Danielle Wagner awarded Elizabeth George Ivers Scholarship for Women

 

Danielle Wagner is this year's recipient of the Elizabeth George Ivers Scholarship for Women. This scholarship, which was endowed by Elizabeth George Ivers, a graduate of our department and a Distinguished Alumna of Daemen, provides a $2,000 award to a student who excels at academics and has a strong record of community service. Danielle is a History & Political Science: Adolescent Education major who is very involved in volunteer work on and off campus. Her community involvement includes assisting with free breakfast and lunch programs, working with young people with autism and severe medical disabilities, and volunteering to help with events at Daemen. 

After graduation, Danielle plans to become a social studies teacher and pursue advanced study in history. Congratulations, Danielle!

Public History @ Daemen

Did you know that Daemen has a Minor in Public History? 

This fall, Professor Lenora Henson will be teaching the required introductory course for this minor: HST211: Intro to Public History (Wednesdays, from 4:00-6:55pm). Henson holds several roles at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site (website: TR Site), the only National Park Service site in Western New York. In addition to her role as Deputy Director of the TR SIte, she is also Director of Public Programming and Curator of the museum. She oversees student interns and has mentored a number of Daemen students who pursued careers in public history. HST211 enables students to explore the field of public history by learning about the many ways that historical knowledge and skills can be applied "outside of the academy" (that is, outside of educational institutions). 

Professor Henson with public history students & alumni (2018 banquet)

The field of public history is broad, including historians who work in museums, historical societies, public and private archives, and other areas. A number of our department's graduates are working in public history. (Tyler Vanice (History '15), Kaleigh Ratliff (History & Political Science, '13), Amy Grimes (History & Political Science, '14), and Emily Kraft (History, '16), among others.

If you are interested in exploring the career opportunities or learning more about the field of public history, or about the Public History minor, contact Dr. Penny Messinger.

Regeneration: Jewish Life in Poland

The Elizabeth C. and Peter Tower Gallery at Daemen College will host the American premier of the photography exhibit, Re-generation. Jewish Life in Poland featuring photos of Chuck Fishman. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on September 12th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m at the gallery located in the Haberman Gacioch Arts Center at Daemen College (4380 Main Street, Amherst NY).  The exhibit will be on display from September 12 - October 11, 2019.  Regular gallery hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit and events surrounding it are free and open to the public

The extensive exhibit documents the rebirth of Jewish life in Poland, featuring photos which span over 40 years beginning in 1975. It provides one of the most comprehensive records of European Jewry of the last 50 years and the enormous impact the 1989 rise of the Third Polish Republic had on the revival of Jewish communities and the revival of the consciousness of history among the wider community in Poland. Once home to the largest Jewish community in  Europe, Germany’s 1939 invasion and Hitler’s Final Solution virtually obliterated the Jewish community and the rich Jewish culture Poland once knew.  Journalist Ruth Ellen Gruber notes that Mr. Fishman set out in the 1970s and 80s to capture the “final chapter” of this storied 1000 year history and has joyfully failed as he is “now chronicling an expanding, multi-faceted and ever-unfolding story - and long may he do so!” 

RELATED EVENTS

A preview documentary, Bogdan’s Journey, about one man’s effort toward healing the wounds of the 1946 Kielce Pogrom, will be shown on Monday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the Maxine and Robert Seller Theater located in the Jewish Community Center, Benderson Family Building, 2640 North Forest Road in Getzville.  

On Friday, September 13th at 1:00 p.m. Daemen’s Wick Alumni Lounge will be the site of a panel discussion with guest panelists Jakub Nowakowski, Executive Director of the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow who coordinated the exhibit’s visit to the United States; Dr. Sean Martin, the Associate Curator for Jewish History at Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland; and award-winning Buffalo journalist Rich Kellman, who reported on developments in Poland in the 1970s and 1980s.  A screening of the documentary, A Town Called Brzostek, about the restoration of the Jewish Cemetery there, will also be shown during the panel event.  

An additional documentary, The Return, about being young and Jewish in Poland today, will be screened on Tuesday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Research and Information Commons (RIC) 120 on the Daemen Campus. The exhibition gallery will be open on September 17^th until 7:00 pm.

This project is co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland as a part of the “Public Diplomacy 2019” program and is made possible by the Galicia Jewish Museum, and sponsorships from the Visual and Performing Arts Department, the Center for Polish Studies and the History & Political Science Department at Daemen College, the Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius College, the Buffalo Jewish Community Relations Council, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo, and the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo.

