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1. University recognition of the World History Center

In December 1997, the Council of Deans recommended approval of the World History Center as a university research center, under regulations drawn up 1993-97, and approved 1997. In April 1998, Provost Michael Baer acted on the recommendation, formally granting recognition to the Center.

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2. Review and reconfirmation of World History PhD Program

In the summer of 1997, the university administration proposed to recommend closure of the History PhD program, arguing it had insufficient strength and distinctiveness. Faculty and students of the department made a strong case in its defense, gained statements of support from historians near and far, and submitted a comprehensive report in October 1997. The result, in April 1998, was reconfirmation of the History Ph.D. program by President Freeland. Henceforth the program is to be a doctoral program in World History, and it is enjoined to demonstrate that it has become a nationally leading program by the time of its next evaluation in 2002.

Six new doctoral students joined the PhD program in the fall of 1998, so that the program now has eighteen students, all working on topics with significant global implications. During 1997-98 five candidates gained approval of their dissertation topics and passed their comprehensive exams, making a total eight at the ABD stage. As many as three students are expected to complete their degrees in 1999.

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3. Research in World History.

In funded project research, Wadsworth Publishing became the of the centerís "Migration in Modern World History" CD-ROM, to be released in June 1999. This publication, a major event, will be followed up with a September conference at Northeastern. In addition, the Encyclopaedia Britannica CD-ROM contracted for the Center to design a multimedia "Time Frame" linking historical events to its CD-ROM database of articles. In individual faculty research, major projects centered on African population in the slave-trade era, a study of the Chinese diaspora, and gender and colonialism. In doctoral research, the Center is associated with twelve current projects, ten of them formally approved (see Appendix 4).

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4. Seminars and Public Affairs presentations of the Center

Each academic year, the Center presents fourteen sessions of the World History Seminar, focusing on current research and curriculum development in world history. The seminar sessions for 1997-98 and Fall 1998 are listed below in Appendix 4.

Once or twice each term, beginning Fall 1997, the Center has sponsored major public affairs presentations, including a well-known public figure and a topic of general interest. These presentations have been among the most prominent of the universityís academic gatherings. In Fall 1997, Noam Chomsky, the noted linguist from MIT, presented on democracy and markets to an audience of early one hundred. In Winter 1998, Sergei Khrushchev presented on Nikita Khrushchevís policies and gained a story in the Boston Globe. In Spring 1998, Djibril Tasmir Niane, the distinguished historian of West Africa from Guinea, addressed an audience of over 150 at the John D. OíBryant African-American Institute on the topic of Sundiata, the founder of the empire of Mali, on which he has written a renowned book. In November 1998, Boris Kagarlitsky reviewed current events in Russia. In December, economic historians David Landes and Andre Gunder Frank debated the contrasting positions of their two recent books on the economic history of the modern world, before an audience of 170 in Dodge Hall.

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5. Creation of the World History Resource Center

With support from the Massachusetts Department of Education, the World History Resource Center was created in July 1998. The Resource Center, directed by Julie Gauthier, is a unique and comprehensive center for teaching materials in World History, open to all elementary and secondary teachers. Roughly 1000 items (text, video, overhead, and CD-ROM) have already been collected, filed, and are ready to lend. Many teachers utilize the resources by web and by phone, and teachers have made an estimated 200 visits of an hour each to the Resource Center in its first six months.

The Resource Center is located, on an interim basis, in 270 Holmes Hall, next to the World History Center and the History Department. The Resource Center houses the work of the Centerís four currently funded programs in Professional Development, and is planning two major conferences on teaching world history for Spring 1998.

In addition, the Resource Center has responsibility for editing, publishing and housing the collection of World History Teaching Units to be published in cooperation with the teachers of the professional development programs. Roughly thirty Teaching Units, of thirty pages each, are expected to be published in mid-1999.

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6. Professional Development in World History

During the period of this report, the World History Center has become the preeminent institution for professional development of teachers of World History in New England and perhaps more generally. The following programs were carried out:

• World History Teaching Workshop, April 10, 1998, with World History Association president Heidi Roupp. 15 teacher participants.
• World History for Grade 9, Mass. Dept. of Education Summer Content Institute, 20-26 July 1998. 50 teacher participants.
• World History at Dorchester High, supported by Boston-Annenberg Challenge, July 1998 through June 1999. 12 teacher participants.
• World History for Grade 9, for Boston teachers, supported by Center for Leadership Development; 11 workshops from October 1998 through May 1999. 15 teacher participants.
• World History for Grade 9, for Northeast Alliance of High Schools, supported by Mass. Dept. of Education, December 1998 - January 1999. 21 teacher participants.

