Western Program at Miami University

Join us on Saturday, May 9 at 10:00 am for an interdisciplinary student-led symposium in King Library highlighting preliminary investigations into Miami's connections to American slavery and freedom. The "Miami and Slavery Student Symposium" will feature: graduate student panels, a faculty/staff roundtable discussion, virtual keynote address, refreshments, and a student poster presentation. It will be held in room KNG 320 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The "Miami and Slavery Student Symposium" caps off the yearlong 2026 Humanities Lab. In collaboration with the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, students returned to Miami's archives to explore the University’s founding history, bringing into view the longer, overlooked history of African American presence, contributions, and experiences at Miami and in Oxford. From these investigations, they created campus tours, digital exhibits and collections, and individual research projects to share with the broader community. Thanks to our co-sponsors for making this event possible! #SpecialCollections #UniversityArchives #HumanitiesLab #MiamiOHSpec @miamiohlib

Congratulations to Western Senior Tayler Stephen, who founded and organized the inaugural MoonGaze Film Festival in the historic Leonard Theater last weekend. MoonGaze is Miami’s first student organized film festival celebrating the work of BIPOC and other underrepresented student filmmakers.

It grew out of Tayler’s senior project on writer/director/producer representation in film.

https://lnkd.in/gbGQFB45

https://moongazesff.xyz/

Here are some pictures from Billy Brand’s screening of his film “Pong, Ping, Pong” on April 7th

We love you all beary much! Come join us tonight in the center, from 5-9 to meet Andrew, our new Western Program and Center director!

Freedom Summer Bus Unveiling
This week, BCRTA and Miami University teamed up to unveil a new local bus wrap that brings the story of Freedom Summer to Butler County.
Special thanks to MU Libraries Interim Dean and Archivist Jacky Johnson and MU Andvancement's Debbie Baker for their invaluable contributions to this project. Pictured (LtoR) Western Seniors Gwendolyn Rhorer and Rayna Coronado Quentin and Prof. Jacque Daugherty

https://miamioh.edu/news/2025/11/its-a-piece-of-history-new-bus-wrap-brings-story-of-freedom-summer-around-butler-county.html

Annual pumpkin carving was a blast! Check out the many designs that were made. Idk about you all, but my favorite part of carving a pumpkin is scooping out the guts!!

Do you like caramel apples? We do too! Check out our caramel apple making event. So many creative apples out there!

We had a wonderful tour of the Oxford Cemetery where some Western figureheads are located. Swipe through to see some familiar names…and of course our dear lady Helen.

Congratulations to the entire Social Justice J-term Internship cohort, pictured here in addition to Miami faculty and staff who support the program. Not Pictured: Western senior, Gina Roth, who interned at The Cincinnati Herald. Go, Gina!

Western major Nolan Miller (in red) presents on his J-term experience interning with Community Action Agency. Go, Nolan!! Western and Social Justice Studies professor, Mark Curnutte (to front right of Nolan), organizes the Social Justice J-term internship program each year. Miami interns live together in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood Cincinnati, intern 4 days per week with a local nonprofit, and do reflective professional development work each Friday.