Dear Alumni and Friends,
Greetings from Chapel Hill and from the UNC History Department! The last several months have been, as we say in this profession, “world historic,” and on behalf of our department, I wish you strength, health, and resolve as we live through an extremely difficult experience. Since March, we in the History Department have working remotely, but our core teaching, research, and service mission continues. It is a pleasure to share the Spring issue of The Department Historian, brought together through the tireless work of History graduate students Luke Jeske and Aubrey Lauersdorf. It is a particular pleasure to recognize Aubrey, now officially Dr. Lauersdorf, for her years of work on the newsletter as she heads off to a tenure-track assistant professorship at Auburn University.
This issue of the newsletter chronicles recent events and accomplishments of the History Department, both before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. It recounts a special initiative that brought a thought-provoking historical exhibit on the Vietnam War to the halls of the department in February, as well as the fascinating research of several of our talented graduate students. In addition, you can learn more about how the History Department responded to the outbreak of the pandemic and the University’s move to remote and online instruction. Finally, the newsletter spotlights the innovative and exciting work of our Digital History Lab, created and sustained by its graduate student directors, Emma Rothberg and the now-graduated Dr. Gabriel Moss and Dr. Garrett Wright.
As we weather unprecedented challenges in the months ahead—from health and safety to the financial exigencies that affect public institutions like ours—we depend more than ever on the generous support of our friends and alumni. In the last year, private support has enabled us to fund new research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty; send students and faculty to present research at national and international conferences; and maintain our commitment to engaging the general public. Even as we continue the essential work of teaching and writing from our homes, we look forward to resuming our scholarly activities in a brighter future.
I hope you will consider making a gift today and help us continue our tradition of excellence that is History at UNC.
Gratefully yours,
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Benjamin C. Waterhouse
Acting Department Chair