History in the public interest from the Lepage Center at Villanova University
History briefings for business leaders
This month the Lepage Center launched a new program, “History Briefings for Business Leaders.”

The charter of the Lepage Center notes that sound historical scholarship does not always inform the decision-making of today’s business leaders. The Lepage Center is directly addressing this through a new series of history briefings for the business community.

More than 30 business men and women attended our inaugural briefing on Brexit. Led by our faculty director Paul Steege, Associate Professor of European History at Villanova, the briefing located Brexit within larger notions of nostalgia for British empire, the composition and future of Europe, and previous British decisions to enter and exit European agreements.
The Lepage Center's inaugural "History Briefings for Business Leaders" was held January 11, 2018, at the law offices of Volpe & Koenig, P.C. The event was co-sponsored by the Irish American Business Chamber Network of Philadelphia.
The event was graciously co-sponsored by the Irish American Business Chamber Network and hosted at the law offices of Volpe & Koenig, P.C.

We envision the business history briefing series becoming a signature program of the Lepage Center. To discuss a briefing for your office or organization, please email us.
Hosting historians in Washington
The Lepage Center recently welcomed historians from across the country to Washington for a reception at the Annual Historical Association annual meeting. More than 100 historians attended the reception, including our friends from the National Council on Public History, the American Association for State and Local History and The Washington Post's "Made by History" blog. The Lepage Center directors as well as Dean Adele Lindenmeyr were present.
Also at the conference, our director Jason Steinhauer participated in a round-table discussion on " History & Public Policy Centers ." Joined by directors of the National History Center, the Luskin Center for History and Policy at UCLA, the George C. Marshall Foundation, and others, the round-table examined how centers and institutes can better infuse historical scholarship into public affairs.

The panel will air on C-SPAN on Monday, January 22 at 8pm ET. It will then be available online.
Upcoming events
Wednesday, Jan. 31
Scholarly Podcasting 101: A Workshop with Liz Covart, Host of Ben Franklin's World
11:30am-1pm, Idea Accelerator, Falvey Library, Villanova University

The Lepage Center welcomes Liz Covart , host of the popular podcast "Ben Franklin's World," to Villanova's Idea Accelerator for a workshop on how academics can use podcasts to communicate scholarly research. "Ben Franklin's World" was created by Liz Covart in 2014. The show now has more than 160,000 downloads per month and was recently awarded "Best History Podcast" by the Academy of Podcasters.

Friday, Feb. 2
History Career Day
12pm-4pm, Falvey Library, Villanova University

The Lepage Center and the Villanova Career Center, will host its first-ever “ History Career Day ” on February 2nd, 2018. The day will include insights into career opportunities for students with history degrees; a realistic look at the history job market; and expertise from the Career Center on resumes, cover letters, and job skills. All history graduate students and undergraduates majoring or minoring in history are welcome. RSVP is required.
1968: In Hindsight
Firefighters fight a blaze in Washington on April 5, 1968, after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo: Washington Post.
A recent article in The Washington Post highlighted historians who are taking a fresh look at 1968 now that the 50th anniversary is upon us.

This spring, the Lepage Center will launch a podcast series on the occasion of the 50th anniversary. In Lepage Center spirit, the series will examine contemporary issues that trace their roots back fifty years: income inequality, gentrification, urbanization, the generation gap, decolonization, environmentalism. We'll complement the episodes with articles on our blog as well as events . More on this project in the months ahead; please continue to check this newsletter and our website .
Fulfilling our mission - year one
The New Year offers a chance to reflect on 2017, our first year of operations.

Last year began with an empty office and a sign on the wall. From that the Lepage Center has grown to host public events , publish a blog , offer online resources , distribute a monthly newsletter, create two history communication fellowships and a develop a web, media, and social media presence.

We have proudly brought historical scholarship and historical perspective to bear on contemporary issues such as fake news , endless war , the environment , and monument debates .

You have been instrumental to our success, and we thank you for your support. We look forward to the years ahead, and all of us at the Center wish you our best for the new year.

If you are interested in more ways to support the Center, please click here .
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