Proposal: Anthology, Texas A&M University-Commerce Press:
WRITING DEMOCRACY IN EAST TEXAS: A History of Civic Engagement at Texas A&M University-Commerce (1889-1975)
The proposed anthology commemorates two major milestones in the history of Texas A&M-Commerce, both of which will occur in 2014.
- 125 years ago, William L. Mayo established a teacher’s college to provide the region’s largely poor farmers and their families with access to higher education, “regardless of previous academic preparation or ability to pay” (Mayo College Catalog, 1896);
- 50 years ago, this same campus became one of the last two public colleges in Texas to remove “White” as a primary criterion for admission.
The proposed collection will feature creative and scholarly work, alongside archival materials, that illustrate our university’s historical relationship with the surrounding community. Established in 1889 in direct response to community need, A&M-C’s 125-year history of providing local citizens with rhetorical training for civic engagement (Gold 2005, 2009; Carter 2012; Carter and Conrad 2012; Carter and Dent 2013) make it an ideal site for larger questions about a university’s responsibility to the community and a community’s potential influence on the university. To this end, the proposed anthology addresses a range of questions Continue reading