April 26, 2024
Happy spring! I taught my last class of the semester this week, and commencement weekend is just around the corner. The end of the academic year is a great time to reflect on the History graduate program, as this is the time of year when the Department of History has the pleasure of awarding prizes and travel awards, many of which are made possible by and in honor of our generous alumnae.
 Our students have given us so much to celebrate this year that we have decided to host an inaugural graduate commencement reception on May 15, in addition to the Department and University’s regular commencement festivities. At this reception, we will recognize students who are receiving awards for excellence in teaching, exemplary seminar papers, and in support of travel for dissertation research. We will also recognize our graduates: Daniel Robb defended his thesis and received his MA in December. Rhianna Gordon and Dan Gorman both successfully defended their dissertations in the fall, and Sheila Foster did so this March. I also want to recognize these students’ advisers for their time, intellectual labor, and commitment in overseeing these students’ projects from initial conceptualization to completion. Stewart Weaver advised Robb, Tom Slaughter advised Gordon, and Joan Rubin advised both Gorman and Foster.
Any attempt to list our students’ many accomplishments would necessarily be incomplete. They are presenting at major conferences, both nationally and internationally. They are publishing scholarship in a range of publications. They are receiving external fellowships in support of their research; for example, we have missed Dan McDermott this year, while he’s been in Germany having been awarded a one-year research fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to support his dissertation archival work while there. I am also incredibly proud of the work our students do as teachers. Our PhD students teach not only in our department—this spring, for example, undergraduates had the privilege to take a course on the History of Treasure with Jeff Baron; they also teach courses for the Rochester Education Justice Initiative and the Susan B. Anthony Institute. This spring, Sarabeth Rambold, who has taught in our department and for REJI, received the University’s Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student. Our students are also receiving valuable professional training through internships on public history and/or digital history projects.
Next year, we will welcome at least four new students into our program, and we look forward to welcoming new faculty members—Drs. Tayna Bakhmetyeva, Melanie Chambliss, and Jed Kuhn—who will make significant contributions to the graduate program. The future looks promising indeed. At the same time, the Department remains committed to doing everything we can to increase the financial support we are able to offer graduate students, as we recognize that students need material security in order to thrive intellectually, and we want to ensure that our program remains competitive and attractive in the eyes of prospective students.
It seems appropriate to conclude this short reflection with gratitude: my thanks, first, to the graduate students who have made my first full academic year as DGS such a positive one. Thanks to our alumnae, who have been wonderfully supportive of me and our program. (And on that note, a special shout out to Jon Getz, who sponsored a fantastic lunch for our students in December!) Thanks to Department Chair Professor Ruben Flores, for his commitment to the graduate program and our students, and, of course to Graduate Coordinator Melissa Greisch-Marianetti and Business Administrator Jacqui Rizzo for all they do to keep things running smoothly in the Department. Finally, I’m grateful to PhD candidate Katelyn Getchel who assists Melissa and Jacqui in the office.
I wish you all the best for a safe, healthy, and restorative summer!
Warmly,
Brianna Theobald
Associate Professor of History
Director of Graduate Studies