Center for Heritage Renewal North Dakota State University
Welcome to the virtual space of the Center for Heritage Renewal, North Dakota State University. The center is a locus for applied research by historians serving the regional public and the historical profession. Developer of the center is Tom Isern, Professor of History. For standing information about the center, its mission, and its organization, see links at left of this home page. For ongoing projects, see links at right. For recent and occasional news, see the weblog framed into the center.

Organization Organization approved by State Board of Higher Education 17 May 2006 Developer & Director: Tom Isern Telephone 701-799-2942 Mailing Address Center for Heritage Renewal CJPP 12, NDSU Fargo ND 58105-5101 Mission The mission of the center for Heritage Renewal is to identify, preserve, and capitalize on the heritage resources of North Dakota and the northern plains. Objectives 1. To assist state agencies, private organizations, and the people of the state and region in generating prosperity and quality of life from heritage resources 2. To establish a center for expertise and action in the fields of historic preservation and heritage tourism 3. To provide opportunities for learning, employment, and internships for NDSU students (undergraduate and graduate) Institute for Regional Studies Administratively, the center is attached to the institute, reporting via the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Archives Historic Architectural Survey of Bowman County Survey of Iron Cross Cemeteries in North Dakota Sharing Sites Hereitage Video - the center's YouTube site Heritage Image - the center's Webshots site

Activities Ongoing projects and cooperative relationships that meet the mission of the CHR Great Plains Folk Festival A celebration of regional heritage at NDSU, 13-16 November 2007 Newcomer Narratives Who are the people repopulating our prairie towns? Why are they coming? And what do they contribute to the revitalization of our communities? Fall Suppers of the Northern Plains A study and celebration of a distinctive seasonal ritual Remembrance in Stone A heritage tourist's guide to historical monuments of the northern plains Great Books of the Great Plains The CHR, in cooperation with local communities and NDSU Extension, organizes book discussion programs emphasizing regional heritage and development. Ethics of History Discussions are underway with the Northern Plains Ethics Institute for a long-range project examining the ethics of doing history in a wide range of venues--amateur, professional, academic, public, local, international. Highways & Trails of the WPA Under a grant from the ND DoT, the CHR is working to update the 1938 WPA tours of North Dakota and put them online. Big Things Documentation of roadside landmarks of the Great Plains Ladbury Lectures The CHR assists and supports the Friends of Ladbury Church in presenting the annual Ladbury Lectures in the restored, historic church. Germans from Russia Heritage Center The CHR provides technical and professional support to the Dakota Memories Oral History Project of the GRHC. Center for Community Vitality The CCV, a program of NDSU Extension, receives assistance from the CHR for the project, "Building Community Vitality Through Arts & Heritage" Preservation North Dakota PND, North Dakota's statewide organization for historic preservation, is a valued ally in the work of the CHR.