History Department - University of Kansas

📢 Undergrads! Don't miss the opportunity to take a class with Dr. Noah Pinkham this fall. HIST 389: Boys’ Clubs: From Freemasons to Frats would make an excellent addition to your fall 2026 lineup of classes.

🗓️ Add this course to your schedule by heading here ⤵️
https://bit.ly/HIST389Fall2026

📢 Calling all KU History Alumni

📰 We want to hear from you! We’re seeking alumni features for our upcoming fall and spring editions of “History on the Hill.” Share your stories by heading to to our submission portal ⤵️
https://history.ku.edu/good-news-submission-portal

Today at 5:00 pm in Watson Library, 3 West

Today at 5 PM: KU English welcomes author and journalist Héctor Tobar for this year’s Holmes Institute Lecture.

Tobar will present “My Beloved, My Metropolis: Literary Imagination and the Crisis of an American City” in Watson Library, 3 West.

The lecture is free and open to the KU community and the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

Spend part of your Tuesday evening with us in Watson Library!

Dr. Alyssa Cole, History Ph.D. ‘22 | Obama Presidential Center Special Guest

Earlier this past May, Dr. Alyssa Cole History Ph.D. ‘22, was invited as a special guest to tour the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. In these photos you’ll find a special preview of thoughtfully curated exhibits she was able to preview ahead of the Center's opening tomorrow on Juneteenth. She was particularly excited to see the little red book you’ll find in image three, which is President Abraham Lincoln’s personal Bible (only on loan for three months!). President Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th president of the United States with this very bible.

We’re particularly proud to share the second image where, most notably, you can see Dr. Cole featured in the third floor exhibit dedicated to Economics which reads, “It is so important that affordable child care is available to parents to pursue or continue their education. There were times I spent my entire paycheck paying for one week of daycare, a cycle that is impossible to maintain…”

This was an incredibly special full-circle moment for Dr. Cole and her children who accompanied her on her visit. Cole was a single mother of three when she introduced President Obama during his visit to the University of Kansas back in January 2015. During her introduction, she spoke about the letter she wrote to Obama which addressed the issues that single parents face as they tackle an education and try to raise their families at the same time.

We asked Dr. Cole what feeling she was left with upon her departure. She said, “It was such a joyful and exciting experience. I felt proud about what I’ve accomplished and for what’s to come.” She was left feeling hope, joy, and positivity about the future ahead.

Dr. Cole is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Florida. In addition to receiving her Ph.D. in History at the University of Kansas, she received an M.A. in African and African American Studies, and her Undergraduate Degree in History and African & African-American Studies.

🗓️ Plans for next Tuesday, June 23rd at 5pm✅
Location: Watson Library 3 West

Join our friends in the KU Department of English as they welcome Héctor Tobar for the Holmes Institute Lecture, “My Beloved, My Metropolis: Literary Imagination and the Crisis of an American City.”

Tobar is the author of six books, including “Our Migrant Souls” and “The Tattooed Soldier.” He is a faculty member at UC Irvine, and a nationally published journalist. His nonfiction book “Deep Down Dark” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and a New York Times bestseller, and was adapted into the film "The 33." As a journalist, Tobar was part of the reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising.

This event is free and open to the KU community and the public.

Full event details: https://calendar.ku.edu/event/my-beloved-my-metropolis-literary-imagination-and-the-crisis-of-an-american-city-with-hector-tobar

The Undergrad Ceremony gallery just dropped. 👀

☀️ We’re in the throes of summer but we can’t stop thinking about how proud of all our seniors we are. Congratulations again to the KU History class of 2026. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings you. 🎓💙❤️

🎓💫Relive our Undergraduate Ceremony by heading here: https://bit.ly/KUHistory2026

🎓 Alumni Spotlight | Cassie Osei, B.A. '15 History & Latin American Studies

Not all paths to becoming an educator are linear. In our latest Alumni Spotlight, Dr. Cassie Osei explains what steered her down the road to history, which mentors shaped her journey, and what she enjoys most about being an educator. She also shares how her research has moved beyond the university and connected with a wider audience.

Are you an alumni that wants to be featured next? We’d love to hear what you’re up to. Submit your update for a future alumni spotlight!

Newsletter: https://history.ku.edu/newsletter
Submission Portal: https://history.ku.edu/good-news-submission-portal

🎓✨Images from the doctoral hooding ceremony on 5/16. Dr. Haoran Ni is pictured with her advisor, Megan Greene. Dr. Ni successfully defended her dissertation "Consuming American Modernity: The Localization of American Cold Refreshments in Republican Shanghai” in August of last year.

You’ll also find an image of Haoran posing in front of Columbus State University's sign. 👀 We’re pleased to announce that Dr. Ni has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. Congratulations, Haoran! We're so proud of you! 🎉🎉💙❤️

👉Mark you calendar for editor Tai S. Edwards presenting on the book Lyda Conley and the Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery: With Sources and Oral Histories, Thursday, June 11, Flagship Books, starting at 7:00PM.

📚Learn more about the inspiring story of Lyda Conley, the first Indigenous woman to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court and a trailblazing lawyer and activist who defended the burials of her Wyandot family and ancestors in Kansas City’s Huron Indian Cemetery here https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700641215/