-time position with a nonprofit organization or government agency working in the fields of policy, civil rights, arts, and the media. To see the full news post, please visit the ACLS website.

AHA Mourns Passing of Ira Berlin

The AHA mourns the passing of historian Ira Berlin. Ira received the Association's Award for Scholarly Distinction in 2015, served on the Research Division from 1987-1990, and testified to Congress under difficult circumstances on our behalf in support of federal funding for the National Historical Records and Publications Commission. His extraordinary generosity and kindness to AHA staff members over a period that spans more than three decades offers a model of mentorship, professional responsibility, collegiality.  

AHA Joins American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Support of Language Education

The American Historical Association joined the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and dozens of other organizations and individuals in a statement advocating for a greater national effort to strengthen non-English language education so that Americans can more effectively participate in a global society. View the full statement here.

AHA Institutional Members Awarded AAC&U Grants for History Departments

On May 21, the Association of American Colleges and Universities announced it will be awarding funding to 24 history departments to "advance civic learning and social responsibility as expected dimensions within students' majors." Among the institutions listed are the State University of New York, College at Geneseo and the University of Central Florida, both AHA institutional members. To see the full list of recipients, visit the AAC&U's website. 

AHA Teaching Division VP Publishes Op-Ed on #MeToo in Academia

Elizabeth Lehfeldt, vice president of the AHA's Teaching Division, published an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed discussing how the #MeToo movement has affected higher education and what steps are needed to improve campus working environments. Read the full article online.

ACLS to Provide Funding for Historical Research in China

The American Council of Learned Societies announced the 2018 class of grantees for its Programs in China Studies. Among the list of 33 scholars who will receive funding are thirteen historians and four AHA members. With aid from The Henry Luce Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, the ACLS is providing over $720,000 to fund scholarly research in China. 

Craig Perrier Appointed to AHA Teaching Division

The AHA Council has appointed Craig Perrier (Fairfax Co., Virginia, Public Schools) to fill a vacancy on the Council's Teaching Division.  Perrier has been a participant in several AHA activities and served on the AHA's Program Committee for the 2018 Washington, DC, Annual Meeting.  

AHA Signs on to Letter Requesting Additional Funding for National Park Service

The AHA Council signed onto a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies urging increased funding for the National Park Service Office of International Affairs to support its World Heritage Program.  Read the full letter here.

AHA Members Awarded 2018 Mellon/ACLS Fellowships

On April 25, the American Council of Learned Societies announced the 2018 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellows. Among the 67 scholars awarded were 13 AHA members. Each fellowship provides a $30,000 stipend and up to $8,000 in research funds and university fees to graduate students in their final year of dissertation writing. To see the full list of fellows, visit the ACLS website. 

Schmitt Grant Awardee Writes Op-Ed on Monument to Russian Tsar in Crimea

Ala Creciun Graff, AHA member and recipient of one of the Association's 2018 Bernadotte Schmitt Grants, wrote an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun concerning the symbolism of the newly unveiled statue of Russian Tsar Alexander III in Crimea. Graff sees this statue as evidence of Moscow's desire "to signal historical continuities with the peninsula" and Putin's larger goal "to re-assert Russia on the global stage."

Historians Awarded 2018-19 Berlin Prize

On April 25, the American Academy in Berlin awarded the Berlin Prize to four historians, including three AHA members: Jennifer Allen (Yale Univ.), Peter Holquist (Univ. of Pennsylvania), and Carina Johnson (Pitzer Coll.). Each prize grants awardees a semester-long fellowship in Berlin. To see the full press briefing, visit the academy's website. 

AHA Staff Quoted in Washington Post Article on Digital History

Seth Denbo, AHA director of scholarly communication and digital initiatives, was quoted in the Retropolis blog of the Washington Post concerning digital reconstructions of the past. Denbo stated that like historical video games such as Assassin's Creed, digital projects give audiences "an idea of what these historical spaces and experiences were like for people in the past." The article also features several digital history projects, from photography colorization to an interactive topographical map of the D-Day invasion at Normandy. "It feels a little like we've been given the ability to time travel," Denbo said. 

AHA President-elect Awarded 2018 Heineken Prize from Royal Netherlands Academy

AHA president-elect John McNeill (Georgetown Univ.) recently received the 2018 Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History for his work in "integrating two recent branches of the study of history: global history and environmental history." Each Heineken Prize is worth $200,000 and will be presented on Thursday, September 27, 2018, in Amsterdam. 

