Around the Courtyard | 2013

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  • 2013 News Archive

    • Congratulations to Jimmy McWilliams whose essay on Jon McEnroe named by USA Today as a runner up in the best sportswriting of 2013.

      Congratulations to Ana whose book was reviewed very favorably in the AHR!

      Our esteemed chair, Mary Brennan, was interviewed and answered phone-in questions last night on C-Span. Follow the C-Span link to see Mary in action.

      Congratulations to Margaret Menninger, whose numerous contributions--

      Brockhaus family
      Dresden
      Dresden Library
      Heine, Ferdinand
      Kietz, Gustav Adolf
      Leipzig
      Lüttichau, August Freiherr von
      Pecht, Friedrich
      Pusinelli, Anton
      Reissiger, Carl Gottlieb
      Schladebach, Julius
      Weinlig, Christian Theodor
      Wigand, Otto

      --made the Cambridge Wagner Encyclopedia (Cambridge University Press, 2013) possible.

      Congratulations to Peter Siegenthaler who found out Thursday evening that the Faculty Senate awarded him the first Adjunct Faculty Workload Release Award for the fall 2014 semester.

      Congratulations to Elizabeth Bishop on the publication of her article, “Border Crossing Between Iraq and Iran, Summer 1953,” in the Summer 2013 issue of Arab World Geographer and to Joaquin Rivaya-Martinez, whose chapter “La expansión comanche en la frontera norte de Nueva España durante el siglo XVIII.” Chapter submitted for the book La frontera en el mundo hispánico: Tierras de convivencia y espacios de confrontación (siglos XV-XVIII), edited by Porfirio Sanz Camañes and David Rex Galindo, to be published by Abya Yala (forthcoming).

      Congratulations to Shannon Duffy, Lynn Denton, Dan Utley and Dwight Watson who were honored Wednesday evening as Alpha Chi Favorite Professors.

      Congratulations to Frank whose book is finally out: Recollections of a Tejano Life: Antonio Menchaca in Texas History, co-edited with Timothy Matovina and published by U.T. Press.

      Congratulations to Dennis Dunn, the university’s Piper Professor nominee and winner of the Everette Swinney Teaching Award.

      Congratulations to Shannon Duffy, one of two university nominees for an NEH Summer Stipend.

      Angela F. Murphy, “Though Dead He Yet Speaketh: Abolitionist Memories of Daniel O’Connell in the United States,” in American Journal of Irish Studies, Volume 10 (2013), pp. 11-38.

      Dwight Watson will be giving a talk titled "Policing the Police: An Examination of the Houston Police Department and Their Role, Reputation and Efficacy in the Community" October 24th in Houston.

      Congratulations to Jose Carlos de la Puente whose book on Machu Pichu has been released in a 2nd edition in Columbia has been published by Random House-Mondadori, under the series “Debate” (same in English as in Spanish).

      Congratulations to:
      Jimmy McWilliams, The Pecan: A History of America’s Native Nut (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2013);
      and
      Dan Utley, Go Where the Fighting was Fiercest: The Guide to the Texas Civil War Monuments (College Station: State House Press/TAMU Press, 2013);
      and
      Jason Mellard, Progressive Country: How the 1970s Transformed the Texan in Popular Culture (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2013).

      Jimmy’s book is the latest book in John and Robin Dickson Book Series from the Center for Texas Music History.

      Congratulations to Dan Utley who, along with his co-author Milton Jordan, won the Ottis Lock Award for the Best Book on East Texas History to Just Between Us: Stories and Memories from the Texas Pines. This award is presented by the East Texas Historical Association.

      Congratulations to Elizabeth Bishop whose article, “‘Day-to-Day Politics;’ Iraq’s Development between Bilateral and International Organizations,” appears in a special issue on “Ethics in International Relations” of Studia Europaea.

      Congratulations to Gary Hartman and Jason Mellard of the CTMH. The NPR show, Texas Music Matters, of which This Week in Texas Music History is a regular feature, won the 2013 International Radio Festivals of New York Award for "Best Regularly Scheduled Music Program," beating out the New York Philharmonic and other nationally-syndicated programs.

      The Austin Chronicle named Austin's NPR affiliate, KUT 90.5 FM, "Best Radio Station of 2013" and specifically mentioned This Week in Texas Music History as one of the programs that helped earn KUT this award.

