Professor Schuck's Student's Getting Real-world Experience in Hill Silent Auction

Each year, Professor Schuck organizes a silent auction in Hill Building with the funds going to help build the Northern Fund.  The objects and services available for sale are exhibited in the western display case on the second floor of Hill Building. 

This year Schuck has enlisted the help of two of his students, Sarah Bender (in gray) and Cathryn Evan (in orange) from his Introduction to Museums and Archives course to create the displays.  This will give them experience in making eye-catching displays and hopefully help Schuck and the department make some money to send to the campaign!

Social Studies Students to Metzger Nature Center for Teacher Licensure Orientation

Last spring, four Social Studies majors, and a distinguished alumni accompanied Dr. Crawford to the Metzger Nature Center for Teacher Licensure Orientation.  The intense weekend seminar aims to introduce social studies majors to the major and the steps they will have to take in order to become teachers.  They also learn about the National Council for the Social Studies Ten Themes, that they will use throughout their careers. 

Andy Zaebst, who graduated in 2011, and now teaches in Indiana, went along to provide his real world experience as a new teacher.  This added a great deal to the content of the weekend, as Andy had been in their shoes only a few years before and now is a successful teacher at Garrett Kyser Butler School.

The TLO took place on the same weekend that Professor Schuck had his Archelogy Field School running, so the two groups shared the space.  Since several of Schuck's Public History/Museum Studies students are also Social Studies candidates, the new group also benefitted from the wisdom of their elders.

The social highlight of the weekend was the Trivial Pursuit battle betwen the camps.  Through what some might call an "unfair" modification of the rules, the Archeology Field School group won.  Challenges continue!

This weekend is also a chance for majors to get to know each other and Dr. Crawford.  They will be depending on each other for the next 3-4 years!

Professor Jimmy Wilson and Street View

Dr. Wilson acquired the equipment to upload video to Google Maps Streetview this summer.  Seen with the gear mounted on his bicycle, Wilson plans to use the technology in his role as a member of the Village Board.  This is another example of HPJ working with the local community on important projects.  In the past, Wilson and students from his Geographic Information System courses have mapped emergency stations located on campus, made tree surveys of the campus and the village, and produced 3D images of campus buildings that can be viewed on Google Earth.

Ride on Dr. Wilson!

Daniella Chambers Studied Abroad in China

Daniella Chambers, a Political Science major, wasn't around campus much last year.  She was busy though.  In the fall, she took a semester off to work on the Obama for America Campaign, the successful effort to reelect President Obama, and last spring she traveled to China to spend the semester in Beijing. 

Daniella (in the green shirt) also blogged her experiences there, which taught her a great deal about China, and also about living in a different culture.

She and other ONU students who studied abroad last year will present their experiences on October 8 in the Dicke Forum.  

Nice year Daniella!

HPJ Holds Annual Freshman Dinner at Professor Alexander's House

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 the newest members of the HPJ department gathered at Dr. Alexander’s house for a picnic at which they were able to interact and get to know the faculty.

This dinner was a requirement for the freshman orientation course in order to acclimate them into the department. The evening consisted of great food, engaging conversation, and athletic competition (backyard football and basketball).

The faculty accompanied by family, the entire HPJ freshman class as well as course assistants Daniella Chambers, Katie Deeter, and Gina Grandillo were in attendance.

Dr. Crawford demonstrating his basketball skill








Students found the comfortable spot!

Trey Jones Hired to Teach in South Carolina

Trey Jones, who graduated this spring with a major in Social Studies Teacher Licensure, was hired by Kelly Middle School in Columbia South Carolina.  Jones had wanted to find a position somewhere where the weather was warmer than here, and he succeeded spectacularly! 

During his career at ONU, Trey did many of the things, including taking an active part in campus life, teaching abroad in South Korea, and excelling as a student teacher that made him a superior applicant.

Well done Trey!

Professor Waters Presents in Holland

Continuing HPJ's 2013 European invasion, Dr. Waters hopped the pond to lead a panel discussing the topic of a forthcoming book he edited titled American Labor's Global Ambassadors.  The panel took place at the Reframing Democracy: New Diplomatic History in the Benelux and Beyond conference at Leiden University in the Netherlands.  The book will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in November 2013.

HPJ Helps Host Safety Week at ONU

More to come

United States Mock Trial Association Hold National Board Meeting at ONU

More to come

Japanese Culture Week at ONU

The grant from the Ohio Humanities Council allowed HPJ and the Japan Camp to sponsor its first Japanese Culture Week at ONU. 

The week consisted of presentations by Yasue Sakaoka, an artist from Columbus presenting on the role of animals in Japanese folklore, Sayuri Guthrie-Shimizu of Michigan State University presenting on her book Transpacific Field of Dreams: How Baseball Linked the United States and Japan in War and Peace (2012), and Parks Coble of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (seen here with Crawford) presented on "Why Are They Still Fighting WWII in East Asia?" to end the week. 

The week also included the screening of Yojimbo, a film by Kurosawa Akira, and presentation of posters that the Japan campers had created.