Historians Included in List of 2018 Carnegie Fellows

The Carnegie Corporation of New York today announced the 2019 class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows. Among the 31 recipients are 6 historians: Lily Geismer (Claremont McKenna Coll.); Grace Hale (Univ. of Virginia); Elizabeth Hinton (Harvard Univ.); Margaret Jacobs (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln); Erika Lee (Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities); and Talitha LeFlouria (Univ. of Virginia). Each fellow will receive up to $200,000 in funding.

AHA Members Inducted in 2018 Class of American Academy of Arts and Sciences

On April 18, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced its Class of 2018 members. Among the list of inductees are AHA members Joe Miller (Univ. of Virginia and AHA president in 1998), David Cannadine (Princeton Univ.), Deborah Cohen (Northwestern Univ.), Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Harvard Univ.), and Ann Twinam (Univ. of Texas, Austin). They join 208 other "exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators" honored in 2018, including Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, and Sonia Sotomayor. View the complete list on the academy's website.

National Endowment for the Humanities Announces April 2018 Grant Recipients

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced grant awards recipients for the month of April, which includes 25 members of the American Historical Association. In total, the NEH awarded $18.6 million across nearly 200 humanities projects nationwide in this most recent series of awards. 

Emily Rose Wins the Albert C. Outler Prize of the American Society of Church History

The Albert C. Outler Prize honors the best ecumenical church history monograph, biography, critical edition or bibliography published in the two previous calendar years. The 2016 Albert C. Outler Prize is awarded to Emily Rose, visiting fellow in the Department of History at Harvard University, for her book The Murder of William of Norwich: The Origins of the Blood Libel in Medieval Europe (Oxford Univ. Press, 2015).

Commenting on the Great American Road Trip

Drawing upon his expertise in the history national parks and early American motor travel, last summer Peter Blodgett served as one of the commentators in episode seven of the "out-LAND-ish" podcast sponsored by the United States Forest Service and the Salmon Valley Stewardship. As part of an effort to increase public awareness of and appreciation for the nation's public lands, the podcast looks at many different aspects of those spaces held in trust for the American populace.

Martha Hodes Receives Guggenheim and Cullman Center Fellowships

Martha Hodes, professor of history at New York University, has been awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a fellowship at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She will be writing a book, under contract with HarperCollins, exploring history and memory through a 1970 airplane hijacking, in which she was a 12-year-old passenger held hostage in the Jordan desert for a week.

ACLS Awards 2018 Fellowships to AHA Members

The American Council of Learned Societies announced its list of fellows for 2018. Out of the 78 awards granted, 16 were to AHA members. The awards, ranging from $40,000 to $70,000, will support scholars for six to twelve months of full-time research and writing. For the full list of fellows, visit the ACLS website.

AHA Staff Member Participates at Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History

On April 7, Emily Swafford, AHA manager of academic affairs, participated in a vice presidential panel at the Society for Military History's 85th annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Drawing on the AHA's Tuning project and related work, Swafford asked her fellow panelists to place their presentations in some larger contexts, including how teaching is a deep engagement with the craft of history and an argument for the value of history in public life. 

Jim Grossman Addresses History of Confederate Monuments

AHA executive director Jim Grossman will speak on April 5 about the history and current controversy surrounding Confederate monuments following a screening of "Re-Righting History," the premiere episode of America Inside Out with Katie Couric. He will join a panel including Katie Couric, Rev. Traci Blackmon, Bruce Cohen, and Don Gathers at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC. The episode airs on the National Geographic Channel on Wednesday, April 11, at 10 p.m./9 p.m. Central.

AHA Member Wins Toynbee Book Prize

Lauren Benton, AHA life member and professor of history and law at Vanderbilt University, was recently awarded the Toynbee Prize for 2019. The prize is awarded biennially for contributions in the field of global history. Benton's work focuses on law in European empires, the history of international law, and Atlantic world history. Benton will accept the prize and deliver the Toynbee Prize Lecture during the AHA annual meeting in Chicago in January 2019. 

