Register by April 15, 2014

We would like you to participate in a one-day conference, “Teaching History to Undergraduates: A Regional Conversation,” with other history departments from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Eastern Pennsylvania. The conference is sponsored by the American Historical Association and will be hosted by St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, on Tuesday May 20, 2014, from 10am-3pm. American Historical Association Executive Director Jim Grossman will provide a keynote address on the AHA Tuning Project and the resources available to support history departments in our area.

The purpose of the conference will be to build collaborative partnerships among history faculty at two- and four-year schools in the region and discuss some of the pressing concerns facing History departments. Many departments are experiencing declining numbers of history majors, budget constraints, and departmental consolidations. At thesame time, an increasing number of students struggle with college expectations in historical research and writing, in spite of the utility of these skills in the current job market. The American Historical Association’s Tuning Project has begun to address these concerns by researching, describing, and promoting the skills history majors develop, the value of a history degree, and the applicability of the discipline’s methods in a range of career settings.

The conference will also provide an important forum for history faculty from two- and four-yearcolleges to discuss the relationship between our programs. Many students are choosing to transfer to four-year institutions after finishing their general education credits at two-year schools. These colleges can provide four-year history departments with a steady enrollment of dedicated history majors who are well-prepared for research and writing. Two- and four-year history faculty can help students transfer smoothly by engaging in an ongoing conversation about how to best align the expectations, skills, courses, and goals of ourprograms. This conference will begin that conversation.

Although there is no conference fee, we ask that all interested participants register so that the organizers can arrange for the catered lunch. For more information about the meeting and to register participants from your college, please go to the conference website www.sfc.edu. Please register by April 15, 2014.

Conference Organizers

Elaine Carey
St. Johns University
Vice President, AHA Teaching Division

Sara Haviland
St. Francis College

Eric Platt
St. Francis College

Lauren Braun-Strumfels
Raritan Valley Community College

Sarah Shurts
Bergen Community College

Emily Tai
Queensborough Community College