AHA Session 163
Saturday, January 9, 2027: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Galerie 1 (New Orleans Marriott, 2nd Floor)
Chair:
Kelly Kaelin, University of Virginia
Panel:
Jessica Brandt, Montclair State University
Carolyn Levy, University of Washington, Seattle
Daniel Sunshine, College of William and Mary
David Austin Walsh, University of Virginia
Carolyn Levy, University of Washington, Seattle
Daniel Sunshine, College of William and Mary
David Austin Walsh, University of Virginia
Comment:
Anca Glont-Ulfhrafn, University of Virginia
Session Abstract
In recent years, there has been a surge of hiring academics with PhDs across university staff positions. This trend, which coincides with the plummeting market for TT faculty positions, has resulted in the proliferation of research scholars holding either newly created positions or those previously held by higher ed professionals. This panel brings together representatives from multiple sectors of the university staff to explore how their programs have changed by hiring History PhDs. At UVA, a new pre-major academic advising model is exclusively staffed by “scholar-advisors” holding primarily humanities PhDs. At the University of Washington, the Center for Teaching and Learning employs scholars with PhDs from a range of fields who care deeply about pedagogy and accessibility. At Montclair State, curriculum management and interdisciplinary program development abides by the credentialing of scholarly research. And at William & Mary, an increased importance on institutional history has resulted in specific staff hiring of oral historians to meet the demand for local historical research. As a group who cares deeply about the “study of change over time,” we ask: how do our academic scholarly backgrounds alter the way we consider our positions as university staff? How does our training as historians affect our interactions with students as researchers, advisors, and curricular experts? And how do we find and/or create scholarly value in non-faculty positions? This roundtable will participate in a wide-ranging conversation about these topics as well as other potential opportunities for historians throughout university institutions, recognizing how emerging PhDs might be asked to flex their skills in wider and more non-traditional roles in the coming years.
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