Jim Grossman Speaks at OU Humanities Forum with Rep. Tom Cole

On Friday, March 30, Jim Grossman will join Congressman Tom Cole, representative for Oklahoma's 4th District and History PhD, along with Anne Hyde, professor of history and editor of Western Historical Quarterly, to discuss "Humanities and Native Sovereignty in the Public Sphere" at the University of Oklahoma's OU Humanities Forum. Later that day, Grossman will also participate in a panel for undergraduate and graduate students titled "What You Can Do with a Degree in the Humanities." Details can be found on the forum website.

AHA Staff Presenting at Gardner Institute Teaching Conference

Emily Swafford, AHA manager of academic affairs, and Julia Brookins, AHA special projects coordinator, will be speaking at the Gardner Institute's 2018 Annual Gateway Course Experience Conference on March 26 at 8:00 a.m. in Houston, Texas. Their panel, "Imagining New Intro Courses in History,"  will explore what introductory history courses are like today and what they will need to be in the future to engage students and serve the needs of society.

AHA Members Receive SHFG Awards

AHA members Stephen Randolph (US Dept. of State) and Robert Lee (Harvard Soc. of Fellows) were recently honored at the Society for Historians in the Federal Government's 2018 Awards Ceremony. Randolph received the Roger Trask Award for his career at the Department of State, the National Defense University, and the Air Force. Lee received the James Madison Award for his article "Accounting for Conquest: The Price of the Louisiana Purchase of Indian Country."

Letter from the Coalition for International Education Concerning Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Funding

The American Historical Association has signed on to a letter from the Coalition for Internation Education urging Congress to reject the Administration's proposal to eliminate funding for HEA-Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. 

James Grossman Elected President of the National Humanities Alliance

At the 2018 business meeting on March 12, the members of the National Humanities Alliance elected James Grossman, AHA executive director, to serve as president for the next two years.

The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) brings together organizations and institutions invested in the humanities to cultivate support for funding in the federal government; advocate for policies that advance research, programming, preservation, and teaching; and promote engagement with the general public. The American Historical Association has been an active member of the NHA since its inception in 1981. The alliance is the only organization that brings together the US humanities community as a whole. “The NHA has expanded and diversified its mission and programming under the leadership of executive director Stephen Kidd,” Grossman observed. “My role will be to help the governing board support the impressive work that Dr. Kidd and the staff have been doing.”

Jim Grossman Speaks at American Society for Public Administration

Jim Grossman, AHA executive director, will speak on “Inclusion in Public Spaces” at a presidential panel at the American Society for Public Administration’s annual conference on March 11, 2018. He will join other scholars to discuss how administrators can respond to historic racism at public sites. The ASPA annual conference is the leading venue for practitioners, scholars, and students of public administration to advance their discipline. Grossman’s contributions to this panel will draw on the AHA’s Statement on Confederate Monuments, issued in August 2017. Read more about the panel online.

AHA President Expresses Concerns about Proposed Elimination of the History Major at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

AHA president Mary Beth Norton (Cornell Univ.) sent a letter to administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in response to the announced plan to eliminate many humanities majors, including history. In it, Prof. Norton emphasizes the valuable role that liberal arts generally, and history in particular, play in preparing students for careers. Read the full letter.

Seth Denbo Discusses Digital Guidelines at Middlebury College

Seth Denbo, AHA director of scholarly communication and digital initiatives, will return to his undergraduate alma mater to discuss the future of digital scholarship with faculty and students. Read more about the events online.

AHA President Sends Letter Protesting Access Restrictions to Phillips Library

AHA president Mary Beth Norton (Cornell Univ.) sent a letter to the director of the Peabody Essex Museum to raise concerns about the plans that could reduce access to the Phillips Library. After moving to a temporary site in 2011, the Phillips Library collection will be housed at a new facility in Rowley, Massachusetts, beginning later this year. Prof. Norton encouraged the director to maintain adequate opening hours and retain knowledgeable staff to avoid disrupting access to the collection. You can read the letter here.

Historians Win ACLS Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowships

Twelve historians are among the scholars awarded the Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowships for Recently Tenured Scholars. This program, supported by the American Council of Learned Societies and the Mellon Foundation, provides $95,000 for "long-term, unusually ambitious projects" and allows winners to take residence in institutions that can support their interdisciplinary objectives. Learn more about the project online.

