The Friends of the History Department

Mission and Goals

The Friends of the History Department is an advisory board composed of alumni, faculty, local history professionals, current students and community experts in public history.  The board collaborates with History faculty to promote the department’s goals.  The primary mission of the board is to enhance and support students’ educational and career opportunities by encouraging interaction and connections between students, faculty, alumni, historical professionals, and the larger San Luis Obispo community.  It is a joint effort of the various constituencies on the board to provide information to current majors of the range of career opportunities available to graduates who possess skill sets of an historian.

The following specific objectives will guide the work of the Friends of History:

• Support the department’s internship program
  • Providing internship opportunities at one’s company or agency.
  • Identifying potential new internship opportunities for students.
  • Encouraging other real-world opportunities and contacts for student

• Mentor students:
  • Encouraging mentoring relationships between students and alumni.
  • Utilizing the resources and experiences of alumni to introduce students to the many professional opportunities provided by a degree in history.
  • Fostering students’ knowledge of the many faces of public history.
  • Developing a career fair – perhaps in collaboration with other CLA departments – to match students to potential employers.

• Support department outreach efforts:
  • Reviving the department newsletter
  • Compiling a database on the department's alumni, includign information on their career paths to complement efforts to mentor students.

• Assist with department fundraising activities for such things as internships, student scholarships, faculty research and professional development, student research trips, and endowment for other departmental programs.
• Help to build a support network among students, their families, faculty, and alumni to help expand educational and job opportunities.
• Encourage a stronger link between the department and the growing community in the county interested in history:
  • Perhaps offering public lectures on historical topics or other outreach programs.
  • Encouraging students (perhaps through the Historical Society) to become engaged with the local historical community by visiting sites and institutions of historical interest.

For information on joining The Friends of the History Department, contact Dr. James Tejani.