CONTACT:
• Laurie Mercier, College of Liberal Arts, History Department, 503-516-1148, lmercier@vancouver.wsu.edu
• Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu
Vancouver, Wash. - Laurie Mercier, Washington State University Vancouver professor of history and public historian, has been selected by the Washington State University College of Liberal Arts to be the new Claudius O. and Mary W. Johnson Distinguished Professor in History.
Mercier is the first professor from 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø to hold the Johnson Professorship in History. Mercier's balanced record of excellence in scholarship, teaching and service aligns closely with the stipulation that the Johnson Professor demonstrate, "a distinguished record of scholarly achievement, and of innovative and high-quality classroom instruction" with priority being given to scholars with an emphasis in American history. The professorship was recently held by Susan Armitage, a former history and women's studies professor in Pullman.
Amy S. Wharton, Ph. D., director of the College of Liberal Arts, found the award to be a testimony to the quality of the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø faculty.
"I think it's very exciting that 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø has a professor who received a distinguished professorship. Laurie exemplifies the type of faculty members 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø is known for: someone who is an outstanding researcher but is also engaged in the community as well as in the classroom."
Mercier is a specialist in American labor history, a national leader in the field of oral history, and enjoys an international reputation as a gifted scholar with a keen interest in the intersections of class, race and gender. She has taught at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø for 15 years, has published four books, countless publications and articles, and has been a guest lecturer in venues from the Ukraine to Japan.
The award came as a flattering surprise to Mercier, who will hold the position as long as she is employed at WSU. "The award is to honor and encourage research. Instead of teaching summer school, it allows more time to get away and do research. During the school year we're just so busy."
Mercier's current research project is aimed at comparing how workers in industrial communities in Canada, the western U.S. and Australia relate to the places they live.
"I'm especially interested in male-dominated, industrial communities like mining, logging, fishing and long shoring. Women have historically been excluded from those occupations, so I'm interested in how men and women negotiate gender boundaries," said Mercier.
She plans to take her first trip as Johnson Professor to the University of British Columbia's library archives to spend an intense week gathering information as the foundation for writing a book, a task that can take six to 10 years.
Mercier credits her love of teaching to being awarded the Johnson Professorship. "At 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø we have such an interesting mix of students who represent a variety of backgrounds and ages. I find that our students are really open minded and welcome new ideas, information and ways of looking at the world. Because we're such a small school, I've especially enjoyed working with undergraduate and graduate students on special projects that offer unique opportunities."
Various university-related and personal projects have Mercier regularly extending herself beyond the traditional university classroom. Whether it is through leading workshops on teaching American history for secondary school teachers, engaging in a project to digitize the NAACP records at the Clark County Historical Museum, or by co-hosting a public affairs radio show on Portland's KBOO 90.7, Mercier selflessly shares her passion and talents with the community.
Claudius O. Johnson was born in 1894, served the United States Army in World War I, and joined the faculty of WSU Pullman in 1928 as Chair of the Department of History and Political Science. With a career spanning four decades, he was considered by many students to be the most influential role model of their college experience. Mary W. Johnson joined the faculty in 1923 as a physical education instructor and served as a civic leader in the Pullman community until her death in 1992. Through gifts from their estates, the Johnsons created distinguished professorships in both history and political science that provide income to the appointee for purposes related to instructional scholarly activity.
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