Historians Awarded Whiting Public Engagement Fellowships

Historians Molly Todd (Montana State Univ.) and Denise Meringolo (Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County) were each awarded a $50,000 fellowship from the Whiting Foundation to support public-facing humanities projects. Learn more about the projects and the other awardees online.

ACLS Announces Recipients of 2018 Collaborative Research Fellowships

The American Council of Learned Societies recently announced the recipients of its 2018 Collaborative Research Fellowships.  Several historians, including many AHA members, are among the eight teams of scholars who will receive funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support co-authored projects. According to ACLS director of fellowship programs Matthew Goldfeder, the program promotes scholars who can “ask big questions” and work across disciplinary lines. Read more about the program and the 2018 awarded projects online.

AHA Issues Statement Condemning Polish Law that Criminalizes Public Discussion of Polish Complicity in Nazi War Crimes

The AHA issued a statement condemning legislation recently passed by the Polish government criminalizing public discussion of Polish participation in violence against Jews during World War II.  This legislation threatens free pursuit of historical inquiry and is therefore contrary to the international norms of academic freedom. According to the statement, "the AHA's stance is consistent with its longstanding objection to any and all previous efforts by the Polish government or any party to stifle speech and to restrict the content of scholarship concerned with Poland's role in the Holocaust and related war crimes."

AHA Signs Letter from NCH Regarding National Park System Advisory Board

In January 2018 nearly all of the National Park System Advisory Board, the citizen panel that advises on National Park Service issues, resigned in frustration after Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke ignored repeated requests to hold meetings. The American Historical Association has endorsed a recent letter from the National Coalition for History to Secretary Zinke objecting to his refusal to engage with the board and calling for its reconstitution and the resumption of regular meetings. Visit the NCH's website for the full story.

AHA Member Receives Anneliese Maier Research Award

Alan Mikhail, AHA member and professor of Ottoman history at Yale University, was one of this year's eight recipients of the Anneliese Maier Research Award, which is granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to outstanding humanities scholars and social scientists nominated by collaborative partners at German universities and research institutions.  Each award is valued at €250,000. To see the Humboldt Foundation's full press briefing, visit the website. 

AHR Essay on Increasing Journal Diversity

In an advance essay from the February issue, American Historical Review editor Alex Lichtenstein outlines plans to encourage greater diversity in the journal's content. A few proposed changes include an expansion of the Board of Editors, the nomination of new associate review editors, and a modification of the selection process for book reviewers. The full article is open to all readers. Learn more about the AHR on its website.

AHA Member Passes Away at 107

John Douglas Forbes, founding professor in the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and AHA member since 1943, passed away last Friday at age 107. He was the AHA's oldest member. Before his tenure at Darden, Forbes served as a curator for paintings at the San Francisco World's Fair (1938-40) and taught history at Wabash College, Bennington College, and several other liberal arts schools. To read the full In Memoriam, please visit the University of Virginia's website. 

AHA Members Receive over $1 Million in NEH Funding

In December, the National Endowment for the Humanities granted over $12.75 million in funding to support more than 250 humanities projects. Twenty-five AHA members were among the recipients, and their grants total about $1.2 million. Find the full list of NEH grant recipients online.

AHA Urges Members to Contact Commerce Secretary Regarding Citizenship Question in 2020 Census

The Department of Justice recently sent a letter to the Census Bureau requesting that a citizenship question be added to the 2020 Census. Future generations of historians will rely on this census for accurate and comprehensive data. According to our colleagues in the American Sociological Association, if such a question were to be included, "the integrity of the 2020 Census data will be fundamentally compromised. Including a citizenship question is likely to keep some people from responding to the questionnaire and others from responding truthfully, thereby undermining the accuracy of the data." The AHA urges members to contact Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to register their concern by using the National Humanities Alliance advocacy tool.

Former AHA Tuning Chair to Keynote K-16 Conference

The Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU and the History Department of Midwestern State University are holding a conference in Wichita Falls, Texas, focusing on pedagogical strategies for K-16 educators. The keynote speakers are Anne F. Hyde, professor of history at the University of Oklahoma and former chair of the AHA's Tuning the History Discipline project, and Ron Tyler, former director of the Texas State Historical Association. The conference will take place on February 16 and 17, 2018. Registration is required and free of charge. For more information, visit the Wichita Falls visitors website.