CWS plans 43rd annual Dakota Conference

As Augustana organizes sesquicentennial celebrations, the Center for Western Studies (CWS) is planning an event to commemorate a different 150-year anniversary.

The 43rd Annual Dakota Conference will explore the connections between the Civil War and the northern plains.

"The Civil War is a defining event in American history so it is inherently significant," Timothy M. Hoheisel, director of outreach and communiction at the CWS, said. "It is an event that is still discussed and debated so it was a natural choice to recognize its continued importance in the 150-year anniversary of the beginning of the war."

According to Hoheisel, the conference dates back to 1969, when it began at Dakota State University. It is now the oldest and largest annual conference focused specifically on South Dakota and the northern Great Plains region.

"The main goal is to examine contemporary issues in their historical and cultural contexts," Hoheisel said.

The biggest challenge for organizers is to fit the differing paper proposals into coherent sessions, according to Hoheisel and Harry Thompson, executive director of the CWS.

"The vast majority of proposals come to us individually," Hoheisel said. "It is up to us to create thematically related sessions. This year, many are focused on the main theme, but some are very eclectic."

Six students from Thompson's "Finding the Great Plains" course will present, as well as one from English professor Debbie Hanson's "Literature of the Civil War" course. In addition, junior Kate Schleusener and senior Adam Bockelman will receive cash awards for the papers they presented last year.

The Dakota Conference begins at 8:15 a.m. on April 29 and at 8 a.m. on April 30 in the Center for Western Studies. Admission is free for Augustana students and faculty.  More information can be found at www.augie.edu/cws/dakotaconference.