Four years ago, I decided to attend the University of South Carolina Public History Program for several practical reasons. The University was able to offer excellent financial help in the form of an assistantship, and the program had a well-established reputation. I was also advised by a former professor to look for a public history program in a capital city, since the opportunities for projects and internships with a variety of agencies and organizations would be possible. That really turned out to be true at USC, and I feel that one of the Public History Program's greatest strengths is its extensive professional network. The numerous assistantships where you can get hands-on experience doing public history come directly from that strong network. Those connections continue to be helpful even after graduation, and I frequently have a chance to collaborate with other former students who also work in the state.

The Public History Program at USC also has a strong traditional history component that serves as the foundation for more technical training in the various public history fields. I'm constantly glad for the number of history courses that I took--in fact, I'm finding that I can supplement technical skills through professional development training at work, such as seminars and workshops. But it seems that the kind of education in history that I need in my job can only come from graduate-level history coursework.

---Al Hester, Historic Sites Coordinator, South Carolina State Park Service

Like many of my colleagues, I entered the University of South Carolina's Public History Program after having worked in the museum field for several years. As such, I found the following aspects of USC's program appealing: highly motivated faculty, maturity of the program, courses offered, and cost. The program's successful combination of public history courses with a solid foundation of traditional history classes creates well-rounded graduates who typically enjoy a high rate of placement within the fields of museums, historic preservation, and archives. Also, graduate assistantships that prove pertinent to career ambitions offer what few classrooms can - on the job training. In an effort to bolster my museum training further, I chose to couple my M.A. degree with McKissick Museum's graduate Certificate in Museum Management.

I attribute much of my professional success since graduation in December 1998 to the quality of training that USC's Public History Program offered me. Indeed, my current position as curator for Historic Columbia Foundation came as a direct result of my work as a graduate assistant and the focus of my thesis: a comprehensive history of one of the foundation's historic house museums.

---John Sherrer, Curator, Historic Columbia Foundation

I came to USC as an undergraduate, was a student in the South Carolina Honors College, got my BA in Anthropology, and minored in U.S. History. For my Honors College thesis, I designed and carried out an oral history project on my hometown of Neeses, South Carolina, under the direction of Dr. Constance Schulz. As with many public history converts, it was through Connie that I found out about the Public History Program. It was also through Connie that I got my first exposure to the world of archives. While still an undergraduate, she got me a job at the South Caroliniana Library working as Dr. Tom Johnson's student assistant. Although I didn't get to do much archival work at this point, I was exposed to it on a daily basis. When it came time to choose a graduate school and a graduate program, it seemed only natural to stay at USC and to enter the Public History Program in the archives track.

I continued on at the South Caroliniana Library for my entire graduate school career as a graduate assistant, working on two grant-funded projects in the library's manuscripts division. I also completed my internship at the Caroliniana with photo archivist Beth Bilderback. During my second semester in the program, I decided to add the library half of the joint degree to my curriculum. Based upon some manuscripts that I had come into contact with while working at the South Caroliniana Library, I decided to do my thesis on the mentally ill in South Carolina in the late nineteenth century, specifically looking at how the community perceived its mentally ill members.

I began my first professional job in October 1999 (I received my M.A. in Public History and my Master of Library and Information Science in December 1999) as Archivist IV and Coordinator of the South Carolina State University Historical Collection, which is located in the Miller F. Whittaker Library at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. The staff of the Historical Collection consists of only myself, one assistant, and occasional student help, so I do everything from writing and implementing policies, writing grants, and processing collections to vacuuming and dusting.

I have found that my experiences in the Public History Program have prepared me well for my job. The classes, the network of professionals and institutions in the Columbia area, my assistantship, and my internship have all proven invaluable in my current position. The education attained in the library portion of the joint program has also proven invaluable since I have found myself in an academic library setting.

I strongly encourage anyone interested in pursuing a career in archives to consider USC's Public History Program. What it offers in terms of a complete education as well as practical, resume-quality experience is hard to beat. I would also urge people to take advantage of the joint degree program with the library school. On the basis of the strong education and real-world experience I obtained while in the Public History Program, I was hired before I even received my degrees. This is a testament to the strength of the program and the degree to which its graduates are prepared for professional positions.

