Geneseo History Major Todd Christensen and the SNCC Digital Gateway Project

Todd Christensen, who graduated from Geneseo in 2015 with a history major, is working on the SNCC Digital Gateway (SDG), a collaborative project involving the SNCC Legacy Project, Duke University, and Civil Rights Movement scholars. At Geneseo, Todd completed a history honors thesis on Freedom Schools in the Civil Rights Movement, with support from a Geneseo Summer Fellowship. He also worked as an intern with the Algebra Project in Boston, with support from a Ambassador fellowship and as an intern on One Person, OneVote, a pilot project and predecessor to the SDG, which was launched in March 2015. At the time, Christensen reflected, “The work on OPOV has given me a new sense of what history really is. The website tells the story of black voting rights through the lens of the ordinary black people in the Deep South during the early 60s, who put their lives on the line to fight for first-class citizenship.  These people, who are almost always missing in history textbooks, both in high school and college, served as the backbone of grassroots movements for black political power.  And having the chance to work with Duke and the SNCC legacy Project in being able to tell their stories has taught me a lot about the power of regular people doing extraordinary things.”

Geneseo History Major Organizes Leadership Institute for High School Students

Junior History major Brandon Gaylord spent the fall 2015 semester organizing a leadership workshop for area high school students. His StandUp Leadership Program, which was funded through SUNY Geneseo's Center for Inquiry, Discovery and Development, reached 128 students from seven different local communities. Read more about Brandon's work in the profile and article published in the December 3 edition of the Livingston County News: Here.

Geneseo History Alum Finds Success as Museum Curator

Since 2013, class of 2009 alumnus Andrew Gustafson has been working with the Bryan Museum in Galeveston, to develop a public space for exhibiting a major private collection of materials related to the history of Texas.  Andrew completed a BA degree in History at Geneseo (with a department honors thesis on 17th century British politics) and an MA in History from the University of Houston.  You can read more about his work here.

Geneseo and Red Hook, Brooklyn

The History Department is excited about the possibilities for collaboration with SUNY Geneseo's new facility located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  Thanks to the support of Geneseo alumnus Greg O'Connell, members of the SUNY Geneseo community will be able to engage in a variety of academic and service activities based in one of New York's most culturally-diverse neighborhoods.

The History Department is working on developing several activities in Red Hook, including a version our of annual Teachers' Day targeted to downstate secondary educators, an alumni learning trip focusing on Irish-American immigrant experiences, and a summer course on the history of immigration.  You can read about the Red Hook facility through the Geneseo and Red Hook Blog, and learn more about the opportunities available for the Geneseo community through an essay by class of 2006 History alumni Angela Workoff.

History Alum on Jeopardy

In mid-September 2015, Geneseo alumna Audrey Watkins-Fox (class of 2011) appeared on the game show Jeopardy and walked away with $33,000 in prizes after two winning nights.  You can read more about her experiences on the show here.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Profiles Alumnus Bo Shoemaker

Geneseo alumnus (and Monroe County Assistant District Attorney) Bo Shoemaker was one of several area marathon runners profiled in an article in today's Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.  Geneseo students will have an opportunity meet with Bo later this semester and talk about his experiences as a lawyer when he returns to the college for our first ever Alumni Career Panel.

Tributes to NAACP Chair Julian Bond Organized by Professor Crosby

Emilye Crosby helped organize tributes for Julian Bond at the September meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH) and the upcoming April meeting of the Organization of American Historians (OAH). Bond, who was a mentor and friend to Crosby, was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Chair emeritus of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and a well-known advocate for civil and human rights. He spoke at Geneseo in 1968 and gave the Wadsworth lecture in Fall 2007.

Julian Bond speaking at the Wadsworth lecture in 2007

Julian Bond in a seminar with Geneseo students in Fall 2007