New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance
Background, Purpose, Programs, Resources, Awards, Membership, By-Laws
Background
The New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance (NJSAA) has evolved from a small group of New Jersey studies teachers that began to meet in the spring of 1992. The purpose is to promote the teaching of New Jersey studies, collaborate on projects, and share materials.
Purpose
The Alliance's mission is to bring together individuals involved in the study of New Jersey to further knowledge and act as a clearinghouse for information about teaching and research on New Jersey. The Alliance is by its very nature interdisciplinary and involves people at every level of teaching and research. Members include teachers (kindergarten through college), historians, geographers, museum and historical organization personnel, and librarians. But, in fact, anyone is welcome to join who has an interest in the study of New Jersey.
Programs
Since the fall of 1993 the Alliance has presented or cosponsored a number of conferences to introduce people to New Jersey studies. In the spring of 1994 the Alliance and the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies sponsored a daylong conference on the humanities as applied to New Jersey subjects. The following year the Alliance cooperated with Rutgers University Libraries to present a series on New Jersey and World War II. It worked with the Park Service/Organization of American Historians on a Thomas Edison Sesquicentennial Conference (1997), and with Rutgers-Camden for another on Walt Whitman (1998). In these endeavors the Alliance has received generous support from both the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and from the New Jersey Historical Commission.
Alliance members have presented sessions at the New Jersey Education Association conventions (1995 and 1999), New Jersey Council for the Social Studies (1997), and History Issues Convention (1998) to help teachers learn about materials to teach New Jersey studies. In 1998-99 it organized a New Jersey Studies Film Festival, which was held at a variety of venues around the state.
The Alliance also worked with the New Jersey County Cultural and Historic Agencies to present a series of county studies programs to introduce teachers to the historic resources of the counties. Programs were held in Ocean, Camden, Gloucester, and Atlantic counties, along with related sessions in Bergen and Morris counties.
In addition, the Alliance has been a co-sponsor of the annual New Jersey History Issues Convention every year since its inception in 1994, the Archives Day celebration held in the fall at Monmouth County Archives, and also since 1995 National History Day held in the spring at William Paterson University. In 1995 and 1996 it cosponsored the programs for teachers of the Walter Edge Foran Institute held at Morven.
Alliance members have participated in efforts to strengthen the teaching of New Jersey studies in the schools. Claribel Young (Georgian Court College) chaired the History Issues Convention's Committee on History in the Schools. Both Harriet Sepinwall (College of Saint Elizabeth) and Maxine N. Lurie (Seton Hall University) testified about the needs of New Jersey studies -- especially New Jersey history -- education before the Task Force on New Jersey History when it held public meetings.
Most recently, the group partnered with New Jersey Caucus Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, New Jersey Council for History Education, Monmouth County Archives, New Jersey State Archives, United Methodist Church Archives, Seton Hall University School of Education & History Department (Fall 2001) on a series of workshops designed to bring teachers into area archives. It was called "History Need Not Be Dull: Bringing the Past to Life Using Primary Source Documents and Local Historic Sites,'' and done with the assistance of a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission. Sessions were held at five locations in the state: Seton Hall University, Monmouth County Library, Drew University. New Jersey State Archives, and NJEA Convention. The program has continued with sessions held at the New Jersey Historical Society in 2002, and Monmouth Historical Society in 2003.
The Alliance itself
was a
recipient of an Award of
Recognition from the New Jersey Historical Commission in 1997.
Resources
The Alliance worked with the New Jersey Historical Commission to produce a Guide to Resources for New Jersey Studies, which was updated several times.
Awards
Author Award.
The Alliance has joined with the History and Bibliography Section of the New Jersey Library Association, Rutgers University Press, and Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, to present an annual award to a New Jersey author. Given since 1996 the recipients have been Michael Rockland (1996), Joanna Burger (1997), Mark Di Ionno (1998), and Donald Sinclair (1999); and Mark Di Ionno, Michael Immerso, Meredith Bzdak, Douglas Peterson, Troy Messenger, and Penelope Scambly Schott (2000); Firth Fabend, Paul Wice, and Merce Ridgeway (2001); Delight Dodyk and Helen Chantal-Pike (2002); Richard Viet, Lucy Rosenfeld, and Marina Harrison (2003); Jennifer Gillan, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Edvige Giunta, S. Mitra Kalita, Kevin Coyne, Lloyd Gardner, Maxine N. Lurie, and Marc Mappen (2004); Dermot Quinn, Helen Chantal-Pike (2005); Howard Gillette, Jr. (2006); Sora Friedman (2007).
Click here for: Criteria for Author Awards
Teaching Awards.
Since 1999 the Alliance has also
presented teaching awards on the elementary, high school, and college level.
1999
Awards went to:
Elementary school: Dawn Levin
High School: Dr. William
Fernekes
College: Dr.
Carmela Ascolese Karnoutsos.
2000 Awards went to:
Elementary school: Charles Giachetti
College: Dr. Peter O. Wacker
2001 Award went to Dr.
Richard P. McCormick
2002
Awards went to:
Elementary
School: Diane Lewis
Middle
School: Dorothy Kohrherr
High School:
Edward Engelbart
College:
Claribel Young
2003 Award to Elementary
School Teacher Nicolle Marrazzo.
2004 Awards went to:
Elementary
School: Sharon Carroll
Middle
School: Warren C. Martin, Jr.
High School:
Jay Gavitt
2006 Award to
College Teacher: Charles Stansfield
2007 Award to
College Teacher: Raymond Frey
Click here for: Criteria for Teaching Awards
Roger McDonough Librarianship Award
Starting
in 2002 the NJSAA, along with the New Jersey Historical Commission, Mid-Atlantic
Regional Archives Conference New Jersey Caucus, and the New Jersey Library
Association History and Preservation Section, has given an
award to a librarian or archivist or manuscript curator for excellence in
service to the New Jersey history research community and/or the general public. The
award went to Robert Lupp (2002), Elsalyn Palmisano (2003), Charles
Cummings (2004), Joseph Felcone (2005), Karl Niederer (2006); and Lois Densky
Wolff (2007).
Click here for Criteria for Librarianship Award.
Museum/Historic Site Award
In 2003 the NJSAA created an award for
a person or institution that created an outstanding program at a museum or
historic site in New Jersey. In the
future the award will be given in alternate years to an individual and a site. The Award will be given annually at the
History Issues Convention in March. The award was only give in 2004 to The
Hermitage.
Click here for Criteria for Museum/Historic Site Award.
Paul Stellhorn New Jersey History Award for Undergraduate Paper
In 2004 an award was established to honor Paul A. Stellhorn (1947-2001), historian who worked on the history of Newark and during his distinguished career worked for the New Jersey Historical Commission, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the Newark Public Library. The award is sponsored by the NJ Historical Commission, NJSAA, NJ Council for History Education, Friends of Rutgers University Libraries, and NJ Caucus- Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. It will be given to the best undergraduate paper on New Jersey history. The award was given to Laura Granett of Rutgers University (2004); Rebecca Karol of Rowan University (2005); Christopher Antanaitis of Rider University (2006).
Click here for Criteria for Stellhorn Award
Membership
Membership in the Alliance is $5 for one year, $15 for three years. Our meetings and programs are open to all who want to attend. To join contact Carla Zimmerman, membership chair, c/o Rutgers University Special Collections, 169 College Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1163. (732) 932 7006.
For questions about the organization contact Maxine N. Lurie, History Department, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey 07079. (973) 275 2772.
Click here for: Membership Form
Click here for: By-Laws
01/30/08