      Jody Ginn, one of our MA graduates who is now ABD at North Texas, will be giving a presentation on his dissertation topic, Reckoning in the Redlands: the Texas Rangers' 1935 "clean-up" of San Augustine, to the San Marcos Area Genealogical Society on September 10, 2013 at 7:00pm. Their meetings are held at the San Marcos LDS Church building at 120 Suncrest Drive.

      Congratulations to Frank who has two new entries in the Handbook of Texas Online, both on historians: Malcolm McLean and David Weber.

      Congratulations to Nancy Berlage who has been appointed an ongoing Fellow to the Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. The Institute’s directors, participants, and other fellows are interested in engaging with topics—such as public history—not usual to these sectors of scholarship.

      Congrats to Jimmy McWilliams for his piece on the history of pecans in the current issue of Texas Monthly.

      Congratulations to Bryan Glass, whose manuscript "Scotland: The Nation at Empire's End," has been accepted for publication by the Edinburgh University Press.

      Congratulations to Jimmy McWilliams, whose chapter, “Biological Control, Transnational Exchange, and the Construction of Environmental Thought in the United States, 1840-1920,” appears in Nation-States and the Global Environment: New Approaches to International Environmental History, eds. Erika Marie Bsumek, David Kinkela and Mark Atwood Lawrence (Oxford University Press, 2013.

      Congratulations to Madelyn Patlan who won the Staff Council Scholarship for 2013-2014!!

      Congratulations to Jimmy McWilliams who had a piece in the New York Times.

      Congratulations to Bryan Glass. Britain and the World, the journal produced by the Society he runs (The British Scholar Society), has just been ranked in the Thomson Reuters Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) for the very first time. This is a major accomplishment for the Society as the journal was scrutinized for three years before Thomson Reuters agreed to include it in their prestigious rankings. There are only 69 History journals in the world that are listed in the SSCI rankings. Even more impressive, our very first Impact Factor is .231, ranking us as 34th out of the 69 journals listed. Our Impact Factor ranking is better than the oldest history journal in the world, The English Historical Review, which earned a .167.

      Congratulations to Frank who has an article in the new The African American Handbook of Texas.

      Congratulations to Elizabeth Bishop, whose article, “Democracy and Monarchy as Antithetical Terms? Iraq’s Elections of September 1954” just came out in Studia Politica, 2, 2013.

      Congratulations to Elizabeth Bishop for the publication of her chapter “Control Room: Visible and Concealed Spaces of the Aswan High Dam.” In Landscapes of Development: Modernization and the Physical Environment in the Eastern Mediterranean, Panayiota Pyla, ed. (Cambridge: Harvard Graduate School of Design) (2013).

      The History and Modern Language Departments of Texas State are pleased to announce that they have been accepted for membership in CASA, the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad. The membership provides opportunities for students to travel to the American University in Cairo for advanced level language studies.

      Dr. Kenneth Margerison, Professor, Department of History, was named a Piper Professor of 2013 by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. To celebrate this special recognition, President Trauth will host a reception for Dr. Margerison in the fall. Details will be communicated to all faculty at the beginning of the fall 2013 semester.

      Congratulations to PH students Alex Borger and Ann Landeros whose article on their successful class project to secure a state historical marker in Galveston for boxer Jack Johnson appeared in Sunday’s Galveston Daily News.

      Congratulations to Jimmy McWilliams whose ebook, The Politics of the Pasture, will be available any day now.

      Congratulations to Bryan Glass whose article "Protection from the British Empire? Central Africa and the Church of Scotland," will appear in the Spring print issue of Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History.

      Congratulations to Jimmy McWilliams who had another article published in Slate. To read his article, please follow this link, "All Sizzle and No Steak: Why Allan Savory's TED talk about how cattle can reverse global warming is dead wrong."

      Congratulations to Nancy Berlage whose co-authored article, “Identity and Institutions in Political History: A Cross-Disciplinary Discussion,” will appear in the journal Politics, Groups, and Identities, scheduled for release May 17, 2013.

      Jessica Pliley has been accepted to participate in the summer academy "American Studies in a Transatlantic Perspective: Critical Regionalism in Politics and Culture,' hosted by the Bavarian American Academy and the University of Erlanger-Nuremberg in May.