---Aimee Berry, Archivist, South Carolina State University

I was attracted to the University of South Carolina's Public History Program for several reasons. As a person who wanted to work in history museums, I was intrigued by the Public History Program's course of study, which emphasized a solid foundation in both historical research and museum theory. Moreover, hoping to obtain practical skills in a museum setting while attending graduate school, I was impressed that the faculty of the program developed and maintained professional relationships with various cultural institutions throughout the city of Columbia. Finally, desiring to attend a graduate program with a diverse student population, I discovered that the program's faculty was dedicated to recruiting students with various backgrounds and experiences from across the United States.

Once enrolled in the program, I found that the courses not only challenged my understanding of the museum profession but further enhanced my skills in conducting historical research. In addition to stimulating coursework, I was able with the faculty's assistance to secure a graduate assistantship at the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum. For two years I worked as an assistant registrar in the museum's collections department, gaining "hands-on" skills in both registration methods and collections management. My time spent at McKissick Museum was not only rewarding on a professional level but a personal level as well, for I developed several important friendships with both staff members and students. In fact, those friendships have continued to grow despite the fact that many of us have left Columbia to pursue various career goals in the field of public history. By choosing the University of South Carolina's Public History Program, I received a stimulating education and developed the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully enter the museum profession.

---Heather J. Erskine, Assistant Collections Manger, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

I spent five years in the Public History Program at the University of South Carolina, and it was five of the best years of my life. I know you are thinking to yourself that five years is a long time to spend in graduate school, but believe me it was worth it. Don't worry, though: you can finish the program in two short years. I just enjoyed the professors and the students so much that I stayed longer.

I believe the success of this program can be attributed to Professors Constance Schulz and Robert Weyeneth. Each of them has worked hard to develop an academic curriculum that emphasizes fundamental principles in archives, historic preservation, and museum studies. This curriculum is challenging and informative. Dr. Schulz and Dr. Weyeneth have also worked hard to make people in the program feel as if they are a part of a family. They have always welcomed interaction with students outside of the classroom. The family atmosphere they have created enables you to make the transition to graduate school easier and it relieves some of the stress that arises from graduate school.

Anyone interesting in a career in public history should strongly consider the Public History Program at University of South Carolina. The program will prepare you academically and professionally for a career in the public history field. But more importantly it's a great way to spend two or five years of your life.

---Darrick Hart, Preservation and Conservation Specialist, Thomas Cooper Library

I highly recommend the USC Public History Program to anyone looking to obtain the foundation and experience necessary to obtain a rewarding position in the field of historic preservation. What makes the program so valuable is the emphasis on real world applications of knowledge. From internships to field schools and classroom activities, the faculty encourages students to obtain experiences that are directly transferable to a good entry-level position.

My position as Preservation Planner at the City of Columbia was obtained, in large part, because of my internship experience at a historic site in Upstate New York, my production of a National Register nomination in Professor Weyeneth's class, and the graduate assistantship organized by the department. Additionally, the strong base of historical knowledge and the associated research skills gained through the graduate history classes have proven extremely valuable. This combination of practice with theory is essential to success in the field of historic preservation, is what is drew me to the Public History Program, and why I highly recommend it to others.

---Krista Hampton, Historic Preservation Planner, City of Columbia

I chose the University of South Carolina's Public History Program because of its emphasis on providing both a museum studies and an American history field. Through my course work I gained the knowledge of how to identify and use objects to educate people about history. My internships and practical work experiences gave me a foundation upon which to expand my knowledge. Other professional opportunities -- including attending conferences -- paved the way for job opportunities as well as helped me formulate new friendships within the field. The mix of museum studies and history courses, along with internship and work experience, allowed me to develop a more holistic understanding of history, museums, and the avenue I wished to pursue within the field.

