Unpacking the History of Higher Education in the U.S.

NEH Institute for Higher Education Faculty (Summer 2024)

A collage of primary sources related to the history of higher education.

The Unpacking the History of Higher Education in the United States institute was designed for faculty, advanced doctoral students, librarians, and archivists who teach or support courses on the history of higher education in the U.S. Project scholars introduced participants to historical research on a range of topics — including student activism, women in higher education, policy, the legacy of slavery, HBCUs, HSIs, Native Americans in higher education, student affairs, internationalization, incarcerated students, and town-gown relationships — during engaging, interactive workshops. The institute explored a diverse array of primary sources that historians use to study the past — including films, advertisements, yearbooks, newspapers, institutional documents, legislation, and oral history — and learn effective strategies for engaging students with these sources.

A robust Open Educational Resource (OER) on the history of higher education is being created to facilitate teaching and learning nationally. Institute participants have also been given a chance to contribute to this OER.

The institute ran from June 10, 2030 to July 12, 2024 with a residential week, June 10-14 [onsite at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA] and 3 virtual weeks, June 17-21; June 24-28; July 8-12 [on Zoom].

__________________________________________________________

This Institute was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.