Copyright © 2011 by University of Nebraska–Lincoln, all rights reserved. Redistribution or republication in any medium, except as allowed under the Fair Use provisions of U.S. copyright law, requires express written consent from the editors and advance notification of the publisher, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Center for Great Plains Studies, officially sanctioned at Emporia State University by the Kansas board of regents in 1977, was conceived by history professor Patrick O'Brien some three years earlier. The center, established with the assistance of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has a three-part mandate: to offer academic programs, to promote public service activities, and to foster and support research on all aspects of the people, culture, and land of the Great Plains, from Texas to Canada. The ultimate goal of this mandate is to increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the Great Plains.
From the beginning, pedagogy has been
a major function of the center. Courses on
Great Plains topics from a variety of disciplines
in the arts, humanities, and sciences
were developed and continue to be offered,
both on campus and on location. Particular
emphasis has been on literature and folklore,
history and the social sciences, geology, and
the biological sciences. The most innovative
course offering was the Great Plains Semester,
during which students devoted an entire semester
to study of the history, anthropology,
and literature of the Great Plains, combining
classroom instruction with field trips to six
Plains states. Offering seminars and summer
courses on Plains topics for elementary and
secondary teachers is an ongoing activity
of the center. The center publishes and distributes
Tales out of School, which contains
pedagogical topics and suggestions for public
school teachers.
In the area of public service the Center for Great Plains Studies has hosted presentations by scholars from around the nation and as far away as Australia. It also cooperates with local arts agencies in sponsoring exhibits and performances by Plains artists. "Plains Talk," a series of public service announcements, is made available to radio stations in the Great Plains, and the center has produced national award–winning programs for local-access cable television. The center also supports a Friends of the Plains organization, comprised of both academics and community members.
In addition to Tales out of School and the
Great Plains Newsletter, the Center for Great
Plains Studies publishes a multidisciplinary
scholarly journal, Heritage of the Great Plains,
whose contents range from ethnobotany, to
original historical source materials, to literary
criticism, to comparative studies of grasslands
in other parts of the world.
Emporia Center for Great Plains Studies website.