(Peru, NE) - Dr. Jason Phillips and Dr. Kathi Nehls took seven students to Phi Alpha Theta National Biennial Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in January. Students presented papers from upper-division courses, and capstone papers. 

  • Sophie White’s paper examined the myth of Food Stamp abuse by program participants in the 1970s and 1980s. 
  •  Becky Hupp presented a paper on Gender and Culture during the Huk rebellion in the Philippines.
  • Sarah Davis-Kovarik’s work examined the creation of Japan’s Meiji Constitution.
  • Brooklyn Franco’s paper depicted the experiences of the Utah Downwinders (those people, environments, and animals affected by nuclear testing in the 1950s).
  • Aaron Barnes showcased a paper that focused on the legislative debate in the Unicameral over alcoholism on the Lakota reservation and closing of the liquor stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska.
  • Shawn Shackelford’s work looked at the rise of democracy in Taiwan.
  • Dennis Kilpatrick’s examined the history of women who ran for U.S. president in the 19th and twentieth centuries. 

All students presented well and expertly fielded audience questions. Students also visited the Museum of Nuclear Science and History and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center during their free time.

Nestled in the hills of historic southeast Nebraska, Peru State College offers a mix of innovative online and traditional classroom undergraduate and graduate programs, including online graduate degrees in education and organizational management. Established in 1867 as Nebraska’s first college, Peru State has transformed over the past century and a half into a state-of-the-art institution offering diverse, multifaceted educational programs annually to nearly 2,000 students.