The Department of History at the Â鶹ӳ» recently received a donation from former Â鶹ӳ» Senator Richard Bryan to establish the Oscar W. Bryan Endowment for the History of Â鶹ӳ». The endowment was established in the College of Liberal Arts to support students and faculty studying Â鶹ӳ» history and to start the Â鶹ӳ» History Initiative. This initiative will promote the study of Â鶹ӳ»’s past and foster broader understanding of the ways that history inevitably shapes the future. The initiative will encourage historical study of Â鶹ӳ» from the 19th into the 21st (and later) centuries.
Other goals of the history initiative are to support faculty and graduate student research on the state’s history, as well as fund an annual prize for undergraduate students who will win the best thesis project on Â鶹ӳ» history.
“My first goal for implementing the Â鶹ӳ» History Initiative is to amplify existing interest in and scholarship on our state,” Sarah Keyes, assistant professor of history and coordinator of the Â鶹ӳ» History Initiative, said.
In addition, the initiative will collaborate with other Â鶹ӳ» historical organizations to design and present public programs on Â鶹ӳ» historical topics. Keyes said the project anticipates working with the Â鶹ӳ» Historical Society and the University of Â鶹ӳ», Las Vegas.
“As the land grant institution in the state and with the Â鶹ӳ» Historical Society on campus, it makes sense for the Department of History and the Â鶹ӳ» to take the lead on promoting rigorous scholarship centered in our state,” Keyes said. “We expect to also foster connections with fantastic colleagues at UNLV to advance a broad understanding of our state’s history.”
Keyes said the gift could not have come at a more opportune time.
“This gift confirms what historians and historians of Â鶹ӳ» have long known and it provides us with critical funding to filling a long-standing interest and need for our community,” she said.
The initiative also plans to incorporate K-12 education by offering teachers professional development opportunities and providing opportunities for application of historical knowledge through community engagement activities. One of these activities will be a biennial Â鶹ӳ» history conference to teach and share Â鶹ӳ» state research to students, history professionals and historians.
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“Gratitude to the Bryans for this donor gift and excitement about the potential for promoting the history of Â鶹ӳ» to a broad audience,” Keyes said.
Richard Bryan is the son of Oscar Bryan. The Bryan family has a long-standing affiliation with the Â鶹ӳ».
The endowment also included a room dedication, where a room in Lincoln Hall was named this summer as the Oscar W. Bryan Seminar Room.