U.S.-Japan Camp Held at ONU

With Dr. Crawford taking over from Dr. Alexander as Director, the U.S.-Japan Camp held its sixth annual camp.  23 campers arrrived in Ada on July 14th for the intensive two week exploration of the Japanese language and culture.  During the camp, participants interacted with the Sakae Program students from Japan, played mud volleyball, watched Japanese films, made tea bowls, learned the language, and took a course in Japanese history. 

In addition, this year featured Japanese Culture Week at ONU, which brought scholars to campus to present their research to the public from northwest Ohio.

Campers had a busy two weeks and expressed their enjoyment of the opportunity to take part in the camp that was supported by the U.S. Japan Foundation and the Ohio Humanities Council.

Crawford on French Internet Radio

While in France, Dr. Crawford was interviewed on the French internet-radio program RADIOSSA, which is devoted to the discussion of everything about American football in France.  The RADIOSSA group asked Crawford about his research into the history of American football in their country.  They were also interested in ways in which they could popularize football in their country, and what he thought of the level of play in France.  Crawford felt that getting more publicity would help, and that the Casque de Diamante was a very conservative game, and not all that interesting.

Professor Crawford to France for Research on American Football There

Dr. Crawford returned to France this summer to do additional research on American football for a book that he is writing on the history of the sport there.  During his time there, he managed to find a great deal of material at the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris, attend the Junior Championship of the Federation Francaise de Football Americain, and also the Casque de Diamante game, which crowned the champion of the Senior division of the FFFA.  With his wife Sophie, he also looked for material in Rodez, in the south of France, Chateauroux in the west, and Lille in the north.  Aided by a summer research fellowship from the university, he managed to take a significant step toward getting his book project finished.

Professor Lomax Presents in England

more to come

Triumph of the Alumni: Justin Dickerson Teaching in China

Justin Dickerson, who graduated from ONU with a major in history in 2009, has just arrived in Beijing, China to begin teaching American Studies there.  After ONU, Dickerson earned his MA in History from Loyolla University, and also worked in Cincinatti, Georgia (the country), and Mexico.

Best of luck in China Justin!

Triumph of the Alumni: Jared Hardesty Publishes Article

Jared Hardesty, who graduated from ONU with a major in History in 2008, recently had two of his articles published.  Hardesty, who is working on his Ph.D. at Boston College, published "An Ambiguous Institution: Slavery Law, and the State in Colonial Massachusetts" in The Journal of Early American History, and "An Angry God in the Hands of Sinners: Enslaved Africans and the Uses of Protestant Christianity in Colonial Boston," in Slavery and Abolition.  He also has published several reviews and encyclopedia entries on slavery and slave rebellions while at BC.

While an HPJ major, it was clear that Jared would go far, but his scholarly productivity as a graduate student has been phenomenal.  Few grad students manage to publish their work before earning their Ph.D, and that Jared has articles in prestigious journals bodes well for his future in the profession.

Well done and we will continue to enjoy watching as your career progresses!

Porfessors Schuck and Crawford to Louisville to Read AP US History

Professor Schuck returned to Louisville for his second year as a reader for the Educational Testing Service, and Crawford was back for his 9th time as a reader.  Reading student essays for eight hours a day for seven days in a row may not seem like that much fun, but Schuck and Crawford took advantage of Louisville for adventures outside of the reading.  They managed to squeeze in a golf outing at Fuzzy Zoeller's course across the Ohio River in Indiana.  On a more intellecutal note, they also had the chance to listen to a talk by noted scholar Andrew Bacevich talk about American global power and its limits.  For Crawford, the chance to interact with practicing social studies educators makes the week a refresher course on teaching and the field.

Mike King on WLIO

Mike King, who will be a senior Social Studies major this fall, was interviewed by WLIO this spring in advance of the Polar Bears football trip to Ireland.  Mike, a defensive tackle, told the reporter that he hoped the team would win, and they did.  The trip resulted in an easy victory for the Polar Bears.  King reported the trip was an adventure and that the Irish players were excited to have the chance to play an American team.  Mike is seen here in his other summer role, as a Program Assistant for the U.S. Japan Camp.

Daniella Chambers and Zachary Esterline Honored with Debow Freed Leadership Award

Senior Zachary Esterline and Junior Daniella Chambers were selected to receive the Debow Freed Leadership Award this past spring,   

The DeBow Freed Leadership Awards, the highest level of recognition for excellence in student leadership, were presented to a male and female from each of the University’s undergraduate classes. In addition, three student organizations were honored with the Alice-Kay Hilderbrand Student Organization of the Year Award in recognition of their active leadership roles at ONU and positive contributions to the campus community.

Well done Zachary and Daniella!

Departmental Picnic Ends the Year

Faculty, staff and students gathered for the annual departmental picnic.  HPJ Students Lisa Bradley, Amarilla Fair, and Sadie Wiley took charge of preparations and produced a fine dining experience.  After a few heistations, the three turned into good barbequers.  After the eating, the annual battle royale between the Mock Trial Program and the Model United Nations group took place on the volleyball court.

As always, a good time was had by all!