      Congratulations to Ron Johnson who will be a participant in the NEH Summer Institute, African-American History & Culture in the Georgia Lowcountry: Savannah and the Coastal Islands this summer.

      At the Bilateral University Model Arab League in Houston (16-17 February), Texas State students Bita Razavimaleki and Nora Lisa Cavazos received "Outstanding Delegation" for their representation of the Syrian Arab Republic on the Social Affairs council, and Matt Korn received "Outstanding Chair" for his leadership of the Joint Defense council.

      Congratulations to Frank, and Joaquin’s wife Yasmine, who have been named as Top Hispanic Educators in Texas by the Online Colleges of Texas.

      Congratulations to Rebecca Montgomery, Elizabeth Bishop and Angie Murphy who all won library grants to purchase databases that will aid all of us and our students in our continuing research.

      Congratulations to Jose Carlos, whose book, El quipu colonial: estudios y materiales [The Colonial Khipu: Essays and Sources] (Lima: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2013). He is the co-author of the Introduction and one of the chapters.

      Congratulations to Jessica Pliley, whose article, “The Petticoat Inspectors: Women Boarding Inspectors and the Gendered Exercise of Federal Authority,” appeared in the January 2013 issue of the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

      Congratulations to Joaquin Rivaya-Martinez. His chapter, “De la civilización a la barbarie. La indianización de cautivos euroamericanos entre los indios comanches, 1820-1875,” appears in La indianización. Cautivos, renegados, «hommes libres» y misioneros en los confines de las Américas, s. XVI-XIX, edited by Salvador Berbnabéu, Chritophe Giudicelli, and Gilles Havard, pp. 107-136. Seville: Doce Calles and CSIC-EEHA, 2013.

      Jessica Pliley’s interview about the book project with Marilyn Wilkes aired on the MacMillan Report.

      Congratulations to James McWilliams whose article, "Beastly Justice" was recently published in Slate. The article explores the midievil and early modern European tradition of holding criminal trials for animals that broke the law.

      Congratulations to Joaquin for the publication of his latest article: “San Carlos de los Jupes. Une tentative avortée de sédentarisation des bárbaros dans les territoires frontaliers du nord de la Nouvelle-Espagne en 1787-1788.” Recherches amérindiennes au Québec, 41 (2-3 ; 2011): 29-42.

      Congratulations to our Liberal Arts nominees for Presidential Excellence Awards:
      Dwight Watson and Elizabeth Bishop for Service
      Elizabeth Makowski and Jose Carlos de la Puente for Scholarship
      Margaret Menninger for Teaching

      Congratulations to Deirdre Lannon, TX State History MA and History Department Senior Lecturer. She found out yesterday that she has been accepted into UT’s doctoral program! We are extra happy because she is going to continue to teach for us online while she works on her degree.

      Congratulations to Jessica Pliley who participated in the Gilder Lehman’s 14th Annual International Conference, "Abolition Past and Present: Scholars, Activists, and the Challenge of Contemporary Slavery," held at Yale University, New Haven, CT, November 8-10, 2012.

      Congratulations to Dan Utley who, with his co-author Cynthia J. Beeman, published History Along the Way: Stories beyond the Texas Roadside Markers (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2013).

      Congratulations to Jessica Pliley, whose article, "The Petticoat Inspectors: Women Boarding Inspectors and the Gendered Exercise of Federal Authority,” appeared in this month’s Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 12, no. 1 (Jan 2013): 95-126.

       

    • Students_Celebrate_Eid_Banquet_2013Texas State students celebrated their second "Eid Festival" on Thursday 7 November 2013. The Muslim Students' Association organized this evening of entertainment and learning, celebrating the Abrahamic faiths with henna tattoos and food.

      Pursuing Texas State's mission as a university, we value diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective, and a sense of community as being essential elements of campus life.

      The MSA acknowledges the generous support of the History Department, Anthropology Department, Philosophy Department, Sociology Department, and Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies.

      History Department faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Bishop is advisor for the Muslim Students' Association. For information on future MSA events, please email her (eb26@txstate.edu).

       

    • Kay Goldman, Photo 2013Kay Goldman, a Texas State History alumna, will speak Friday November, 15 at 10 a.m. in the Family and Consumer Sciences Building, room 158. She will discuss her 2013 book, Dressing Modern Maternity: The Frankfurt Sisters of Dallas and the Page Boy Label (Texas Tech University Press), winner of the Lou Halsell Rodenberger Prize in Texas History and Literature.

