DIVERSITY, EQUITY, and INCLUSION at the Department of History
Since the days of Fairmount College, this institution has been a home for people from a wide range of backgrounds. From our origins as the Wichita Ladies College to current discussions about race, ethnicity, and gender, diversity has been a conversation that continues to unfold. Therefore, the Department of History at Wichita State University is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our classrooms, in our research, and in our outreach. We encourage respectful conversations about complicated issues, realizing that our discussions have roots in the past. Studying history allows us to better understand how the interactions have shaped our world today.
The Department of History, which includes the programs in Geography, Religion, and International Studies, has made teaching and researching areas of diversity and inclusion one of our goals.
Our recent efforts have included:
- Partnering with the Department of Women, Ethnicity, and Intersectional Studies (WEIS) especially our own Dr. Robin Henry as Chair
- The ongoing research of Dr. Robert Weems regarding ethnic entrepreneurship including the oral history of Black business owners and a current grant funded project under the Stories For All initiative. This current project, with Sue Abdinnour in the Barton School of business and Jay Price in History is a collection of oral histories involving ethnic entrepreneurs. For the project trailer, click here. He currently teaches courses in Africa American History, civil rights history, and entrepreneurship.
- Dr. Robert Owens is the department's Native Americanist and studies the interactions between Native and White populations in the early 19th Century.
- Dr. Jay Price has worked closely with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages through the Somos de Wichita project.
- Dr. Laila Ballout is the department's liaison to the International Studies program.
- Our faculty have presented numerous programs on these and other topics. Many of our programs have been recorded. For more information click here.