On Being a Public Scholar ...

On Friday, I attended a symposium honoring Professor Emerita Hazel Dicken-Garcia at the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The theme of the day was "Beyond the Ivory Tower," and the challenge of the day was to bring scholarship into real-world applications and connections.

It was a fitting topic to honor a person whose great accomplishments as a teacher, mentor, and scholar stretch beyond the boundaries of academia. For those who don't know, Hazel was my own dissertation adviser at the U. Many of her advisees have gone on to do work that transcends basic scholarship to be publicly applicable. My own work bringing high school students into college journalism classrooms is one example. But there are many, many others who continue to apply their skills at research design and analysis to doing good work.

One example is Nora Hall, a Hazel scholar who now works as a Minneapolis consultant to improve neighborhoods and opportunities for women and others who need them. Another is David Domke, who, as a scholar, has published two books about religion and the presidency, and has found himself thrust into the national spotlight during election years. Others do things like work with local community groups to discuss issues of coverage for their organizations, or write editorials and columns explaining legal and ethical dilemmas for the press in layman's terms.

The day felt refreshing in many ways. The gauntlet for public scholarship was thrown into a crowd of former Hazel advisees, current and former U faculty, and invited guests. It will be interesting to see who picks it up.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to think about what it means, this business of being a public scholar, as I put the finishing touches on my new book, which explores the voices of American farm women from 1910 to 1960. It sheds light on their pivotal roles in American history and offers a kind of foundation for exploring the fissures between urban and rural American cultures that developed during that period, fissures that can still be felt today.

Hey, wait: That topic does have real-world applications!

Looks like I'm a public scholar, too.