Steven Borden Earns Summer Internship at the Smithsonian

Stephen Borden, who graduated from ONU with a major in History and a minor in Public History/Musem Studies in 2010, sent word that he had been accepted as an intern with the Collections Department of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.  Borden graduated from IUPUI's Museum Studies program in May and then was off to bigger and better things in DC.  For Museum Studies majors, there are few, if any, positions that are bigger and better than working for the Sithsonian.  Borden is the second ONU graduate who has interned at the nation's top museum.

Well done Stephen!

Triumph of the Alumnae: The ONU Contingent at IUPUI

Stephen Borden, Carol Wilson, and Caitlin Kegley are taking their next steps in their educational careers by studying with the Public History and Museum Studies program at Idiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  In April, Professors Schuck and Crawford took a group of current Public History/Museum Studies students over to Indianapolis to visit our graduates there.  We spoke with their faculty who had great things to say about the qualty of our graduates.  As part of their program, Wilson and Kegley had the opportunity to create content for a national display on the subject of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.  They are also working hard outside the classroom, doing internships with local museums and at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Great to see all of you and best of luck in your careers!

Truiumph of the Alumni: Jody Blankenship Named Director of the Connecticut Historical Society

Jody Blankenship, who graduated from ONU with a major in History in 2000, has been named the new Director of the Connecticut Historical Society.  Blankenship had previously served as the Director of the Education Division for the Kentucky Historical Society.  While at ONU, he worked with Professor Schuck in the Public History/Museum Studies Minor, and later went on to earn his MA in History and Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in 2002.

Congratulations Jody!

Joe Fischer Hired by Bath Schools

Joe Fischer, who graduated with a major in Social Studies Teacher Licensure, was hired recently to teach in his area by the Bath Local Schools.  Fisher, who also wrestled for the Polar Bears during his career at ONU, will teach at Bath High School.

Congratulations Joe!

Professor Crawford Receives External Funding for U.S. Japan Camp

Dr. Russ Crawford, associate professor of history, is the recipient of two grants, both related to the 2013 U.S.-Japan Camp to be held in July. A $30,000 grant from the United States-Japan Foundation will support the sixth iteration of the camp, which is expected to bring 20 high school students from around the country to ONU for a two-week program of intensive language instruction and coursework in Japanese history and culture. Students have the unique opportunity to interact with Japanese peers who are part of the Sakae Institute on campus. This is the second grant ONU has received from the United States-Japan Foundation to hold the camp.

A new activity, Japanese Culture Days, has been added to the camp and includes public presentations on July 24 and 25 by two scholars to discuss their research on the following topics: the connection between Japanese and American baseball and Japanese/Chinese relations during World War II. In addition to the public sessions, the scholars will be working with the camp participants. Each student completes a capstone project related to an aspect of Japanese culture, and those posters will be on exhibit during the Japanese Culture Day. This program is made possible, in part, thanks to a $3,500grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Crawford is the program director for both activities.

Well done Dr. Crawford!

Professor Wilson Secures Software Licenses for Geographic Information Systems Software

Dr. Harry J. “Jimmy” Wilson, visiting assistant professor of geography, has procured two different software licenses for use by the University. Ohio Northern University is the recipient of a Google Earth Pro Grant for Educators. With the help of ONU’s IT department, Wilson has secured 30 licenses of the software, estimated at a value of $9.000. Students in Wilson’s geographic information systems (GIS) course are using the software to create 3-D renderings of campus and village buildings and virtual tours and fly-throughs of campus. More information on the project can be found on the following ONU page. 

Also, Wilson’s efforts resulted in procuring 500 licenses of Business Analyst extension for ArcGIS, the GIS software used by the University and particularly those in the Dicke College of Business Administration. The extension comes with the most up-to-date census demographics, consumer trends, segmentation data, business locations and information. It also comes with a campus-wide subscription to the Business Analyst online utility, which can be used by anyone anywhere do to light analysis of consumer trends, drive-time analysis and business locations. The application, which retails at $5,000 per license, also allows users to create professional detailed consumer and demographic reports as PDF files. Wilson uses Business Analyst extensively in his GIS for Marketing courses as a valuable tool that helps prepare marketing students for capstone projects, internships, graduate school opportunities and jobs.

Congratulations Dr. Wilson!

Students Help Alexander in Quadrennial Electoral College Survey

Students from Dr. Alexander's classes and Pi Sigma Alpha are once again aiding the professor in sending out surveys to the electors from the 2012 presidential election.  Alexander is one of the preeminent international scholars doing research on the Electoral College, with particular emphasis on so-called "faithless electors," or those who change their pledged votes.  In past years he has published articles in top political science journals, and in 2012, he published his third book Presidential Electors and the Electoral College: An Examination of Lobbying, Wavering Electors, and Campaigns for Faithless Votes with Cambria Press.

Alexander's students have gained valuable real world experience helping him collect the information that goes into his publications, and in past years, students have co-written articles that have appeared in academic journals.  During election years, Alexander is also in high demand by news services from both the United States and abroad for his analysis of presidential elections and the electoral college.