Archives West Finding Aid

The Central Washington University History Department Records draw from material donated by the department of history in 2012 as well as papers relevant to the department from the following former history professors: Kent Richards, Beverly Heckart, Larry Lowther, Earl Glauert, and Karen Blair. Where possible, original organization has been maintained, but the collection has been re-organized into two main bodies: “Programs and Curriculum" (Boxes 1-12) and “Business and Policy" (Boxes 13-17). The material follows the department through the topics such as the civil rights era, questions of pedagogy and diversification, affirmative action, women in higher education, community and alumni outreach, budget crises, disputes with administration, internal organization, and best practices for the teaching and meaning of history.

The “Programs and Curriculum" subsection contains material such as course descriptions and education materials for programs such as the graduate program, honors program, women’s studies, and materials that promote those programs (Box 1). “Programs and Curriculum" also contains programs associated with the history department such as the history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta, which contains the oldest materials in the collection with meeting books and notes from the 1930s and 1940s as well as student papers and correspondence relevant to regional and national Phi Alpha Theta conferences (Boxes 2 to 5). Boxes 6 to 12 in “Programs and Curriculum" contain the largest amount of material in the collection, covering the History Day program with research material, correspondence, and conference information about local, state, and national History Day programs.

“Business and Policy" contains material relevant to the internal administration, review, and organization of the history department. Box 13 contains department meeting agendas and minutes from 1962-2006, while Boxes 14 and 15 contain department, campus, and outside correspondence. Box 14 contains correspondence specifically organized by topic—including letters from department alumni about their use of the history degree—as accessioned from the history department or the aforementioned professors. For boxes 15 and 16, correspondence is drawn from a variety of locations and topics and is thus organized according to year. Box 17 holds department internal and external reviews, questionnaires, the department newsletter, and personnel procedures.