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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The WHA Office often receives notifications about awards, scholarships, fellowships, and events that might be of interest to our members. We are also happy to share the news and accomplishments of individual members and programs.


When our staff receives requests to post news and announcements, you will find them here and on our social media platforms. Please email us if you wish to be included in our news and announcements feed! 

  • Friday, September 17, 2021 7:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The Center for Great Plains Studies (CGPS) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in the history of African Americans in Oklahoma and/or African Americans in the American West to carry out both quantitative and interpretive research on Black homesteading in Oklahoma. The Fellowship will extend the work of the Black Homesteader project at CGPS. The Fellow will co-publish a report and academic articles and provide digital content to the National Park Service homesteading website. The Fellow will work with a team of researchers under the direction of supervisors at both the University of Oklahoma and the CGPS AT UNL. Position is for one year, but renewable for a second year. Remote working option available; some travel required.

    A PhD in African American Studies, American History, Ethnic Studies, or a related discipline relevant to the humanistic social sciences is required. Knowledge of the history of African Americans in Oklahoma and/or expertise in African Americans in the American West; familiarity with the history of federal land policies on the Great Plains; experience with quantitative census records research and archival government records; experience with data collection, archival research, and digital humanities research; and strong written and oral communication skills are preferred.

    Review of applications will begin September 27, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled or the search is closed. To apply, please go to https://employment.unl.edu/, requisition F_210105.  Click “Apply to this Job” and complete the Faculty/Academic Administrative Information form. Attach a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, names and contact information for three professional references, and a writing sample no larger than 9 MB.  

    As an EO/AA employer, qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See http://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.

    Note: Hiring date is flexible, but will be between November 1, 2021 and January 3, 2022 (at the latest). 

    Direct link: https://employment.unl.edu/postings/74597


  • Wednesday, September 15, 2021 7:00 PM | Anonymous member

    POSITION OVERVIEW

    Anticipated start: July 1, 2022

    APPLICATION WINDOW

    Open September 13th, 2021 through Monday, Oct 18, 2021 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

    POSITION DESCRIPTION

    The University of California at Berkeley seeks applications for a joint tenure-track faculty appointment at the level of assistant professor in the Departments of History and Ethnic Studies in Native North American History. Region and time-period open. They particularly welcome applications from scholars who employ the methods of Native American and Indigenous Studies.

    UC Berkeley is dedicating six new faculty positions to establish the university as an international center of excellence in Native American and Indigenous Studies. Building upon substantial existing campus assets—including an undergraduate major and graduate program in Native American Studies and strengths in Native American languages and literature, indigenous archaeology and cultural anthropology—their goal is to make UC Berkeley the pre-eminent institution of higher education in the field.

    Candidates will be evaluated and must be suitable for appointments in both the Department of History and the Department of Ethnic Studies, which houses the Native American Studies (NAS) program. Further information about the NAS program is available at https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/areas-of-study/area/native-american-studies/.

    The Departments of History and Ethnic Studies and in the Division of Social Sciences, recognize the intrinsic relationship between diversity and excellence in all their endeavors and embrace open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development as their obligation and goal. They seek candidates who demonstrate a commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through their research, teaching, and/or service. Their Division is committed to upholding the university’s principles of community so that every individual can be successful in a healthy, welcoming, and safe environment.

    Additional information about programs and resources supporting the advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is available at: https://ls.berkeley.edu/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

    https://ls.berkeley.edu/ls-divisions/social-sciences/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

    And specific resources within The Department of History: https://history.berkeley.edu/resources/equity-diversity-inclusion

    For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty

    The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. They are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

    Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) or enrolled in a Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) granting program.

    Preferred qualifications

    Ph.D. or equivalent international degree in History or related discipline is preferred by appointment date.

    APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

    Document requirements

    • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
    • Cover Letter
    • Writing Sample - no longer than 60 pages, double-spaced
    • Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley (for additional information go to https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity).

    Reference requirements

    • 3 required (contact information only)

    Letters may be solicited for candidates under serious consideration (the committee will inform candidates that their references will be contacted).

    Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03133

    Help contact: history-ap@berkeley.edu

    CAMPUS INFORMATION

    Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values at UC Berkeley. Their excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and academic and non-academic staff who share their commitment to these values. Successful candidates for their academic positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging.