Alumni Reunion: June 8

Alumni and friends of the department are invited to join us at the History & Political Science / History & Government Reunion, held in conjunction with Daemen's Alumni Celebration on June 8, 2019, on Daemen's campus. 

Register online at daemen.edu/alumni/reunions  
Cost: $25

5:30 p.m. | Meeting & Department Tour

Meet at the Duns Scotus, Room 139 to tour the department's new office suite and meet the faculty before you head over to your reunion.

6:00 p.m. | History & Political Science/ Government Reunion

Connect with faculty, enjoy food and drinks, and celebrate with your classmates at our tent party. Meet at the Daemen Front Lawn, located in front of the RIC. Live music by Erickson Acoustic: Ashley & Dan Erickson ’07. This gathering includes a drink ticket and dinner.

We look forward to seeing you there!

(Can't make it this year? We would love to hear from you and know what you are doing.)

Women's History Month -- 2019!

The Women's Studies Program at Daemen is proud to announce this year's Women's History Month roster of events, including lectures, films, a poetry reading, and a meet-and-greet poster-making session.

(Scroll down to the Women's History Month poster for full details about each event.)

 

"Liberty" (Frances F. Noyes) presides over this March 31, 1913, suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., as women sought the right to vote. (National Archives)

Lectures: The History and Political Science Department is sponsoring two lectures as part of its History & Politics Event Series:

• On March 25 (7pm, RIC120), Dr. Alexis Henshaw will speak on "Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars." Dr. Henshaw is a political scientist specializing in international women's issues. She is a professor as well as United Nation consultant. Henshaw's lecture will draw upon her recent book, Insurgent Women, to explore women's involvement in war and peace efforts in several regions: Ukraine, Kurdish groups in the Middle East, and the civil war in Columbia. (For more information, see the event flier or our Facebook event page)

• On March 20 (7pm, Wick Social Room), Dr. Karolina Krasuska will present a lecture on "Women and the Holocaust." Dr. Krasuska, an Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, Poland, is an expert on transnational modernism, gender, queer identity, and Jewishness. In fall 2017, Krasuska taught a class on 20th century European history at Daemen during her visit as part of the faculty exchange program between Daemen and the University of Warsaw's American Studies Center.  Her lecture will draw upon her recent coedited collection, Women and the Holocaust: New Perspectives and Challenges. Dr. Krasuska's lecture is co-sponsored by the Center for Polish Studies.
  

Films: 

• On March 6 (7pm, Wick Alumni Lounge), the History & Political Science Department is screening the classic 1959 French film, Hiroshima Mon Amour, timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the film's release. Dr. Kevin Telford (Associate Professor of French, Modern Languages Department) will comment and lead a discussion after the movie. 
• On March 27 (7pm, RIC120), the AAUW Student Organization will air the 2016 (remake) of the movie, Ghostbusters, in which paranormal investigators try to prove that ghosts are real. Students will discuss the film through a feminist lens, focusing on the significance of the all-female cast and reframed story.  
• on March 28 (4pm, DS336), Dr. Shannon Lupien and other members of the Psychological Sciences Department will present The Tale as part of the Daemen Film Series. The Tale explores the aftermath of the sexual assault of a child--from the perspective of the adult survivor of sexual assault who is coming to terms with what happened to her as a child and who needs to understand the stories she told herself to survive her experiences.  

Poetry Reading:

• On March 20 (7pm, 3rd floor RIC), the Readings at the RIC poetry series features two female poets from Buffalo: Rachelle Toarmino and Theresa Wyatt

AAUW: Sign-design & Interest Meeting:

• On March 7 (7pm, RIC Den), members of the AAUW Student Organization will come together to make signs and socialize before the 2019 Buffalo Women's March (scheduled for Sunday, March 10). The club promotes gender equality and action in behalf of women's education and gender pay equity. Make a sign, plan for the March, and learn more about the AAUW and its members. 
  

