A year ago, on a hot, sweltering Indiana day, the search committee for the next executive director for the National Council on Public History met in person for the first time. The task we faced, led by chair Bill Bryans, seemed monumental: to not only find a new executive director who respects and understands the complex history of NCPH, but one who also recognizes that the organization is undergoing tremendous change and growth, and who will become a collaborative colleague within the history department at the Indiana University (IU) School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), NCPH’s host university. Read More
It’s that time again! Summer at the National Council on Public History means that the Program Committee has started the process of selecting content for our 2017 annual meeting. Two months ago we opened up our Call for Proposals for next year’s meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the theme “The Middle: Where did we come from? Read More
The National Council on Public History is governed like many other professional and scholarly societies. It has an elected board with officers, official standing committees, and uses parliamentary procedure along with other widely used non-profit governance tools. Today I would like to introduce you to the Nominating Committee and what we do. Read More
Whenever a public historian asks me whether it’s worth the time and effort to run for office in a historical association, or to serve on a committee, I strongly recommend giving it a try. Over the nearly forty years I spent at the Senate Historical Office, I calculate that I spent almost half of that time also serving in one elected office or another in various historical associations and beyond that on any number of standing or ad hoc committees.
Recently, I received the announcement of the Founders Award that the National Council on Public History will present later this week to me and to Philip Cantelon, my colleague of many years, various associations and initiatives. Reading the citation for the award brought back many treasured memories of the early days of public history, especially memories of individual historians who were mentors and co-workers and who became invaluable friends. Read More
How can historic house museums remain relevant and engaging in the 21st century? That is the question before the nearly 15,000 such institutions currently operating in the United States. Much ink has been spilt debating the future of the house-museum model, from the pages of The Washington Post to The Boston Globe, even on this blog. Read More
Are you a public historian on the tenure track? Do you sit on a tenure and promotion committee, or are you asked to write letters in support of T&P candidates? Do you find yourself working to explain the scholarly nature of public history scholarship to a broader academic audience? Read More
If you’ve visited the website of the National Council on Public History lately, you’ll know that it’s been renovated and refreshed, with a brighter, cleaner look and (we hope) an easier-to-use design. Now it’s time for Phase II of the re-set, and since that involves the blog you’re reading—History@Work—and the space where it has lived until now—the Public History Commons—we wanted to explain what you can look for in the near future and some of the thinking that went into these changes. Read More
Like so many of my friends and colleagues across the full spectrum of the historical profession, I am thankful for having known Cliff Kuhn. His death three weeks ago took us all by surprise. Cliff radiated vitality–intellectual, spiritual and personal. He was known for cycling every morning from his home in Atlanta’s Virginia Highland neighborhood to his office at Georgia State University in the heart of downtown. Read More
We are excited to announce the launch of a brand new National Council on Public History website and History@Work blog this fall! The new site will reflect who we are as an organization: a vibrant, active, and approachable community.
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