WCU Sesquicentennial History Book Launch on March 10 

Author and WCU Associate Professor of American History and Public History, Dr. Anne Krulikowski, will be presenting a historical overview of the university’s history, followed by the book signing at Special Collections (Room 616, 6th floor at FHG Library) on March 10, 2022, at 12:30 PM. She recently published WE SERVE: West Chester University, 1871-2021 Sesquicentennial History. A period for conversation and questions and answers will be held following her presentation. Free books are available to the first 50 people at the event. Books will be available to purchase at the WCU Bookstore on March 10th. A Livestream of the event will be available to view on YouTube. 

Jenna Bossert (Special Collections Technician) recently interviewed Dr. Anne Krulikowski about all things WCU. They discussed Anne’s academic background and interests, learning and teaching at WCU, archival research processes, and more. For her book WE SERVE, Anne spent countless hours over the past few years combing through the archival collections within Special Collections to learn more about the campus community, the school’s curriculum and activities, and its growth and expansion. Provided is a consolidated excerpt of their interview, which will appear in full in an upcoming University Libraries newsletter. 

Q: Can you talk to me about your upcoming publication on the university’s history, We Serve: West Chester University, 1871-2021? Please tell me about this project began and your research process. 

 

A: I started the project during the fall semester of 2017. Bob Kodosky, the Chair of the History Department, asked Dean Jen Bacon, the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, to start thinking about the university’s upcoming 150th Anniversary that would be celebrated during the 2021-2022 academic year. The project started with the vision of a local historian writing a booklet connecting the university’s history with local history and compiling facts about what we have accomplished over the past 150 years. However, it evolved into me writing a book, hah! It officially will press with Matt Born, the Director of Publications, Printing, and Editorial Services within the University Communications and Marketing department, after the university’s editor and publicist Margo McDonough helped review the text for clarity. 

To start researching, I looked to what was already available on the university’s history, primarily examining Dr. Russell Sturzebecker’s Centennial History of West Chester State College. Sturzebecker took a chronological approach to his book, and he covered university controversies and athletics well, albeit often in a manner of free opinion. There is not much contextualization and analysis provided in his book, so I wanted to dig deeper into the themes that I uncovered while also providing an overview of each school era and administration.

Q: What is the most interesting thing you learned during your research?  

 

A: While there are several things I have learned along the way, I think the most interesting thing I have encountered is the past students of the West Chester community and their stories. When the school had a smaller student body, the literary societies kept in touch with alumni and used these connections to network and document alumni stories. It was interesting to see where students’ West Chester education took them, whether out on the frontier or out of the country to start schools or into wars as nurses and soldiers. There are so many fascinating personal student stories and their respective trajectories to delve into, especially in the early 1920s through World War II, when America is coming into a more modern age.