Upcoming events: Visit this page for updates on April's events:

• Dr. Laura Watts, Associate Professor of Art History (Visual and Performing Arts Department) -- will lecture on images of the matria in 19th century Italian paintings (Time/location TBA)

• On April 17 (Academic Festival) the AAUW Student Organization is holding a World Hijab Day Acknowledgement event--and henna booth. Learn about cultural traditions associated with wearing hijab--why do women wear them, and what do they represent? The club will also sponsor a henna booth. Get a henna tattoo and learn about the cultural significance of henna body ornamentation in different cultures. The event is scheduled to run for several hours, but most visitors will want to stay for 15 to 30 minutes so you can stop by between other events at Academic Festival. (schedule will be posted here)

Read more about this year's Women's History Month events in this story from The Daemen Voice and by visiting the History & Political Science Department's Facebook page.

Questions? Contact Dr. Penny Messinger, Associate Professor of History and Director of Daemen's Women's Studies Program.

Honoring Our Distinguished Alumni: Elizabeth George Ivers & MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia

Departmental alums Elizabeth George Ivers and MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia, classmates in the graduating class of 1970, were recently honored by the Daemen College/Rosary Hill College Alumni Association. The blog post below includes profiles of Ivers and Elia and photos from their visits to campus in 2017 and 2018.

by Penny Messinger

The Distinguished Alumni Award

In November 2017, Elizabeth George Ivers (History & Government, '70) received Daemen's Distinguished Alumni Award. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor that Daemen College confers upon its alumni. Ms. Ivers was the 34th person to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award since it was established in 1986.

Elizabeth George Ivers during her semester in England

Ivers graduated from the History and Political Science Department (then known as History & Government Department) in 1970, when Daemen was named Rosary Hill College. Ivers began her career in corporate America on the strength of her History & Government degree and two courses in accounting. She later earned an MBA from the University at Buffalo as she climbed the corporate ladder at Twin Fair (based in Buffalo), where she held the position of corporate accounting manager. Relocating to Texas, Ivers had a 17-year career with Houston-based Browning-Ferris Industries, where she reached the position of vice president, investor relations. She also worked with Houston-based EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States. Ivers was director, investor relations, when she retired in 2013.

Ivers with Ann Richards (Governor of Texas, 1991-93)

In her acceptance speech, Ivers recalled her time at the college and in the department with fondness and enthusiasm, emphasizing that her education provided her with "the solid foundation for my life's journey." She emphasized the impact of the semester-long study-abroad experience she shared in England with several History & Government classmates, three of whom attended the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony (more below).

The versatile History & Political Science degree

Ivers described her experiences as a student in our department in her acceptance speech:

I loved the History and Government program and felt it gave me a fantastic, informed base for my future career....Daemen gave me a liberal arts education that encouraged me to think for myself, to write well, to gain perspective, to critically analyze, to ask the right questions, to think logically and to make ethically sound choices, skills I used and refined throughout my 43-year career in corporate America. 

We had personal contact with our outstanding professors -- Dr. Cuddy, Dr. Starkey, Mr. Predmore, Sr. Georgia Dunn, Sr. Jeanne File, Sr. Aline, Mr. Pack, to name just a few. Interaction with real people in a small class environment. What a blessing that was to have...

I am thankful for a college experience that gave me a fantastic base to pursue a distinguished career, which I loved, and encouraged me to give back and be involved in the communities in which I have lived.

Ivers concluded by urging the audience--including many students--to recognize the ways that their education at Daemen could create future success:

We have resided in Houston for almost 30 years...and there is an old Texas expression that I loved when I first heard it and have tried to embrace: "You should never forget who brought you to the dance." It has been my pleasure to remember the times during my college years and how Daemen shaped my life and helped me become the person that I am today. I feel blessed to have been able to support Daemen over the years to help continue its mission to prepare students for life and leadership in an increasingly diverse and complex world. I certainly encourage all of you to support, in whatever manner and amount that you can, those institutions, those organizations, and those people that have helped you to become who you are on your life's journey. It's your choice. Don't ever forget who brought you to the Dance!

Classmates in the History & Government Department

Elizabeth George Ivers, Mary Ellen Swartzenberg Elia, Nora Wren Kerr, and Mary Jo Carroll Kenna were friends and classmates in the History & Government Department (graduating class of 1970). The four studied abroad together at Wroxton College, near London. All have gone on to have successful careers; Elia is the current New York Commissioner of Education; Kerr has worked as an architect, and Kenna as a speech therapist. The classmates fondly recalled their time together in the History & Government Department at Daemen. Discussing the student culture of the late 1960s, Elia noted that students in the department became politically active in the community. The classmates drew connections between their education at Daemen and the careers they pursued after graduating. For Elia, this included her years as a social studies teacher followed by a career in educational administration.