    The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

    In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/ucb-confidentiality-policy) prior to submitting their letter.

    As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/SARS-CoV-2_Covid-19. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is eight weeks after their first date of employment. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.)

    JOB LOCATION

    Berkeley, CA


  • Friday, September 10, 2021 7:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The 2021 application for the Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Historical Photographic Research is now open. 

    Considered one of the most important photo historians of the 20th century, Peter E. Palmquist (1936 - 2003) had a keen interest in the photography of the American West, California, and Humboldt County before 1950, and the history of women in photography worldwide. He published over 60 books and 340 articles and was a strong proponent of the concept of the independent researcher-writer in the field of photo history. With co-author Thomas Kailbourn, he won the Caroline Bancroft Western History Prize for their book, Pioneer Photographers of the Far West. Professor Martha Sandweiss, Princeton University, wrote, “He (Peter) established new ways of pursuing the history of photography, and with his collections and research notes soon to be accessible at Yale, he will be speaking to and inspiring new generations of students and researchers forever.” Established by Peter’s lifetime companion, Pam Mendelsohn, this fund supports the study of under-researched women photographers internationally, past and present, and under-researched Western American photographers before 1900.

    A small panel of outside consultants with professional expertise in the field of photo history and/or grant reviewing will review the applications in order to determine the awards. Applications will be judged on the quality of the proposal, the ability of the applicant to carry out the project within the proposed budget and timeline, and the significance of the project to the field of photographic history. Each recipient of the award will agree to donate upon completion of the project a copy of the resulting work (i.e., published book, unpublished report, thesis, etc.) to the Humboldt Area Foundation to submit to the Peter Palmquist Archive at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and a report to Humboldt Area Foundation at the end of the grant period. We ask that award recipients acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Palmquist Memorial Fund in publications or other work products supported by that fund.

    Past recipients and their projects are featured at http://www.palmquistgrants.com/

    Range of Awards: $500 - $2,000

    Eligibility

    Individuals researching Western American photography before 1900 or women in photography as well as nonprofit institutions conducting research in these fields are eligible to apply.

    Application Guidelines

    1. Complete application form and budget form.

    2. Write a short statement explaining your study of either:

    • Under-researched women photographers internationally, past and present
    • Under-researched Western American photographers before 1900

    3. Your statement must include details of your work plan, the anticipated outcome of your research, and how you will use the funds. Failure to be specific in these details may result in rejection of the application. The statement must be typed in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, and no more than 1,250 words.

    4. Include a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae no longer than 3 pages.

    5. Previous Palmquist Grant recipients may reapply if they include the following information:

    • Report the specifics of what was accomplished with the award.
    • Report the specifics of how the funds were used to reach that accomplishment
    • Forward to the Humboldt Area Foundation copies of any published or unpublished work(s) that resulted from the previous Palmquist Grant.

    6. The Palmquist Fund will not consider requests to cover salaries or pay for hardware or equipment.

    7. The recipients will be required to expend the full amount of their grants on the expenses itemized in their budgets by the end of the grant period. Normally, the grant period is one year from the date of the announcement of the recipients. In view of the hardships the Covid-19 Pandemic has imposed, for this cycle of the grants, recipients will have 18 months from their grant date to expend their grant.

    No other materials (additional samples of work, etc.) will be considered; please enclose only the items listed above.

    Completed applications must be postmarked by November 12021 and submitted to:

    Humboldt Area Foundation • 363 Indianola Road, Bayside, CA 95524

    Or

    via email: grants@hafoundation.org 

    Award Recipients will be notified by January 15, 2022

    For more information contact:

    Humboldt Area Foundation at (707) 442-2993

    or visit http://www.palmquistgrants.com/


  • Tuesday, September 07, 2021 10:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The WHA congratulates Dr. Jonathan Scott Perry for his appointment as Phi Alpha Theta's new Executive Director. Dr. Perry is an active member in the Phi Alpha Theta community, currently serving as Book Review Editor for the honor society's journal, The Historian, and has served as advisor of the Alpha-Gamma-Chi Chapter at the University of Central Floria. Dr. Perry is Associate Professor of History at the University of South Florida where he teaches ancient history.

    Please join the WHA in congratulating Dr. Perry on his appointment. 