      A coffee and reception, styled in the manner of promotions used by Page Boy, will begin at 9:30 a.m. A brief gallery talk and opportunity to view a Page Boy exhibition in the Historic Textiles and Apparel Gallery as well as a preview of new collection acquisitions will follow. Kay Goldman will be available to sign copies of the book at 11 a.m.

       

    • Nora_Lisa_Cavazos_MALRepresenting Texas State University, Nora Lisa Cavazos has garnered awards at Model Arab League (MAL) competitions in California, Massachusetts, and Texas. On the right in this photo from the recent Mills College competition in Oakland CA, she poses with MAL alumna Alanna Torrez.

      The United States State Department chose Cavazos to intern with the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, NY. She feels extremely honored to be one of seven participants, and the only one from Texas.

      About her new responsibilities, Cavazos says: "I have been selected as an executive office intern for the 68th United Nations' General Assembly, where I will be working under the United States ambassadors while promoting democracy and American values." While at the UN, she hopes to learn more about foreign policy and the United Nations as a whole.

      The MAL program is grateful to the History Department's ongoing support. Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, of the Department of History, mentors Texas State University's program; for further information, you can email her at eb26@txstate.edu.

       

    • Posted by Jayme Blaschke
      University News Service
      August 12, 2013

      Ronald Johnson, of the Department of History at Texas State University, recently participated in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute hosted by the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) that explored two centuries of African-American life and culture in Savannah and Georgia's coastal islands.

      Through scholarly lectures, site visits, community presentations and guided tours, Johnson, along with 22 other program participants, examined the centrality of place in the African-American experience in Georgia’s lowcountry and the larger Atlantic world.

      “I wanted to be part of the GHS/NEH Summer Institute to expand my thinking and to enhance my teaching experience in the contentious areas of race relations and slavery in the United Sates,” said Johnson. “The city of Savannah, the people of the Georgia Lowcountry, and the research materials at the Georgia Historical Society have encouraged me to feature Savannah as a prominent place in my second book, which will examine religion and immigration in the United States during the 19th Century."

      Johnson was chosen from more than one hundred applicants for the two-week institute, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and selected as an NEH Summer Institute for 2013 which addressed broad themes of race and slavery in American history by focusing on site-specific experiences of communities in and around Savannah from the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. In addition to lectures from leading academics, participants were taken to Ossabaw and Sapelo Islands, the coastal community of Pin Point, and spent an afternoon at the location of “The Weeping Time,” Savannah’s Ten Broeck Race Course, where one of the largest sales of enslaved persons in U.S. history took place in 1859.

      “It is important to bring these professors together to explore the history of the African-American experience and the Gullah-Geechee culture in particular,” said Stan Deaton, senior historian at GHS and program director for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute. “By bringing together experts in the field as well as the descendants and keepers of the Gullah-Geechee traditions, we can open up this part of American history in a very dynamic way, giving each of them the tools necessary to facilitate discussions in their own classrooms.”

       

    • Dr. Nancy Berlage, 2013Dr. Nancy Berlage visited the Cephas House at the recently dedicated Eddie Durham Park in San Marcos. She can be seen browsing various artifacts including a portrait of Ulysses Cephas. Cephas, a son of slaves, was born in San Marcos and went on to become a communty leader.

       

    • As part of a class on Local and Community History taught by Mr. Dan Utley, Megan Galindo researched, documented and completed the application for a state historical marker to honor San Marcos native Eddie Durham. Although no funds were immediately available, recently the county marker chair, Dr. Betty Harrison (Texas State Education Department), learned that the Texas Historical Commission is taking care of the expense through a grant from its undertold marker program. The selection process is competitive, with only 14 topics from across the state chosen for the special funding. So, the county commission got a completed (and approvable) marker application, thanks to Megan, and a free marker thanks to the Texas Historical Commission. Additionally, the city got to fill in a gap in its historical narrative and, as a result of the process, lots of folks now have a better understanding of the value of public history.

       

    • Margerison Wins Piper AwardThis month, President Trauth announced that History Professor Kenneth Magerison has been named a Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. Each year the Foundation awards 10 professors from around the state this distinction. The awards are given to professors whose outstanding teaching has had a significant impact on their students and community.