History & Government alumnae from the class of 1970: MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia, Elizabeth George Ivers, Nora Wren Kerr, & Mary Jo Carroll Kenna. The four were classmates in the department and also participated in a study-abroad trip to Oxford University's Wroxton College. (November 2017)

MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia: Advancement in Career Award (October 2018)

In October 2018, MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia received the Advancement in Career Award from the Daemen College/Rosary Hill College Alumni Association. Elia, currently New York's Commissioner of Education, was recognized for her success as a career educator. After her 1970 graduation from Rosary Hill College, Elia worked as a social studies teacher at Sweet Home High School before becoming a school administrator in Florida. In her comments, Elia thanked her classmates, noting her closeness with those who traveled to Wroxton:

It [the trip to Europe] was one of the best things that I did in my life, particularly in my career here at Daemen. 

I think it opens your eyes when you travel to other places. You see things that need to be done in the world; you see things that are doing really well here, and you also get the idea of things that need to change in your life....Interestingly enough, the people that I went to Europe with are the people that I see most often from Daemen.

Ivers, Elia, and classmates embark on their journey to Wroxton

Elia continued, describing the continuity between her years at Daemen and the College today:

I think that one of the things that helped me so much, when I came to Daemen, was the quality of the staff here...but also the dedication of people to really thing about community, and what we need to do to support all of our communities. The work that is being in New York by our teachers is the work that needs to be done across this country. The work that we have here in the Daemen Education Department, the History Department, the Math Department--we're really creating the people who can make our communities great.

New York Education Commissioner MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia & Daemen College President Gary Olson

Students, alumni, and faculty from the History & Political Science Department attending the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Ceremony. From L-R: Maddie Ruger (HST major), Gabby Sinnott (H&P major), Tori Newmann-Campbell (PSC major), Damian Desbordes (PSC '08), Dr. Penny Messinger, MaryEllen Swartzenberg Elia, Elizabeth George Ivers, Dr. Lisa Parshall, & Mary Jo Carroll Kenna.

Elia, Ivers, and Kenna at the 2018 Distinguished Alunni Awards ceremony, October 2018

Connecting with current students

The History & Political Science Department held receptions (in 2017 and 2018) to introduce our current majors to Ivers and classmate Mary Jo Carroll Kenna, and to allow students to talk about their current educational interests and their plans for life after graduation.

Departmental faculty & students pose with Ivers and Kenna, Oct. 2018

Elizabeth George Ivers and Mary Jo Carroll Kenna, October 2018

Maddie Ruger & Gabby Sinnott at the Distinguished Alumni Dinner

Think Tank grant: Profile of Gabrielle Sinnott

The current issue of Daaemen Today profiles senior Gabrielle Sinnott (History & Political Science, '19) in a cover story on Daemen's Student-Faculty Think Tank grants. Gabrielle has collaborated with Daemen faculty on two separate Think Tank projects, one of which focused around research related to The People's Forum on the American Presidency, part of the department's History & Politics Event Series, held on October 1, 2016. 

Design by Gabrielle Sinnott

The People's Forum on the American Presidencyfeatured renowned presidential scholars exploring the complicated history and memory of four American presidents: Thomas Jefferson, Grover Cleveland, Warren G. Harding, and Woodrow Wilson, whose historical reputations range from "great" to "awful," and whose legacies are complicated by issues that are seen quite differently now than in their own times.

For her Think Tank project, Gabrielle collaborated with professors Lisa Parshall and Penny Messinger to create the image used to publicize the event (shown above) and on a related research paper exploring the role of political caricature and political cartoons in shaping contemporary and historical perceptions of presidents. The event design features Jefferson and Wilson, who are generally ranked among America's best presidents, looking askance at Cleveland and Harding, their not-so-great companions who have joined Jefferson and Wilson on a revised version of Mt. Rushmore, while the people stand in judgement of all four. (Read more about The People's Forum in this blog post.)

Dr. Penny Messinger & Gabrielle Sinnott with drafts of the event design (above)

Read the full Daemen Today article about Student-Faculty Think Tanks grants here. 

Amy Grimes--alumni guest blog post

Amy Grimes received her BA in History & Political Science from Daemen in 2014. This past spring, she completed her MA in Museum Studies (with concentration in Visitor Experience and education) from SUNY Buffalo State College. In this guest blog post, Amy writes about her project and the focus of her graduate degree.