  • Friday, September 03, 2021 3:47 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Improving the Research Experience: 
    A Workshop for Graduate Students in Western American History

    Thursday October 28, 2021
    1:30 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

    Location: Hilton Portland (Room TBD)

    Sponsored by The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University

    Organized by the Western History Librarian/Archivist/Curator Group

    ADMISSION BY ADVANCE APPLICATION ONLY: Application Deadline is September 20!

    Graduate Student Participants Receive $250 Honorarium


    Presenters:

    Peter J. Blodgett (The Huntington Library)

    J. Wendel Cox (Dartmouth College)

    Lisa E. Duncan (University of Arizona Special Collections)

    Todd Fuller (University of Oklahoma)

    Sam Herley (South Dakota Oral History Center)

    Tamsen Hert (University of Wyoming Special Collections)

    Anne Jenner (University of Washington Libraries)

    Ginny Kilander (American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming)

    Matthew Daniel Mason (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University)

    George Miles (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University)

    Suzanne Noruschat (University of Southern California Libraries)

    Theresa Salazar (Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley)

    Laurie Scrivener (University of Oklahoma Scholarly Services and Research Initiatives)

    Benjamin Stone (Stanford University Libraries)

    Gregory C. Thompson (J.W. Marriott Library, University of Utah)

    Rachel Vagts (Denver Public Library)

    Workshop Details

    Today’s graduate students in western history confront an increasing array of unyielding obstacles in launching their careers. Each year, they must scramble to keep up with the accelerating pace of changes in everything from the descriptive tools created by libraries and archives to the proliferation of digital resources generated by cultural institutions. Moreover, given the shrinking pool of dollars for projects in the humanities, graduate students face a steadily more ferocious competition for fellowships, research awards and grants in general.  Believing as we do that the graduate student community represents an essential dimension of western history’s future, we have developed the following workshop in collaboration with the WHA as a means of helping to meet what we see as particularly crucial needs for the next generation of scholars.

    Workshop Schedule
    This workshop will run from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM on Thursday, October 28 and will consist of two sessions, preceded by a fifteen-minute introduction and incorporating one fifteen-minute break. The sessions will address the following topics:

    • Introduction:  overview of workshop goals (15 minutes).
    • Session #1:  Fellowships, research awards and grant seeking in general (60 minutes).
    • Fifteen-minute break
    • Session #2:  Plotting out the research project:  individual/small-group conversations about the dissertations being pursued by the workshop attendees (60 minutes).

    Workshop Participation Details:

    In order to keep the size manageable for the instructors and to enhance the quality of the experience for the participants, attendance at this inaugural version will be capped at 20 graduate students, selected through advance application; preference will be given to those who are at an earlier point in their pursuit of a Ph.D. so that they will have the maximum opportunity to benefit from what they learn in the workshop. Other graduate students, however, may be admitted on a space-available basis.  In hopes of assisting those who attend the workshop with defraying conference costs, we will be able to provide each graduate student participant with a $250 honorarium thanks to the generous support of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. You will receive this honorarium at the workshop.

    Workshop Application Guide:

    Graduate students wishing to apply for the workshop should prepare the following in a single pdf document:

                1. Cover Sheet:

    -Student’s name

    -Institutional affiliation

    -Contact information (email and surface mail addresses)

                2. Description of stage the student has reached in their program

                3. Enumerate the student’s research experience to date

                4. Provide an overview of the student’s dissertation. (The overview should summarize the            topic, including chronological and geographic parameters, collections of original sources            already consulted and all research institutions that the student has visited or will visit while

    pursuing the dissertation.)

    Send the final, compiled pdf document as an attachment email to wha@westernhistory.org with “2021 Grad Student Workshop” in the subject line. Include your name, institutional affiliation, and contact information in the email message. Applications for the workshop are due Monday, September 20, 2021 to wha@westernhistory.org

    Send Questions about the applications or workshop to Peter J. Blodgett at pblodgett@huntington.org


  • Tuesday, August 24, 2021 11:00 AM | Anonymous member

    C-SPAN 3 will be airing Dr. David Wrobel's WHA 2020 Presidential Keynote on John Steinbeck Sunday, August 29th at 3:25pm EDT. If you miss the live viewing and would like to watch later, the keynote will be available here after it airs on C-SPAN: 

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?513837-1/john-steinbeck-american-west


  • Sunday, August 01, 2021 12:05 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On July 1 of this year, the WHA opened its operations in the History Department at the University of Kansas, the organization’s new institutional host. Elaine Nelson remains in her role as the WHA Executive Director and joined the KU History Department faculty as an Assistant Professor of History. The KU History Department has an award-winning faculty with strengths in several areas of study, including western, environmental, and Native American history. The WHA will benefit from the support of the dynamic faculty, staff, and graduate students who work to maintain the department’s national reputation. We are confident that the organization’s transition to KU will allow the WHA an opportunity to continue to expand its core mission and initiatives. There are already conversations underway about how the WHA will contribute to the graduate student community and offer collaborative opportunities with faculty across a variety of KU programs.


