After 26 years of work for the Center for Western Studies (CWS), former director of research and publications Harry Thompson has been named the Center's new executive director.
Thompson began working in the book publication and research collection departments of the CWS in 1984, feeling that it matched his academic and professional pursuits.
Thompson holds master's degrees in American Studies (Baylor University) and English (University of Rochester) and earned his Ph.D. in English from the University of South Dakota.
"I have always been interested in research and publishing," Thompson said.
These interests have served him well, as he has been the editor of more than 20 books for the CWS and is currently working on a new book with English professor Patrick Hicks that features contemporary South Dakotan poets and is slated to come out next fall.
Thompson also received the chance to pass on his knowledge to students during the course "Unlocking the Archives," which he taught over interim.
During the course, students transcribed historical documents, all of which came from the CWS archives.
"I wanted to use the resources here at the center for the focus of the course," Thompson said.
Every student received a Civil War-era document that they had to interpret.
"My text was a love letter and was very sweet," sophomore Dawn Wille said. "It was interesting to research the background of the letter to discover the context of the letter."
Students also learned about different interpretations of the past. One of the textbooks cited by Thompson, entitled Houses of History, showed 12 different ways of writing history.
"I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of students," Thompson said. "But that's how we learn about the past, through writing. There is no difference between writing history and literature. It's all about interpretation."
"The texts had much more meaning after we had worked with them and put them in perspective," Wille said.
The course is part of the new Northern Plains Studies minor, which Thompson helped to propose in 2003.
The minor supports the anthropology major but encompasses a variety of disciplines, including Native American studies, sociology, history and literature.
The minor is also part of the CWS' recent commitment to become more involved with the academic program at Augustana.
For the first time, the Center is being heavily involved in the Higher Learning Commission, which grants Augustana's accreditation every ten years.
"We want to find ways for the center to become more intimately involved with the academic program at Augustana," Thompson said.
The center already hosts several events at Augustana and in the community, including the Dakota History Conference, the Artists of the Plains show and sale and the Boe Forum. It also houses an art gallery that features regional artists, and it recently opened its doors to the Civitas program by hosting classes in their building.
"We are unique," Thompson said of the CWS. "We are a museum, a library, a book publishing agency, an art gallery. We are an interesting combination of things."
Thompson hopes to carry on this tradition during his time as director.
"The things that we are going to continue are the strong programs," he said. "But we look very much forward to pursuing new ideas."
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