      History faculty and students have long known of Professor Margerison’s ability to mentor, challenge and educate students; we are thrilled to have him acknowledged with this prestigious award.

       

    • College of Liberal Arts Prize WinnerThe first-ever Post-PACE transition event for Liberal Arts majors has just concluded. We had a very successful turnout with 120 students coming and browsing the majors and university services available to them in Liberal Arts and across the campus. People too numerous to mention helped to ensure the event was coordinated and successful. So, “thank you” to everyone single one of you who helped bring this event to fruition. Please thank the individuals in your area who stepped up and assisted with the event.

      The door prize winners were:
      2nd Prize – Bobcat Embroidered Messenger Bag = Dezmond K. Thomas
      Grand Prize – Kona Dew Bicycle and Accessory Package from The Hub Bicycle Lounge, paid for by Dean and Academic Departments of Liberal Arts | Evan Ingersoll

       

    • Date/Time: April 17, 2013, 12:30 p.m.
      Location: TMH 105, Swinney Conference Room

      Book_Signing_collage

      Join Dr. Elizabeth Makowski and Mr. Dan Utley for a book signing of their most recent publications.
      Dr. Makowski will be signing, English Nuns and the Law in the Middle Ages.
      Mr. Utley will be singing two recent publications, Faded Glory: A Century of Forgotten Texas Military Sites, Then and Now, & History along the Way: Stories Beyond the Texas Roadside Markers.

       

    • What is the “American Empire”? While historically the term has been applied to both the colonial era and the age of the superpower dominance after 1945, it is both correct and incorrect. A perspective from imperial history compels a reassessment of the long period between 1783 and 1945. This lecture explores the acquisition of a territorial empire, the decolonization after 1945, and the misnomer of labeling the United States as an empire. It also delves into America as a superpower, and brings the discussion current by reviewing the invasion of Iraq, and how it was doomed to failure before it started.

      Visit the Real American Empire Event Page to view lecture.

       

    • Guest lecturer Dr. LeeAnn Whites examines the many roles women played during the Civil War.

      Dr. Whites is a Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and author of:
      The Civil War as a Crisis in Gender: Augusta, Georgia, 1860-1890 (1995)
      Gender Matters: Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Making of the New South (2005)
      Occupied Women: Gender, Military Occupation, and the American Civil War (2009)

      Visit the Homefront event page to view the lecture.

       

    • Dr. Elizabeth Makowski give her Ingram Professorship lecture.

      The Middle English word ‘sometime’ might have been coined for Mary Felton (circa 13561398). At one point or another during her short life she was married to Edmund Hemgrave, Thomas Breton, Geoffrey Worsley, and John Curson , consecutively, though not always exclusively; she was also ‘sometime’ widow, mistress, divorcée, nun, apostate, and mother. Mary’s story parallels and finally surpasses that of her more famous contemporary, the Fair Maid of Kent, in terms of matrimonial intrigues and legal entanglements. In this article, I present some of my findings concerning the ecclesiastical response to Mary’s alleged apostacy in the context of her complex life.

      Visit the Makowski event page to view lecture.

       

    • Between the 1940s and the 1970s the European colonial empires almost entirely disappeared. Theorists and advocates of the process - and of subsequent 'postcolonial' and 'decolonial' moments - believed this would or should be followed by a global intellectual transformation, a decolonization of minds and of being. Professor Howe asks how far and in what ways - mainly in the fields of historical and political studies - these expectations and hopes have been fulfilled.

      Visit the Stephen Howe event page to view lecture.

       

    • Global_Odyssey_EventThe Muslim Student Association promotes open dialogue at their fourth-annual “Hijab for a Day” event, the afternoon of 26 March 2013.

      Fashion-forward MSA stylists offered a selection of modish scarves, transforming anyone who would like to see what it's like to wear hijab-- if only for a day. Texas State University is a public, student-centered, doctoral-granting institution dedicated to excellence in serving the educational needs of the diverse population of Texas and the world beyond.

      In pursuing our mission as a university, we value diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective, and a sense of community as essential for campus life. The MSA program acknowledges the support of "A Global Odyssey: Exploring our Connections to the Changing World" Common Experience mini-grant.

      Dr. Elizabeth Bishop is faculty advisor for this group; for information on future events, you can email her at eb26@txstate.edu.

