The State Historical Society of Missouri to roll out Center for Missouri Studies

The State Historical Society of Missouri President Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. announced today that the Society is creating a "Center for Missouri Studies" this fall. The Center, to be administered from the Society's headquarters in Columbia, will extend the Society's mission to promote and disseminate the study of Missouri's history and culture.

The Center will be launched with two competitive "Center for Missouri Studies Fellowships" to be awarded in 2015, Limbaugh said. One fellowship will promote scholarship on Missouri's environmental history, while the other seeks interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Missouri's past. Each fellowship will include a stipend of $5,000.

"The Center for Missouri Studies celebrates Missouri history scholarship, including connections between fields such as geography, folklore, anthropology, and history as each of these disciplines offers a unique perspective on our state's past," Limbaugh said. "This new initiative helps ensure that we are working aggressively to fulfill our mission of disseminating information about the depth of our collective story for present and future Missourians."

Applicants for the fellowships are asked to submit formal proposals by November 1. The competition will be open to both academic and independent scholars, with the winners to be announced no later than January 1, 2015. The winning essays will be considered for publication in the Missouri Historical Review quarterly journal, and fellows will present their work in a new Center for Missouri Studies Speaker Series. The competition is now open, and details are available at http://shs.umsystem.edu/thecenter.

The new initiative will support preparation for the state's bicentennial celebration in 2021. The Society is the General Assembly of Missouri's designated lead institution to spearhead commemorations for Missouri's 200th year of statehood. Other Center activities include expanding the editorial board for the Missouri Historical Review and a renewed emphasis on extending the Society's Historic Missourians website (http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians), the Show-Me Missouri Speakers' Bureau, and the National History Day in Missouri contest (www.nhdmo.org). The latter two initiatives are products of a partnership between the Society and the Missouri Humanities Council.

Limbaugh stated that the Center will be under the supervision of the Society's Executive Director Gary R. Kremer, who has been named as the first "Center for Missouri Studies Senior Fellow." In addition to his administrative duties, Kremer will be expected to spend time researching and writing Missouri history and shaping the future direction of The Center.

"Gary Kremer is a natural fit for our first Center for Missouri Studies Senior Fellow," Limbaugh said. "His depth of knowledge about the state and openness to its interdisciplinary study is refreshing. We are excited about the Center and the vibrant Missouri history that will result from this new approach to studying the Show-Me State."

About The State Historical Society of Missouri

Founded in 1898 by the Missouri Press Association, the Society is the premier center for the study of Missouri state and local history. The Society, a trustee of the state since 1899, collects, preserves, and publishes materials that enhance research and support learning opportunities in Missouri studies and the history of the Midwest at six research centers around the state, with headquarters on the University of Missouri campus.

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