“West Virginia University Since World War II,” Little Lecture by Ronald L. Lewis at the MacFarland-Hubbard House in Charleston. 2pm May 18.
West Virginia University emeritus professor Ronald L. Lewis will discuss the growth and evolution of WVU since World War II for the West Virginia Humanities Council Little Lecture in May. The program will be 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, at Humanities Council headquarters in the MacFarland-Hubbard House, located at 1310 Kanawha Boulevard, East, in Charleston.
Lewis, who also holds the title of West Virginia Historian Laureate, is the author of Aspiring to Greatness: West Virginia University since World War II, published in September 2013 by WVU Press. The book is the only modern history of WVU and focuses on the post-war historical developments that elevated the school from a regional institution to one of national prominence. In his May 18 talk, Professor Lewis will examine the impact of returning WWII and Korean War veterans and baby boomers on student enrollment from 1945 to 1975. From the mid-70s to the early 1990s this growth gave way to a trend of unprecedented gender, racial, and ethnic diversity reflecting the increase of students from nontraditional backgrounds. In the 1990s WVU, like other public universities, was called upon to generate more of its own revenues with the increasing commercialization of higher education. The University’s strategic responses to these pressures transformed it into the large complex institution of today.
Professor Lewis taught history at WVU from 1985 to his retirement in 2008. He chaired the History Department from 1989 to 1995. In addition to Aspiring to Greatness he has published numerous articles, essays, and book chapters. He also has co-edited 14 books including Transnational West Virginia: Ethnic Communities and Economic Change, 1840-1940 and is the author of Transforming the Appalachian Countryside: Railroads, Deforestation, and Social Change in West Virginia, 1880-1920; and Welsh Americans: A History of Assimilation in the Coalfields.
Robinson & McElwee PLLC is sponsoring the 2014 Little Lecture Series. Founded in Charleston in 1983, the law firm serves clients throughout West Virginia and Ohio.
Admission to the lecture is $10 and includes a reception after the program. Taylor Books will furnish copies of Aspiring to Greatness for purchase and Professor Lewis will sign them following the program. People interested in attending should call the Humanities Council at 304-346-8500 before 12:00 noon on May 16.
Little Lecture Series is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
