History
Featured Alumni
Dr. Edward Westermann and the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission
Dr. Westermann was appointed as a commissioner to the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission by the Lieutenant Governor's Office and confirmed by the Texas State Senate in January 2019. During his tenure, he has been actively involved in developing educational resources in support of Senate Bill 1828 that created the mandate for a Holocaust Remembrance Week in all Texas public schools. In addition, as a commissioner, he continues to support local Holocaust Remembrance activities, and he will be a featured speaker for the San Antonio Public Library's Learn and Remember events in January 2021.
Fall 2020 Featured Alumnus
William Scott, Class of 2016
History Ph.D. student, Texas Tech University
What you are studying in your program?
I am starting my second year in the PhD Program in History at Texas Tech University studying Environmental History under Dr. Mark Stoll. My research is following the continuity of the Texas cattle market from the Spanish Era through the Civil War. In my program at TTU, I am also studying as an U.S. historian in Borderlands and Military History, with a secondary geographic field in Modern Latin America.
How has your Texas A&M-San Antonio history degree prepared you for your PhD program?
The History Program at Texas A&M-San Antonio was a great foundation for the advanced degrees which I am pursuing. The faculty at A&M-SA were nurturing in the study and practice of history. These professors’ interest in a student’s research was a valuable part of the pursuit of the student degree.
If you were speaking with an undergraduate who was considering a major in history, what would you tell them about the benefits of such a degree?
Be proactive in your research. Find a subject that you are passionate about and has a depth of research that can be expounded. Talk to colleagues and mentors about your topic and don’t hesitate to present your research at a scholarly conference, where you can hear others opinions of your research.