North Carolina Central University News November 13, 2014 NCCU History Department Turns 75; Recognized by American Historical Association For 75 years, the North Carolina Central University Department of History has been training historians from diverse backgrounds. This legacy of excellence was recently recognized by the American Historical Association when the department received the 2014 Equity Award. The award recognizes individuals and institutions for excellence in recruiting, retaining and graduating members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into the history professions. The NCCU Department of History has sent more African-American students to receive the Ph.D. in history than any other Historically Black College or University in country. Today, there are 19 NCCU history alumni enrolled in Ph.D. programs and more than 80 who have already completed their doctorate in history. "You will find our history alumni teaching at universities across the country from Northwestern University to the University of Louisiana," said Dr. Jim Harper, NCCU Department of History alumnus who is now chair of the department. "Our students are teaching at top Division 1 research institutions, and that is not easy as a first appointment after earning a doctorate. That speaks to how well we have prepared our students" There are nearly 80 undergraduate and 36 graduate students currently pursuing history degrees at NCCU. The department offers both undergraduate and graduate instruction in American, African-American, African, Latin American, African diaspora and European history. In August 2008, the department introduced a new specialty, public history. "As a small department, we work closely with our students, especially in the area of research," Dr. Harper said. "Students who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. come to our program because they know we will give them the solid foundation they need to prepare for doctoral work." Harper and 12 other history faculty members encourage students to double major in English, political science or mass communication with the goal of increasing a student's preparation for graduate and professional schools. Dedication to producing professionals with advanced degrees began in the 1950s, when NCCU professor and then department chair Dr. Helen G. Edmonds established the goal of producing historians of color. A commanding personality and intellect, Edmonds vision has been advanced by subsequent department chairs. "This work is about paying it forward," said Harper. "I am honored to be in a position to help my students the way so many history faculty members helped me." In the early 1990s, Harper was an undergraduate student at NCCU majoring in English. After taking a course focused on the black experience, Harper switched from English to history, completing both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at NCCU before earning his doctorate in history from Howard University in just three years. The future of the department is quite bright, Harper said. "History is a billion dollar industry, in part because of entertainment. From the History Channel and blockbuster period films to documentaries there is a role for the historian." Founded in 1884, the American Historical Association is the largest professional organization in the United States devoted to the study and promotion of history and historical thinking. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.