Dr. Lauren Sickels-Taves

Other faculty:
Dr. Gabe Cherem
Dr. Chris Mayda
Dr. Norman Tyler

• Emeritus Faculty: Dr. Marshall McLennan

Award Winning Program

In 1989 the Historic Preservation Program at Eastern Michigan University was the recipient of the American Association of State & Local History's coveted "Certificate of Commendation" for ten years of nationally recognized performance within the field of historic preservation education. The award program sponsored by AASLH is the nation's most prestigious competition for local history achievement.

Degrees and Certificates Offered and Administration of Programs:

Three curricular programs in historic preservation were approved by the EMU Regents on June 20, l979. Classes in these programs commenced in the fall of l979. The historic preservation programs include a two-year Master of Science Program in Historic Preservation with concentrations in preservation planning, historic administration, and heritage interpretation and tourism, a five-course graduate level certification program in historic preservation, and an undergraduate minor in historic preservation. Though the programs are housed in the Department of Geography and Geology, participating departments include History, Art, Construction Technology, and the Division of Continuing Education.

Aims of the Programs:

The master's program, now one of the largest and most comprehensive in the country, concentrates upon career development in historic preservation planning, administration, and interpretation. Entry level jobs for aspiring preservationists are most readily available with planning agencies, consultancy planning firms, quasi-public foundations, historic museums and societies, park and recreational agencies, and most recently, in heritage tourism.
The curriculum has been designed to foster a four-way interaction between students, faculty, regional and local planning agencies, and local community preservation groups. Consequently, adjunct faculty drawn from the local preservation community play an important instructional role in the program. Use is made of visiting speakers with community and/or agency experience in dealing with preservation and cultural resource management problems. Students also are encouraged to participate in off-campus experiences such as cooperative education employment, internships, group and individual projects, and community field trips.

Specific Objectives of the Graduate Program are:

1. To provide program students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds with a basic knowledge of the field of historic preservation sufficient to prepare them for entry-level professional careers in historic preservation.
2. To provide program students with supplementary planning, technical, interpretive and administrative skills useful to careers in historic preservation, historic administration and other facets of heritage resource management.
3. To provide program students with a sound foundation in American architectural history as well as the ability to implement and carry out architectural surveys.
4. To provide program students with a basic knowledge of geographic concepts, perspectives and methodologies associated with cultural landscape interpretation and regional analysis. High-style and folk landscapes, both urban and rural, as well as settlement patterns are studied as visual manifestations of American cultural history. Cultural geographers have traditionally viewed the built environment in the context of cultural-historic landscapes. Concepts of landscape analysis developed in cultural geography have been incorporated by the Department of Interior into a "cultural resource management" strategy. Because our students have been grounded in the cultural geography concepts underlying cultural resource management, SHPO offices have found them to be attractive job candidates.
5. To combine classroom theoretical development with practical community and/or agency field experience.
6. To build productive relationships between historic preservation and cultural tourism, and to foster cultural stewardship through strategies of "appropriate tourism."
7. To improve the effectiveness of the preservation movement in Michigan and the Midwest by preparing qualified professionals for entry into career positions in historic preservation planning, interpretation and administration, and to foster the effectiveness of this movement by increasing community awareness of the aims and techniques of historic preservation.

The non-degree certification in Historic Preservation is designed to meet the needs of individuals, such as in-service planners, historic district commissioners, or those in career transition, who wish to improve their knowledge and competence in the field of historic preservation without pursuing a master's degree. The primary purposes of the undergraduate minor are to introduce students to the field of historic preservation, to provide some competence in the subject matter and to provide preparatory instruction to undergraduates intending to enter the master's program. Stress is given to American history, and to the settlement forms and structures which characterize American culture regions and landscapes.

Requirements for Admission to the Program

All applicants to the master's program are required to meet a 2.5 overall grade point average or 2.75 grade point average in their last two undergraduate years. A 2.5 grade point average is also required for admission to the certification program. Students who do not academically qualify for admission to the master's program may wish to consider applying for "nondegree admission." If they achieve a B average in the first ten hours of graduate work, their subsequent application for admission to the master's program will, under most circumstances, be approved. Applicants should submit transcripts of all college level work and three letters of recommendation to the coordinator of the historic preservation program. Separate application with transcripts should also be made to the graduate school. Other admission requirements include demonstrated maturity of purpose, and academic and/or professional achievement. Because students entering the program can be anticipated to come from a variety of academic and experiential backgrounds, highly individualized advising will be provided by core faculty to insure the most relevant program direction for each participant.

Average Number of Students Admitted Per Year:

Admission to the master's program is limited to approximately twenty to twenty-five students per year. An attempt is made to balance entries between concentration areas. Because some students elect a non-concentration course of study and others do not select their concentration immediately, the program director exercises flexibility in the selection process while at the same time attempting to achieve balance in student interests. There is no enrollment limitation on students pursuing the non-degree certification curriculum.

Tuition Costs:

There is a registration fee of $47.00 for each of the fall and winter semesters, and of $23.50 for each of the spring and summer sessions. Tuition is assessed for all credit hours for which the student is registered. Courses numbered l00-200 are $91.00 per credit hour for Michigan and Ohio residents and $237.00 for non-residents. Courses numbered 300-400 are $98.50 and $253, while courses numbered 500-600 are $136.00 and $317.00 per credit hour respectively. There is also a general fee of $13.33 per credit hour. All university fees and assessments are subject to change by action of the Board of Regents.

Financial Assistance:

The full spectrum of types of financial aid are listed in the Graduate Catalog, which may be purchased from the University Bookstore. Contact the University Bookstore for the current price of the catalog, (734) 487-1000. More detailed information concerning financial aid may be requested from the EMU Office of Financial Aid. (734) 487-0455.

Graduate Assistantships:

The master's program in Historic Preservation currently has an allocation from the Graduate School of one and a half graduate assistantships. Because a student will generally hold an assistantship for two years, the availability of these assistantships in any given year varies. A 3.00 grade point average is the minimal eligibility requirement for an assistantship.

The Graduate School and the Office of Financial Aid jointly sponsor a limited number of College Work Study graduate assistantships based on a combination of financial need and academic achievement. Successful applicants may be appointed to a full-time, three-quarter time or half-time position depending upon the degree of financial need. As with a regular graduate assistantship, at least a 3.00 GPA is required. Interested students should contact the Graduate Dean's Office (734) 487-0042 concerning application procedures. Should you apply for a College Work Study Graduate Assistantship, it is important that you advise Patrick Melia, the Associate Graduate Dean, that you are a CWS assistantship candidate. CWS selections are made from the list of candidates maintained by his office. The timely period for application is February and early March. Generally in past years several program students have been successful candidates each year. Those who do not receive a full or partial assistantship, but who are, nevertheless, determined to be financially eligible for College Work Study can work on an hourly basis. Several CWS hourly positions are available in the Department of Geography & Geology or with the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor Historic District Commissions.

EMU also offers fourteen minority student graduate assistantships university-wide each year. Interested applicants should write the Graduate Dean's Office for detailed information.

All full-time graduate assistantships (20 hours per week) provide a full stipend of $5,190 per two semester year the first year and $5,410 the second year. In addition, the University pays full tuition for up to18 credit hours for each fiscal year of the assistantship, as well as registration and health service fees. Free parking, bookstore discount, and faculty library privileges are also provided. Stipend and tuition waivers are prorated for part-time assistantships. For instance, a half-time assistantship pays $2,595 and nine tuition hours are waived.