       

    • MAL Winners in HoustonTen Texas State students and a faculty member returned from the Bilateral University Model Arab League event at the University of Houston Honors College with awards. Ten universities (among them Louisiana State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas A&M University, University of Arkansas - Little Rock, and the University of Houston - Clear Lake) were represented at the competition, which took place 16-17 February 2013.

      The Bilateral US/Arab Chamber of Commerce and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations organize these events at which students debate in five councils: Palestinian Affairs, Social Affairs, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, and Joint Defense. At these competitions, students sharpened their skills in diplomacy and public speech. For this year's competition, Texas State students took the added challenge of representing Syria's government, and three individuals brought home honors.

      Bita Razavimaleki and Nora Lisa Cavazos received "Outstanding Delegation" for their representation of the Syrian Arab Republic on the Social Affairs council. Razavimaleki described one of the team's resolutions in response to the ongoing crisis in Syria: "While it had to convey the importance of human rights and security and safety of Syrian civilians, refugees and affected people in neighboring countries, we also had to preserve our rights and interests." She acknowledged, "It is a challenge to protect the rights of the country you represent in the Model and cooperate with other countries at the same time!"

      Matt Korn received "Outstanding Chair" for his leadership of the Joint Defense council. Of his contribution, Korn remarked, "the role of the Chair is to ensure the Model runs smoothly." While delegates representing differing states worked together, Korn enjoined them to "craft well-written resolutions that address real-world situations."

      Reflecting on this particular competition, he said; "I enjoy the chance to help this process and see the novel ways delegates propose to tackle these issues: delegates to the real Arab League might do well to follow some of their advice."

      The MAL program acknowledges the support of the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, the Office of Equity and Access, the Anthropology Department, the History Department, and the Political Science Department. Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, of the Department of History, mentors Texas State University's program. For further information, you can email her at eb26@txstate.edu.        

       

    • Model Arab League Award WinnersTen Texas State students and a faculty member returned from the Northeast Regional Model Arab League event at Northeastern University with awards. Nineteen universities (among them Bard College, Colby College, Converse College, Simmons College, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and two campuses of the University of Massachusetts in Boston and Lowell) were represented at the competition, which took place 2-4 November 2012.

      The Bilateral US/Arab Chamber of Commerce and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations organized this event, at which students debated in five councils: Palestinian Affairs, Social Affairs, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, and Joint Defense. In this way, students sharpened their skills in diplomacy and public speech. For this year's competition, Texas State students took the added challenge of representing Syria's government, and four individuals brought honors back home. In alphabetical order, Nora Lisa Cavazos, Jay Judeh, Bita Razavimaleki, and Lauren Michelle Roig received "honorable mention" awards for their representation of this controversial country's regional policies.

      When the Council of Social Affairs discussed media policy in member states regarding press freedom, shifts in digital, print, and new media, delegates Cavazos and Roig advanced a resolution "based on the concept of uniting Arab journalists, communicators, academia professionals." Cavazos explains, "to highlight the positive things happening in the Arab world. We felt that because bad press is always surrounding the Arab world, we need to change the perceptions of outsiders with insuring positive work from our very own region."

      The MAL program acknowledges the support of the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, the Office of Equity and Access, the Anthropology Department, the History Department, and the Political Science Department. Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, of the Department of History, mentors Texas State University's program. For further information, you can email her at eb26@txstate.edu.

       

    • As the Ingram Professor of History, Dr. McWilliams will work on a book to be titled A Graceful Distance: The Cultural Origins of Animal Factory Farming in the United States, 1750-1906. This work ultimately demonstrates how the convergence of culture, science, and ideas influenced the human-animal bond in a critical way and at a critical time in American agricultural history.

      Dr. McWilliams has been a member of the Texas State faculty since 2000, teaching Early American and Environmental history in the Department of History and in the Honors Program. He is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and five previous books, including Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly (Little, Brown 2009) which won the 2009 Books for a Better Life Award. In 2009, he won both the Presidential Award for Scholarly Research and the Hiett Prize in the Humanities.

      The Ingram Professorship, which carries a $10,000 research stipend, was established by Mrs. Callie Ingram and family to recognize a faculty member’s scholarly contribution to the discipline of history and to further the study of history at Texas State. Mr. Ralph Ingram, longtime senior lecturer in the department, explained that this professorship is another way to honor his father’s belief that education was the key to the future.