By Kris McCusker and Louis Kyriakoudes
The executive office’s transition from Georgia State University to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), in practical terms, is almost complete. We’ve finished the transfer of monies, changed the addresses of the various accounts, have purchased much-needed insurance and have even found the coffee pot.
But the transition in terms of understanding how the executive office works throughout the year will continue as we learn how to handle our new responsibilities. Thanks to all for your patience with us as we do so.
Some highlights from the past two months include the Mid-Winter Council meeting held at MTSU. We spent March 1-3 meeting and planning in the Albert Gore Research Center with the Executive Council. We also did a “progressive dinner” around campus so the council could meet our partners, including the Center for Popular Music, the Center for Historic Preservation and the Department of History and Public History.
The meetings ended with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame to see Michael Gray, former journalist and currently CMHoF curator, conduct an oral interview with singer/songwriter Lori McKenna, best known for her song “Humble and Kind,” a hit for country musician Tim McGraw.
The entire executive office, including Faith Bagley, program associate, Jordan Alexander, our doctoral student and Bethany Bork, our undergraduate intern, also judged the Tennessee State History Day competition in early April. We had a terrific, albeit very cold, day judging at the State Capital some of the fine work by budding historians. We will continue to judge History Day every year, both regionally and statewide and hope to develop some oral history awards for budding scholars nationally.
The office is busy once again, making sure the various scholarships are sent to the appropriate committee, that the award committees receive their charges and that the emerging crises grants committee can do its job. We’re also working on getting election materials together and hope to have that complete by early summer.
In the meantime, send us your news, your job postings and more importantly, PHOTOS! As we create new OHA marketing materials, we want to use our members’ own work (rightfully acknowledged, of course) in this promotional material.
As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to us at oha@oralhistory.org. We really like hearing from you.
