Wrestling with History and Memory

As an Historian and Dean I have been watching with great interest the contested cultural and political debates surrounding history and memory. In our contemporary environment where the "Star Spangled Banner" has become a symbolic flashpoint around issues of equality and structural racism in the United States, where the American Alt-Right pushes for access to campus venues to spew provocative hate speech, and where monuments memorializing the Confederate cause and its leaders have become the foci of heated and impassioned debate and protest over both the nation’s past and its present (the “Silent Sam” controversy at the University of North Carolina being but one example), it is important that university communities across the country, especially those espousing the ideals of inclusion and mutual respect, embrace these tough conversations and employ them as tools for moving both their local communities and the nation as a whole forward.

A necessary first step, however, is a deep conversation about the differences between “History” and “Memory.” The “Silent Sam” controversy provides a case in point. This monument depicting an anonymous Confederate soldier sits in the heart of the University of North Carolina’s beautiful campus green in Chapel Hill. Dedicated in 1913, the monument has long been defended as a memorial to the honor and bravery of the UNC students who served in defense of their homes and their way of life. This read of the monument along with the fact that it does not depict any specific individual has long enabled its defenders to use “history and heritage” as reasons why the statue should not be removed. Others, of course, point to the fact that at the heart of that way of life was the institution of slavery and that the monument’s dedication in 1913 (at a time when Jim Crow and the debasement of African-Americans in the southern states was an established fact) stands as an intentional message to African-Americans that they are not welcomed in this space. Indeed, during the commemoration address given by Julian Carr (a North Carolina industrialist and former Confederate soldier) the speaker noted how he had, "horsewhipped a Negro wench until her skirts hung in shreds" near where the statue stood. The woman, he explained, had "publicly insulted and maligned a Southern lady." How then do we disentangle the meaning/intent of this statue? Where do we draw the line between history and the memory that becomes attached to particular objects/sites?

A great deal of work has been done delineating the relationship between these two distinct ways of understanding the past—as they are different. My own understanding of these differences is beautifully captured in the work of the dean of historians exploring the Civil War and American memory, Yale Professor David Blight. In a 2006 essay included in the influential volume, Slavery and Public History, Blight wrote:

"History is what trained historians do, a reasoned reconstruction of the past rooted in research; it tends to be critical and skeptical of human motive and action, and therefore more secular than what people commonly call memory. History can be read by or belong to everyone; it is more relative, contingent on place, chronology and scale. If history is shared and secular, memory is often treated as a sacred set of absolute meanings and stories, possessed as the heritage or identity of a community. Memory is often owned; history is interpreted. Memory is passed down through generations; history is revised. Memory often coalesces in objects, sites, and monuments; history seeks to understand contexts in all their complexity. History asserts the authority of academic training and canons of evidence; memory carries the often more immediate authority of community membership and experience. In an essay about the slave trade and the problem of memory, Bernard Bailyn aptly stated memory’s appeal: “Its relation to the past is an embrace…ultimately emotional, not intellectual.” (p. 24)

These are very different ways, of course, to think about the past and they both offer different lenses through which to examine the current cultural landscape and they help us, I believe, to make better sense out of the various points of view manifest in the debate over “Silent Sam” and other similar sites/objects.

But why bring this up in a blog devoted to the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters at the University of Michigan-Dearborn one might ask? The answer is simple, because this campus too has its own legacy and history to confront. No, we do not have any Confederate monuments adorning our campus, but the campus does sit on property once owned by Henry Ford, an industrialist noted for his vehement anti-Semitism, strong ethnocentrism, and his outright hostility to organized labor. Moreover, students daily drive to our campus along Hubbard Drive, a road named for Dearborn’s notoriously racist mayor, Orville Hubbard, who prided himself on keeping Dearborn “clean” and who famously employed federally funded urban renewal funds to try to prevent an Arab-American presence from establishing itself in southeastern Dearborn. This historical reality and the memories attached to those realities have long shaped peoples’ attitudes toward our campus and their sense of feeling welcome or not.

It is a point of great pride that this university has done so much to overcome this legacy and to build a new narrative around inclusiveness and respect. I am particularly proud of the outstanding work done by the faculty and students of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters in advancing this work. Their thoughtful conversations, their applied research around issues of disparity and memory, and their commitment to a full exploration of these uncomfortable realities, speaks volumes about the excellence of the education offered here, about the power of a diverse student body and the many differing perspectives that such a student body brings to light, and about the profound value of a broad education.

As contemporary debates make abundantly clear, there is still much more work that needs to be done to facilitate a meaningful and thoughtful conversation around these issues and around the nation’s legacy of race relations. This is, in fact, the work that, above all else, needs doing. Unfortunately, the road ahead will be paved with much tension and most likely, sadly, violence/conflict. I am profoundly grateful to work on a campus where such conversations are woven into the fabric of who we are and where we are able to engage in these conversations with mutual respect and tolerance.

More work to do

The new academic year is underway and so too is the annual assault on the liberal arts and humanities. At a very recent Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky urged his fellow chief executives to approach their state university leaders and insist that they, “Find entire parts of your campus … that don’t need to be there. Either physically as programs, degrees that you’re offering, buildings that … shouldn’t be there because you’re maintaining something that’s not an asset of any value, that’s not helping to produce that 21st-century educated work force.” Sadly, such views are pervasive and widely held. I’ve given up counting the number of individuals I’ve encountered who smile wryly when I tell them about my history background.

At the same time, however, as recent events have clearly demonstrated (the revolting events in Charlottesville, the ongoing debates over sites of memory and the commemoration of the nation’s past, the ominous clouds on the global horizon, the onslaught of a natural world thrown out of kilter, etc., I would argue that a strong foundation in the humanities, arts and sciences are more important than ever. Absolutely we want to assist our students in preparing for the world of work. But even more than that, we want to prepare them to be successful in life and to be comfortable in the wider world into which they will be stepping.

