E-Newsletter - Spring 2025

Dear UW History alumni and friends,

As I write this note, summer is settling in nicely here in Seattle, but in the Department of History, it hasn’t quite started yet. Our annual convocation ceremony, taking place on June 11, marks the transition from spring to summer in Smith Hall, and we are looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our students. 

Another transition lies ahead for the department: I will be concluding my six-year term as chair on June 30. It has been an honor to serve the history department’s students, staff, and faculty, and I greatly appreciate the support given to me by the history community during my term. I am delighted to have Professor Adam Warren, a historian of colonial Latin America, as the next chair of the department. History will be in good hands!

As I conclude my term, I want to affirm the importance of historical research and of our teaching mission at a time when attempts to erase parts of the past have, sadly, become commonplace. The UW Department of History is committed to cutting-edge historical research and freedom of intellectual inquiry, and our faculty seek to guide students as they craft, critique, and revise narratives of the past. Never have such skills been more important!

I wish you all the best in your summer travels and adventures. 

With best wishes,

Glennys Young
Professor and Chair, Department of History
Professor of International Studies

When Sebastián Blas applied to UW History’s PhD program under the supervision of professor of Latin-American history Adam Warren, he was unaware of the surprises in store for him–Blas and Warren had much more in common than just their research interests. Professor Warren has been involved with the Tepoztlán Institute for the Transnational History of the Americas in Mexico since 2011, even serving as the institute's co-director from 2022 to 2024. Located in the mountain town of Tepoztlán, not… Read more
We recently sat down for a conversation with Professor Christopher Tounsel, director of graduate studies for UW History as well as chair of the African Studies Program within the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at UW, about his public engagement raising awareness for the ongoing crisis in Sudan. Your research focuses on modern Sudan. Currently, the country is witnessing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. Could you briefly summarize the conflict for us that broke… Read more
This past March, as the winter quarter drew to a close, UW History held its annual History Honors Colloquium, a culmination of a two-quarter senior research seminar in which fifteen students presented their papers. Three of those students, Emma Kane-Galbraith, Gabby Lundquist, and Jacob Krell, produced some exceptionally high-quality, original papers that have the potential to be published. Their research entailed cracking a secret code, traveling to archives in France, and browsing through… Read more
What can you possibly do with a degree in history? In response to this question, Ryan Mealiffe lists the different career paths that his peers from the Class of 2022 history honors cohort took after graduation. "My peers have gone on to work in politics, libraries, museums, aquariums, the Bureau of Land Management, and one even works on raising and documenting sunken ships." As for Ryan himself, he and two of his peers entered graduate school. They crossed the Atlantic to study at the… Read more
Each May, UW History hosts its favorite event of the year, Awards Day, where faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends come together to celebrate the academic and service achievements of our students. This year, we are overjoyed to announce that more than $475,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded to forty-four undergraduates and five graduate students, as well as one outstanding Washington high school history teacher. Thank you to our UW History alumni and friends whose generous and… Read more
The students and faculty of UW History are quite active not only on campus but beyond the walls of UW, as well. From awards to media appearances to publications, you can find members of the UW History community putting history to work in our world through education and service. Join us in applauding these accomplishments: FACULTY Bianca Dang published "'I don't know what will be my lot: Transnational Migration and Unfree Labor in Early America" in the Journal of the Civil War Era,… Read more

Show your support of UW History

The Friends of History fund has a tremendous impact upon the students, programs, and faculty of UW History. Through the generosity of our alumni and friends, we have been able to maintain the teaching, scholarship, and civic engagement we have come to be known for, even as funding from the state dwindled and no longer covered our basic operational costs.

Now, we find ourselves in a grave situation where funding changes at the federal level combined with a budgetary shortfall within the state threaten higher education. Despite the uncertainties and financial concerns we now face, UW History remains fully committed to ensuring and creating opportunities that allow our students to expand their worldview and build the skills necessary to become active and responsible members of a global society. None of this is possible, though, without the continued support of our alumni and friends.

When you donate to the Friends of History fund, you ensure that UW History will continue to:

  • Support its students during times of crisis
  • Attract and retain top talent
  • Fund new and continuing research
  • Develop courses that expand our curriculum
  • Create opportunities for public engagement and collaboration Host distinguished scholars from around the world
  • Present public history events such as the beloved History Lecture Series, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary

Giving is integral to our success as a department during good times and is of critical importance during times of challenge. Please consider making a gift today in support of the people and programs of UW History.

DONATE TO UW HISTORY

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