Tulane University Joins LSU Reilly Center Partnership to Document, Preserve Women’s Legacies in State Politics
November 3, 2022
BATON ROUGE—The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication is partnering with Tulane University’s H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute to document women’s experience as political leaders through oral histories.
This partnership will expand the geographical footprint and constituencies for the Louisiana Women in Politics Oral History Project. The effort provides a historical record of female political figures who played important roles in some of Louisiana’s most notable historical moments. It also documents their career reflections and how they navigated challenging moments. Their stories will serve as a resource for both scholars and future generations of women considering careers in the political sphere.
“We have been looking forward to this collaboration for some time. Giving our students this kind of research opportunity is precisely the mission of Newcomb Institute, and we look forward to illuminating the many stories of Louisiana trailblazers,” said Newcomb Institute’s Director of Research Anna M. Mahoney.
Dedicated to achieving gender equity, Newcomb Institute has long been a pioneer in elevating the contributions of women to civic life, business and beyond. Newcomb Institute joins existing project partners the Waggonner Center at Louisiana Tech University, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the Department of History at Xavier University of Louisiana.
“Having partners like Tulane’s Newcomb Institute expands the reach of the project and our ability to document the stories of women who have played important policy roles across Louisiana,” LSU Reilly Center Director Jenée Slocum said. “We are excited to have them on board.”
The recordings are housed at LSU Libraries T. Harry Williams Center with secondary repositories around the state. As women are elected to positions in future years, their oral history accounts may be added to the collection.
For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.
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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.
LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: Master of Mass Communication, Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs, Certificate of Strategic Communication and a dual MMC/Law degree. Like us on Facebook @ManshipSchool, or follow us on Twitter @ManshipSchool, Instagram @ManshipSchool and LinkedIn LSU Manship School of Mass Communication.
The Newcomb Institute at Tulane University is a research and experiential learning center at Tulane University with a focus on educating students to achieve gender equity and discover solutions to intractable gender problems of our time. Newcomb provides opportunities for students to experience synergies between curricula, research, and community engagement through close collaboration with faculty, internships, and various grant programs.