This 150th Anniversary Issue of Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review is dedicated to
The Chapman University Community
for shaping this institution into a pillar of excellence in higher education
This year marks the 150th Anniversary of Chapman University, and the students of the Alpha Mu Gamma chapter of Phi Alpha Theta decided to commemorate this milestone in a special issue of Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review with a compilation of oral histories. Students videotaped interviews with some of the notable people from Chapman's past and present, tracing the University's rise from a small religious college in northern California to a nationally recognized institution of higher learning located in Orange, California. As one will see in these interviews, Chapman University has maintained its commitment to personalized education during its rise to prominence, a hallmark of the Chapman experience. However, this is only a small section of the vast patchwork that is Chapman University; there are many more stories to hear. We hope that this initial project will inspire others to continue similar work and capture more histories through visual and auditory means.
"A Rise to Prominence," a video put together by the students and the people at Panther Studios, shows the process that students used to construct this project. It not only highlights their experiences with new technology and historical methods, but also demonstrates the benefits of using technology for historical research. The Alpha Mu Gamma chapter previewed it at the 2011 Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional Conference, introducing this project to both the Chapman University community and the larger Phi Alpha Theta community. With this video, we hope to leave a trail for others to follow so that they can undertake similar projects.
The oral history project for Chapman University's 150th Anniversary would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. The Voces Novae editorial board would like to thank President Jim Doti for encouraging our efforts to document these histories. Sheryl Bourgeois, the Executive Vice President for University Advancement, also helped us connect with some of those we interviewed. The 150th Anniversary Committee, led by Dean of the Leatherby Libraries Charlene Baldwin, Chapman University's Associated Students, and the Carroll family provided the necessary funding for the technology used to conduct all of the interviews. In addition, Panther Studios was an immense help to us, and we would like to thank Director of Panther Studios Pamela Ezell and Production Supervisor Dan Noah for all of the long hours they spent teaching us how to use the technology and preparing the technology for us. History Department Chair Dr. Jennifer Keene gave us the opportunity to pursue this project and encouraged history students to pursue future undertakings in visual and oral studies. The editorial board would like to show our appreciation for our professors, Dr. Leland Estes and Associate Director of Instructional Technology Jana Remy, for imagining this project and guiding us through the entire process. Additional thanks go to Randolph Boyd of Chapman's Leatherby Libraries for sharing his timeline of Chapman history with us and to Brian Croxall of Emory University for creating the timeline template that we used for our own interactive web-based timeline of Chapman history. Finally, we would like to thank all of those people we interviewed for sharing their stories with us. None of this would have been possible without those stories.
In closing, if there is one thing we want to accomplish with this issue, it is to preserve the memories of those who made the Chapman community what it is today. While these people may come and go from our lives, they live on through the people who continue to benefit from their hard work. Hopefully, in capturing their stories on video, we can keep their faces and voices with us and with future generations.
Kirsten Moore, Priya Shah, Erika Carroll
Executive Editors
