The Department of History at the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì, Reno recently received a donation from former ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì Senator Richard Bryan to establish the Oscar W. Bryan Endowment for the History of ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì. The endowment was established in the College of Liberal Arts to support students and faculty studying ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì history and to start the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì History Initiative. This initiative will promote the study of ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì’s past and foster broader understanding of the ways that history inevitably shapes the future. The initiative will encourage historical study of ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì from the 19th into the 21st (and later) centuries.
Other goals of the history initiative are to support faculty and graduate student research on the state’s history, as well as fund an annual prize for undergraduate students who will win the best thesis project on ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì history.
“My first goal for implementing the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì History Initiative is to amplify existing interest in and scholarship on our state,” Sarah Keyes, assistant professor of history and coordinator of the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì History Initiative, said.
In addition, the initiative will collaborate with other ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì historical organizations to design and present public programs on ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì historical topics. Keyes said the project anticipates working with the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì Historical Society and the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì, Las Vegas.
“As the land grant institution in the state and with the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì Historical Society on campus, it makes sense for the Department of History and the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì, Reno to take the lead on promoting rigorous scholarship centered in our state,” Keyes said. “We expect to also foster connections with fantastic colleagues at UNLV to advance a broad understanding of our state’s history.”
Keyes said the gift could not have come at a more opportune time.
“This gift confirms what historians and historians of ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì have long known and it provides us with critical funding to filling a long-standing interest and need for our community,” she said.
The initiative also plans to incorporate K-12 education by offering teachers professional development opportunities and providing opportunities for application of historical knowledge through community engagement activities. One of these activities will be a biennial ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì history conference to teach and share ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì state research to students, history professionals and historians.
“Gratitude to the Bryans for this donor gift and excitement about the potential for promoting the history of ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì to a broad audience,” Keyes said.
Richard Bryan is the son of Oscar Bryan. The Bryan family has a long-standing affiliation with the ÇéÉ«ÎåÔÂÌì, Reno.
The endowment also included a room dedication, where a room in Lincoln Hall was named this summer as the Oscar W. Bryan Seminar Room.