---Susan Asbury, Curator, Historic Berry, Berry College

The main reason that I choose the University of South Carolina for my graduate degree was the joint program with the Library and Information Science program. After visiting Columbia the summer before graduating from college, I realized that USC and Columbia were perfect for me. The cost of living and the people made me feel like I was at home. Another reason was the availability of opportunities for working in my field of study. Graduate assistantships, internships, and employment were readily available. I arrived a couple of months before fall semester began and quickly found a job at the South Caroliniana Library and an assistantship at the USC Law Library, which provided me with a tuition reduction. That experience coupled with a later assistantship at the USC documentary editing project, The Papers of Henry Laurens, would later prove to be the deciding factor in my employment as the Court Historian/Archivist at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. I've been with the Sixth Circuit Library for four years now and look back on my years at the University of South Carolina as the pathway to this good career.

---Rita F. Wallace, Historian/Archivist, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

One of the best things about being a museums student at USC is the wide variety of experiences one can have. For instance, our assistantships and internships allowed me to pursue whatever aspect of the field I wished to explore. My experiences were quite diverse -- I worked in collections management, volunteer administration, and for my internship project I wrote an interpretive and furnishing plan for a historic house in Maryland. Even though I planned to pursue research and interpretation, my varied background enabled me to become the Registrar for the Missouri Division of State Parks shortly after graduation.

Equally important is the support all USC Public History students receive from the Public History Program faculty. Bob Weyeneth and Connie Schulz (and now Kasey Grier) are great to work with and are wonderful advocates for their students. Their belief in the program and its students drive the success of Public History at USC.

--- Kim Dillon, Registrar, Missouri State Parks

The USC Public History program gave me the training and experience I needed to begin a career in historic preservation. Compared to the other graduate programs I considered, USC offered a better balance of traditional training in academic history and hands-on experience with preservation projects. The network of public history institutions in Columbia and throughout South Carolina provided plenty of opportunities for students to get "real world" work experience. In all, the Public History program gave me more than just the skills I needed to work in preservation -- it taught me how to be a better historian and to think like a public history professional as well. Without question, it was the best combination of experience I could have asked for.

--- Daniel Vivian, Survey Coordinator, South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office

I chose the University of South Carolina after checking out many different archival programs around the country. I was especially impressed with the staff and curriculum at USC and after touring Columbia and the campus, I chose USC over several other very good programs. I liked the fact that in addition to taking my archival classes and the history part of my degree, that I could also take classes in museum studies and historic preservation.

USC had many assistantships available on campus which helped reduce tuition as well as enabling me to gain experience and knowledge in my chosen profession. I was lucky enough to get an assistantship in the University of South Carolina Archives. The friends and knowledge I gained while there will be with me forever.

The program enabled me to choose my own internship and my thesis topic. With the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and the South Carolina State Museum as well as many other historical institutions close to campus, research was convenient and easy and the staff of all the institutions were always very helpful. Many of them were graduates of the program and were always willing to give advice. Since my thesis topic was South Carolina College Cadets, I used materials located at the University Archives and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

After graduation, I moved to Baltimore and worked on a grant project at the Baltimore Museum of Industry processing the business records of the Canton Company. After that, I took a position at the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Arhives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. I am the Processing Archivist and Fine Arts Coordinator. Basically, I process incoming collections as well as keep the inventory and schedule any work involving our artifact and art collection.

I would recommend the program at USC to anyone interested. First of all, Dr. Constance Schulz and Dr. Robert Weyeneth are more than just professors in the program. Both treat everyone as peers and colleagues rather than students. It makes the learning process so much more fun when your ideas are treated as valid from the start. Also, their doors are always open for advice, conversation, help or anything else needed and they are easily accessible. The program is more like a close-knit family than anything else. I made many friends in the program and still keep in touch with many of them.

Studying public history at USC was one of the best experiences of my life. The experience and knowledge I gained while there have served me well so far and I am sure that they will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I made many friends there and after our dispersal to different parts of the country following education, they are now my professional colleagues as well. Lastly, I met my wife there and we just celebrated our 7th anniversary.

--- Andrew Harrison, Processing Archivist, Chesney Medical Archives, Johns Hopkins University