November 16-17, 2000
ITEM
109-2002-R1100������ Authorization to
Confer the Title of Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy upon Thomas
Wessel; Montana State University-Bozeman
THAT:����������������������������������� Upon
the occasion of the retirement of Thomas R. Wessel from the faculty of Montana
State University, the Board of Regents wishes to express its appreciation for
his service to the University, the Montana University System, and the people of
the State of Montana.
EXPLANATION:����������������� Tom
came to MSU in 1972 after earning degrees from Iowa State University and the
University of Maryland.� He progressed
through the ranks at MSU, earning appointment to full professor in1982.� During his 27 years at MSU, he spent 13
years as head of this department.� Under
his guidance, the department doubled its majors, retained its reputation for
outstanding teaching, and developed a growing international reputation for its
excellence in scholarship.�
Despite
his heavy administrative load, Professor Wessel shouldered more than a fair
share of courses. In addition to U.S. history survey courses, he routinely
taught courses in agricultural history, the history of the U.S. constitution,
and the era of the Civil War.� His
classes, while always demanding, were always filled with students who admired
Professor Wessel�s grasp of detail and sensitivity to nuance in historical
thinking.�
Professor
Wessel�s scholarship is widely recognized as authoritative in the fields
mentioned above.� He was invited to
author the definitive history of the 4-H club movement in the United
States.� For more than twenty years, he
has investigated and written extensively on the matter of Native American land
claims.� His expertise has proven so
valuable to the U.S. Department of Justice that it has commissioned him to
write a number of reports.� It is a
testimony to his commitment to scholarship that Professor Wessel, although he
is �retired�, is now at work on a major book that summarizes his deep knowledge
about U.S. government/American Indian legal issues.� ���������������������������������������������
In
addition to his teaching and scholarship, Professor Wessel also embodied the
service tradition of this department.�
He served on the Bozeman School Board and, for many years, served as the
chair of the local chapter of the ACLU.�
To
sum up, Professor Wessel has earned the rank of Emeritus through his
commitments to teaching, research, administration, and public service.� He embodied the highest standards of this
department and university and of the history profession.
For
these and other contributions, the Board of Regents of Higher Education is
pleased to confer upon Thomas R. Wessel the rank of Professor Emeritus of
History and Philosophy at Montana State University and wishes him well for many
pleasant years in the future.