  • Thursday, July 29, 2021 8:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies Association (INCS) is now accepting proposals for their 2022 annual conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah from March 24-27, 2022. The theme for the 2022 annual conference is stratification: physical and social, spatial and temporal, visual and textual. INCS invites papers that consider the myriad varieties of literal and figurative layering that played out across the nineteenth century. This conference will foreground how exploratory and creative acts of digging down and building up expose new truths and generate new knowledge: both in the nineteenth century and in contemporary scholarship of the period. 

    For paper proposals, send a 200-word abstract and a one-page CV to INCS2022@utah.edu by October 8, 2021. For panel proposals, provide a brief overview of the panel in an email message and attach all paper proposals and CVs. 

    For more information, visit the INCS site here: https://incsscholars.org/. Those interested may also contact Jessica Straley (jessica.straley@utah.edu) or Leslee Thorne-Murphy (lesleetm@byu.edu) for more information. 

  • Wednesday, July 28, 2021 8:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The South Dakota Historical Society Press, an award-winning publisher located in the heart of the Northern Great Plains, seeks a Production Coordinator/Editorial Assistant. This early career position will work closely with their books and quarterly journal.

    Production duties will include: working with their network of designers, typesetters, indexers, and illustrators; keeping book and journal projects on schedule; managing e-books and open-access projects; acting as a liaison between the Press and freelance workers; transmitting final proofs to printers; and securing copyright permissions. This position will work under the direction of the Marketing Director and the Managing Editor of South Dakota History. Other duties will include copyediting, proofreading, and working with images as part of their editorial team.

    This position requires experience with project management and strong communication skills. Capacity to work independently, excellent time management skills, and an eye for detail are a must. 

    Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in history, English, or a related field (advanced degree preferred). Candidates must also have a background in writing, editing, or publishing and be familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style. Knowledge of U.S. history, especially of the American West and the Northern Great Plains, is preferred. Experience using Adobe Photoshop and understanding of basic design principles would also be beneficial.

    This position is not open to remote work. Candidates upon receipt of offer will be expected to move to the Pierre area; relocation expenses will be reimbursed. Limited travel may be required. This is a full-time position with salary in the $18-$20 per hour range (commensurate with experience) and benefits. This position is administered by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation.

    To apply, please email a cover letter and a resume or curriculum vitae with names and contact information for 3-5 references to Dr. Dedra Birzer, South Dakota Historical Society Press Director, at Dedra.Birzer@state.sd.us. Their website is sdhspress.com. Applications will be accepted through Sept. 1, 2021.


  • Friday, July 23, 2021 8:00 AM | Anonymous member

    The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest at Villanova University is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity to support public-facing historical projects related to the theme of “Turning Points” in history.

    The Center will fund up to 5 projects that creatively engage with how the study of past turning points have affected the course of history, and how historical study can further public understanding of the present moment.

    The Lepage Center welcomes applications that are original and imaginative in content and form. Proposals can include (but are not limited to) a series of blog posts, a series of podcast conversations, digital and in-person exhibits, an oral history project, an initiative with a local newspaper to write a series of op-eds, a mapping project, a multimedia resource, and other creative ideas. Educators, researchers, activists, students, librarians, digital humanists, museum specialists are all invited to apply. 

    Each grantee will receive up to $5,000 depending on the scope, size, and need of the proposal.

    The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2021, at 11:59 pm (EST).

    Visit the Turning Points in History grant page for more information about eligibility and requirements. Please share widely! 

    Learn more about Lepage past grantees.

Western History Association

University of Kansas | History Department

1445 Jayhawk Blvd. | 3650 Wescoe Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045 | 785-864-0860

wha@westernhistory.org