Amy Grimes

By Amy Grimes:

For my degree, I completed a research project about 982 refugees who came to Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York, from Naples, Italy, on August 3, 1944. For the project, "The Story of Oswego Refugees: A Virtual Exhibit," I focused on why they were chosen to come and their journey, their time at Fort Ontario, how they were able to stay in the United States, and how their story is preserved and remembered to the present day. The project included the creation of a digital exhibit as well as a seventy-page research paper.

(courtesy Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Museum brochure)

From this project, I learned that this was the only group of refugees fleeing from the Nazi regime who were allowed to come to the United States during the war. Since I chose to create a digital exhibit, I learned how to create a website to feature key images and research from my master’s thesis.

(from The Oswego Palladium Times, March 1, 2014)

Based on my experiences at Daemen, both with my degree and involvement in the History and Government Club, I realized that I enjoy education, museums, and interacting with people. Since I wanted to stay in the Western New York area, I chose to go to SUNY Buffalo State since it is the only school in the area that offers a master’s program in this field.

You can read Amy's full research paper at: https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/museumstudies_projects/10/

...and you can view the digital exhibit here: 

https://oswego-refugees.my-free.website/https://oswego-refugees.my-free.website

Symposium on 100th Anniversary of Polish Independence -- Saturday, September 22

Interning at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site

This summer, Connor Marsherall (senior, History & Political Science major) completed an internship in Public History at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo.

One of the highlights of  Connor's internship was his work in researching and then digitizing an historical artifact--rendering the score of Charles Coleman's 1898 march, "The Charge of the Roosevelt Rough Riders," as a sound recording. The march commemorates Roosevelt's role as a military leader in the Spanish-American War. 
 

You can read more about Connor's internship at the blog post he wrote for the TR Site blog, "Making Sheet Music Come Alive," which also includes a digitized recording of the Coleman's score.

Congratulations, scholarship winners!

A number of our majors have been selected to receive scholarships in recognition of their academic achievements, and academic potential. Congratulations!

The Elizabeth George Ivers Endowed Scholarship for Women

This scholarship, created by our distinguished alumna Elizabeth George Ivers, recognizes high-achieving students with a record of academic success who are engaged in the community. This year's recipients are Madeleine Ruger (sophomore, History) and Gabrielle Sinnott (junior, History & Political Science). Earlier this semester, Gabrielle also received a Benjamin Gilman International scholarship to study abroad in Thailand this summer (read more here).

Madeleine Ruger

Gabrielle Sinnott

Ruth Stratton Scholarship

The Ruth Stratton Scholarship is an endowed scholarship named in honor of Daemen Political Science professor Dr. Ruth Stratton. This scholarship is awarded yearly to an outstanding sophomore or junior major who excels academically. This year's recipient, Megan Racinowski (sophomore, Political Science), intends to pursue a career combining environmental advocacy and law, two areas of Dr. Stratton's deep interest and expertise.

Megan Racinowski

Career Services scholarship

Two of our majors, Annamarie Diapaul (junior, Political Science), and Megan Racinowski (sophomore, Political Science) have been awarded Career Services scholarships to support internships this summer. This is Megan's second internship (read about her internship in Washington, D.C., with US Senator Tom Carper (Delaware).

Annamarie Diapaul

Megan Racinowski

SOS Women's Leadership Award

The SOS Women's Leadership Award, sponsored by the Daemen College Eaglettes (women's faculty organization), is named for three legendary female Daemen professors: Dr. Ruth Stratton, Dr. Betty O'Neill, and Dr. Kaye Sullivan. This college-wide award recognizes two female students each year who have demonstrated outstanding leadership. This year, one of the recipients was graduating senior Brianna Zichettella (Political Science). In addition to her excellent academic record, Brianna was former president of the American Association of University Women (AAWU) Student Organization and wrote a number of articles for Daemen's student newspaper and literary magazine.

Brianna Zichettella

AAUW Chamberlin Award

The Chamberlin grant/loan program, operated by the American Association of University Women (AAUW)'s Buffalo Chapter, provides grants and interest free loans to students who are selected through a competitive application process. Taqiyah Gibbons (graduating senior, History) was among this year's recipients. She will use the award to pay for her Study-Abroad trip to Africa this summer. (Read more here)   

Taqiyah Gibbons

Congratulations to all of our scholarship winners!