Historic Preservation Press Release
Interested in working to save historic buildings and neighborhoods? Now you can learn how at Youngstown State University and earn a "Certificate in Historic Preservation.""In recent years we have seen historic preservation emerge as an exciting branch of the history profession," says YSU History Department chair William Jenkins. Once narrowly concerned with "George Washington Slept Here" landmarks, preservationists now work broadly to create a livable built environment. Specialists find jobs in a wide array of private and public agencies at the local, state and federal level -- everything from local historical societies and historic district commissions, to statewide tourism boards, to the National Park Service. Preservation professionals can also be consultants, assisting homeowners or helping engineers find the least historically disruptive routes for new highways.
Since 1993 the YSU History Department has developed a series of undergraduate and graduate courses in this fast-growing field. Classes emphasize direct experience in real-world preservation tasks. Six courses form the Preservation core, beginning with "American Architectural History" and "Introduction to Historic Preservation," continuing with specialized instruction in documentation and materials conservation, and concluding with an internship. Elective options include Oral History (a specialty at YSU since 1974) and also hands-on training in Preservation Technology -- available through special arrangement with nationally renowned Belmont Technical College.
Students completing the full sequence receive a "Certificate in Historic Preservation." Undergraduates can earn the Certificate as part of a History Major, or as a Minor supplementing work in a related field such as Art History, Anthropology, Geography, or Engineering. Graduate students may earn the Certificate as part of a Masters in History.
"We believe that a true understanding of a building's place in history is a powerful tool to promote its preservation," says chairman Jenkins: "History is the heart of our approach." Located within the History Department, the YSU Preservation Program gives students a solid foundation in historical thinking and research skills, as well as familiarity with preservation techniques and issues -- a valuable dual expertise.
Youngstown's History Department has added two professors specializing in preservation. Dr. Donna M. DeBlasio, a Ph.D. graduate of Kent State University, spent fifteen years in applied history. Besides working as a historian for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, she was one of the developers and later, manager, of the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. She also has over twenty-five years experience conducting oral history interviews. Her major areas of interest are company housing and the role of leisure in working class communities. She has a forthcoming article in Rethinking History on "The Immigrant and the Trolley Park in Youngstown, Ohio." Dr. Thomas E. Leary, who received his Ph.D. from Brown University, has vast experience in historic preservation and applied history. For ten years, he had his own cultural resource management firm. Prior to that, he worked for the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and Slater Mill Museum in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Dr. Leary's specialities include labor and industrial history. He has published widely, including his most recent monograph (co-authored with Elizabeth C. Sholes), The Pan American Exposition for Acadia Press.
Youngstown State University is located in northeast Ohio near both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The handsomely landscaped campus of 12,800 students lies within walking distance of downtown skyscrapers by arcitects Daniel Burnham and Albert Kahn, the neoclassical Butler Institute of American Art by McKim Mead & Wite, and Michael Graves' postmodern Historical Center of Industry and Labor. Financial aid is available, including $2000 scholarships to undergraduates with 25+ ACT scores.
To learn more about the YSU Preservation Program, contact the History Department, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio 44555. Phone (330) 742-3452 email: dmdeblas@cc.ysu.edu
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