Richard W. Burkhardt Building
Fundraising for Students
The History Department has a number of funding opportunities for students, including scholarships, awards, and funding for students to attend historical conferences where they present their work. Included in these opportunities are paid and/or for-credit research internships in Public History, Digital History, and the Center for Middletown Studies. The Center for Middletown Studies began at Ball State in 1980 and three members of the History faculty, Dwight Hoover, Bruce Geelhoed, and Jim Connolly, have directed it since that time.
History of the Center for Middletown Studies
Robert and Helen Lynd
Children in the Muncie Parade
The Center for Middletown Studies focuses on the research of Robert and Helen Merrell Lynd, co-authors of Middletown (1929) and Middletown in Transition (1937). The Center is multi-disciplinary and promotes collaboration between students and faculty from sociology, anthropology, urban planning, journalism, history, economics, and other fields. While its principal focus is on Muncie, the Center also sponsors research on similar communities in the United States and abroad.
Student Highlight
Madeleine Mills-Craig is a graduate from Honors College with double majoring in history and public relations. She researches Asian adoptions in the United States and recently partnered with Dr. James Connolly for her honors fellowship. With his guidance, she discovered when Korean adoptions first gained traction in the United States. Her hands-on experience with Dr. Connolly taught her the essentials of historical research and built her confidence in handling primary resources. “We went to the Muncie archives, and Dr. Connolly guided me toward finding primary sources. He walked me through collecting the resources and sifting through what was significant. I put on rubber gloves and everything—it was very official.”
Giving to our research internships would fund opportunities for students like Madeleine.
2023 Update
Last year, we raised money for the Carter G. Woodson Prize. Carter Woodson (1875-1950) was one of the most influential African-American historians who is often called “the father of Black history.” The Woodson Prize was awarded to top students in HIST 210, one of the most popular and important courses in the History Department.
Carter G. Woodson, courtesy of the Library of Congress Students Presenting at the 2023
