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The University of Nebraska-Lincoln awarded its first Ph.D. in Geography 100 years ago, with the honor going to Joseph Allen Warren, whose dissertation was An Agricultural Survey of Nebraska. At the time, the University of Chicago had the only other graduate program in Geography in the Midwest, and UNL's was the first to be established west of the Mississippi River.
The discipline of Geography at UNL has had many different departmental homes and affiliations since it was established more than 100 years ago. In fall 2008, Geography became part of UNL's School of Natural Resources (SNR). Geographers' long-standing interests in human-environment interactions are a good fit with SNR's emphasis on the human dimensions of natural resource management, noted Dr. James Merchant, the Geography Faculty Area leader. Merchant said that adding Geography to SNR "creates synergy around the theme of humans in the environment."
Geographers at UNL are well-known for their research on historical and cultural geography of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Geography professor David Wishart is a coauthor of Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild (University of Chicago Press, 2009), and recently edited the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains (University of Nebraska Press, 2004). Geographers Dr. Steve Lavin and Dr. Clark Archer have a forthcoming Atlas of the Great Plains (Center for Great Plains Studies, 2011).
Other UNL geographers specialize in studying environment and human behavior, natural hazards, Great Plains landscapes and political geography. During the past two decades, UNL geographers have also become widely recognized for work in Geographic Information Science (GISci), an area that includes satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and computer cartography. One current project, being carried out in collaboration with SNR's Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies, is to create a GIS portal for Nebraska (see a prototype at http://www.NebraskaMAP.gov).
Geography students and faculty will celebrate National Geography Awareness Week Nov. 16-20 with photo and poster displays, a Geography Bowl, and seminars by Steve Egbert, a geographer from the University of Kansas. For more information and schedule details, please visit http://snr.unl.edu/geographygis/.
A Century of Geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
by
Robert Stoddard
On the Occasion of Geography Awareness Week
November 2009
In 1909, the Department of Geography and Economic Geology was established at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) as an autonomous division of the Department of Geology, thus creating a department ranking "second only to the University of Chicago in the Middle West in the length of time graduate work in Geography has been given" (Hewes, 1983). In the same year, the first Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Nebraska was granted to Joseph Allen Warren, whose dissertation was entitled "An Agricultural Survey of Nebraska".
The events of 1909 were built on several earlier beginnings: [1] in 1902-03, the first Geography course was taught (by George Condra); [2] in 1905, Economic Geology and Geography was recognized as a division within the Department of Geology; [3] in 1906, graduate credit in Geography was given; and [4] in 1908, two MA degrees in Geography were awarded (one of which was authored by Nels Bengtson).
Since those early beginnings, Geography experienced several administrative changes. In 1912, the academic emphasis was modified when economic geology was re-assigned and Conservation was added; thus the departmental title became "Department of Geography and Conservation". In 1918 when George Condra became director of a newly formed Division of State Conservation and Soil Survey, Geography was again merged with geology as the Department of Geology and Geography. A decade later, a distinct Department of Geography was established.
Although George Condra pioneered Geography at the University of Nebraska, it was Nels Bengtson who was "a true 'apostle' for Geography in the central Plains area, and he was the creator of the Department of Geography at the University of Nebraska" (Van Royen, 1968). He had worked closely with Professor Condra during the early years and was the logical person to guide the newly created department in 1928. He continued as chair for eighteen years after which time Leslie Hewes became chair. Professor Hewes' tenure as chair lasted until he retired from that position in 1968. Following the 60 years of leadership by only two geographers (Bengtson and Hewes), the administrative responsibility for Geography was assumed by approximately a dozen professors during the next four decades.
In 2001 the Departments of Geography and Anthropology were merged by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Seven years later, geographers separated from that combined department to form the Faculty of Geography and Geographic Information Science within the School of Natural Resources. Building upon a hundred years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, geographers continue to guide undergraduate and graduate students in their studies of spatial and environmental issues.
References
Hewes, Leslie. 1983. "Geography at the University of Nebraska", Great Plains-Rocky Mountain
Geographical Journal, vol.11, pp.10-18.
Van Royen, William. 1968. "Nels August Bengtson (1879-1963)", Annals of the Association of
American Geographers, vol.58, pp.601-605.
Sources: Dr. James Merchant, SNR Geography Faculty Area Leader, 402-472-7531;
Milda Vaitkus, Nebraska View Program Manager, 402-472-0306, mvaitkus1@unl.edu
Writer: Kelly Smith, SNR, 404-472-3373, ksmith2@unl.edu