Watching my own daughter’s recent experiences with the job market have only reinforced this belief. A double history and anthropology major as a undergrad (the apple did not fall far from the tree), she went on to earn a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago in Latin American Studies. Her familiarity with diverse methodological approaches to problems, her comfort with the ambiguity of the liberal arts where answers are not necessarily definitive, her strong communications skills, her analytical acumen, and her language skills make her a much in demand quantity. She has had no shortage of interviews and/or job opportunities. Why? Because the skill set that she possesses is well suited to the needs of today’s global world of work and they position her to operate in a more creative and less rigid manner than many others.

Though I have said it many times before, it bears restating—I am extremely proud of the transformative education provided by the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and have no qualms about stating very plainly that this is a part of the University of Michigan-Dearborn (and this is true of any other university) that absolutely “needs to be there.” There are lots of great things happening in CASL and I look forward to sharing them with you throughout the year.

Building a New CASL

With CASL’s strategic plan now fully endorsed and in place the hard work of implementing our plan begins. Among the four priority areas identified in the plan one (Priority 4), in my view, looms large. Indeed, I would argue, that the overall success of the plan hinges on the college’s ability to make headway on this priority.

Priority 4. Enhance CASL’s Organizational Capacity
Central to CASL’s ability to meet all of the preceding strategic priorities is the need for the college to operate more efficiently and intentionally. The college’s organizational and financial structures have served CASL reasonably well in the past enabling the college to grow and flourish. The new realities of higher education, however, along with the recent erosion of CASL enrollments, requires a re-examination of our current practices with an eye toward rationality and deliberateness in the service of students, faculty, and the wider university community. Accordingly, the college views the enhancement of organizational capacities as a key prerequisite for the success of CASL’s strategic goals and for the college’s long-term health.

Over the many years of its existence CASL has been very successful on many fronts thanks to the great work of our faculty, staff, and students. Nevertheless, it is my view that the current college structure, which evolved in a haphazard and ad hoc manner, is not well suited to the current needs of our students, our faculty, or to the current higher education environment which require flexibility, nimbleness, and creativity.

With this in mind CASL is engaging in a review of its current organizational structure/culture with the end goal being the creation of a configuration for the college that that enables it to make the most of its rich human resources and of the creativity of our faculty and staff with a focus on goal orientation. Two groups of faculty are hard at work exploring possible organizational models for CASL. Their work will be shared with their faculty and staff colleagues on an ongoing basis and will be compiled and presented for a fuller discussion by the college when the fall academic term begins. It is far too early to say where this conversation may lead but I am excited that this dialog is underway and have been buoyed by the enthusiasm of the faculty engaged in this work. I am eager to see where this initiative leads and look forward to reporting out on the progress of this work.

Getting to graduation

One of the most difficult things that I have to grapple with as dean is meeting with the many students who find themselves depleted of financial resources just short of fulfilling their graduation requirements. This happens for a great many reasons – working to pay for their education prevents students from taking as many courses as they might like in semesters they are aid eligible; the necessity of using loans intended for their education to meet pressing family/personal expenses; changing majors which requires additional courses and expenses; the lack of aid to help defray the cost of summer courses which often results in unpaid balances and registration holds; or the student and/or his or her parent(s) simply do not have enough personal funds available to cover all educational costs for the semester - but the result is always the same; students (many of whom come from underrepresented groups and/or economically challenged populations) who drift away from the university without ever completing their degree. For these students the negative effects are double: they lack the credential needed to ensure a strong economic foundation for themselves and their family and they are denied the personal fulfillment of meeting an individual transformational goal.

Until last fall, I found myself emailing and phoning numerous campus partners looking for ways to keep these students enrolled and moving forward. Sometimes I was successful, but more often I was not. This situation changed dramatically during the fall semester when I brought the idea of an emergency fund (the CASL Get to Graduation Fund) to the members of my Dean’s Advisory Council. After hearing these stories Council members quickly pledged money to offer as matching funds to incentivize gifts to this fund on Giving Blueday, UM’s version of Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving following Thanksgiving. Response to this match was immediate and very positive and, in the course of one day, the college raised $15,000 to support these deserving students.

Once word of the fund spread (and it spread very quickly) I was immediately approached by a number of faculty, staff, and students asking about the funds. I am proud to announce that this semester the fund is helping 7 students complete their studies. I cannot even begin to say how profoundly grateful the students are for this expression of faith in their abilities. As one recent recipient noted,

“I was profoundly touched and overcome with gratitude upon receiving the Get to Graduation award. How can I possibly express my appreciation as you have altered my experience at the completion of my undergraduate studies? What a beautiful gift you have given me, thank you. On April 30, I will join in ceremony to recognize the culmination of sacrifice and dedication, a devotion to study, and the willingness and desire to meet a rigorous academic challenge. Because of your selfless act of kindness, the financial burden that held me in a state of worry and uncertainty has been lifted and I am free to enjoy, with appreciation, my final days under the tutelage of The University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Get to Graduation award is your investment, which will ultimately touch the lives of those who seek guidance in their darkest of times. I can only aspire to offer such selfless generosity to others as you have given me.”

I cannot wait to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of this group of students at the April Commencement. I am very proud of their grit and am inspired by their determination. At the same time, I also know that there are many more CASL students facing similar circumstances and that the number of students finding themselves confronting similar challenges will only increase in the coming years. Accordingly, I will continue to make this fund a priority as I engage with potential donors and friends of the campus. Should you be interested in contributing to this fund you can find the link at: https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/dearborn/umd-casl/student