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Department of HISTORY 236 MUNROE |
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716-02547 Ph: 302/831-2371 Fax: 302/831-1538 |
16 March 2010
Letter of support for the Proposal to Create a Master of Arts Program in Historic Preservation
Colleagues:
David Ames has asked me for a letter of support for his plan to create a Master of Arts degree program in Historic Preservation, and I am pleased to support this proposal.
As director of the Museum Studies Program, I work with students who are in the present concentration on preservation within the Master of Arts in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. They form an important cohort for Museum Studies, which is a “value-added” professional certificate program open to any fully matriculated graduate student in the University. The courses supporting the certificate in Museum Studies and this concentration complement one another, and we often cross-list specific classes since employment in historic sites is an important career path for many of our students.
Training in historic preservation often trends either toward the practices of documentation and research or the role of preservation in public policy; the current concentration is notable for its balance between the two approaches. This balanced approach is preserved in the current proposal, which will produce students who are able to approach the challenges of historic preservation with a varied and well-stocked tool kit of theoretical frameworks, understanding of best practices, and practical skills.
I look forward to future collaboration with the staff of CHAD, and to continuing to serve students working for the Master of Arts in Historic Preservation.
With best wishes,
Katherine C. Grier
Professor
Director, Museum Studies Program