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7. World History Center Goals for 1999.

• Obtain funding and approval for employing a full-time administrative assistant for the Center. The World History Center is in great need of a skilled administrative assistant. In 1997-98, the Center administered eight grants totalling over $250,000 and employed over 25 different individuals (eight of them over half-time, under HRM or co-op contracts), but with all the administrative and personnel work carried out by the center director (with 1/3 release for all center activities) and by part-time student assistants. The lack of any university funding of the center and the small size of most grants awarded has made the employment of a regular administrative assistant impossible. The resulting disorganization and misallocation of the center directorís time has been costly. It seems certain that hiring a skilled administrative assistant would smooth all regular operations, and release the director for grant writing which would more than repay the additional salary costs. Estimated cost: $40,000 per year in salary and benefits.
• Obtain funding for computer and media equipment for the Resource Center. The Resource Center, to serve its clientele, must have equipment for CD-ROMs, the web, overheads, slides, videos, laser disks, and photocopies. Obtaining equipment in each of these categories is an urgent priority for 1999. Estimated cost: $7,000
• Sumbit four major grant proposals and four smaller proposals. The center proposes to submit at least four major proposals (over $100,000) during 1999 for research and development of multimedia materials on technology in world history and religion in world history, and for professional development. In addition, the center proposes to submit at least four smaller proposals for support of the Resource Center and for professional development institutes.
• Extend Advisory Board to include external members. The current Advisory Board consists of four Northeastern faculty members whose advice is helpful on campus operations. In addition, the center wishes to add another four external members, including internationally known scholars and corporate leaders. The cost is that of bringing all board members to Northeastern for an annual meeting, and of maintaining communication during the year. Estimated cost: $3,000 per year.
• Additional goals. In specialized areas of its activities, the center proposes additional goals, which are noted in an appendix

Revenues (1997-98 Academic Year)

Contracts 

DOE 45,000 (awarded 1998)
Annenberg 109,000 (awarded 1996)
Wadsworth 60,000 (awarded 1998)
Britannica 15,000 (awarded 1998)

Subcontracts

DOE - Northeast 22,500 (awarded 1998)
CLD 20,000 (awarded 1998)

Other Revenue

Conference revenue 200

Total 273,700

Expenditures and commitments in various areas roughly equalled revenues.

Detailed financial report available upon request.

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Administration

• administration of seven budgets of projects, contracts, and subcontracts
• application for eight grants, of which six were funded

• membership formalized with recognition of the center

• PhD -- new students 1998: Christopher Harris, Jeremy Neill, George Reklaitis, Jack Rogers, Kathleen Simone, Bin Yang 
• MA -- new students 1998: Michael Mezzano, Tiffany Trimmer, Elizabeth Tobon, 
• MAT ó completion of plan for internship
• BA/BS -- new courses 1997-98

Presentations 1997-98

Presentations Fall 1998

Resource Center -- as noted above

Professional Development -- as noted above

Conferences

• NER-WHA Symposium (Keene State), September 1997
• NER-WHA electronic conference, February 1998
• NER-WHA Symposium (WPI), September 1998
• Grad student workshop, April 1998
• preparations for WHA international conference, June 2000, at Northeastern
• planned conferences -- NERC pre-conference workshop; Outreach Symposium; 1999 NER-WHA Symposium; CD-ROM conference

• David Kinkela, webmaster (1997-98)
• Eric Martin, webmaster (1998-99)

• preparatory work for Teaching Units

• from 950 subscribers (October 1997) to 1200 subscribers (December 1998) 
• Whitney Howarth and Pat Manning as co-editors

SWHSAE -- ready to grow.

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• expand to membership of 6 faculty plus 12 grads

• seek university and external support for doctoral field research

• support expansion of MAT program and internships

• hold five seminars and a publication on Asia and Europe in the world economy.
• seek external funding for public affairs

• Outreach Symposium for 200 teachers, May 7-8
• Migration CD-ROM conference, September

• reach 1000 hits per month.
• purchase new server to handle heavier load. Cost: $3000.

• publish and distribute at least 30 Teaching Units

• expand from 1200 to 1400 subscribers

• revise constitution 
• expand membership of secondary teachers

• publish two regular issues during 1998