Edward L. Ayers Begins Term as OAH President

Edward L. Ayers is the OAH's 111th president. His term will end in April
2018.

BLOOMINGTON, IN— Edward L. Ayers began his term as the president of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) for 2017-2018 on April 8.

The OAH is the world's largest professional association dedicated to American history. With more than 7,800 members from the United States and abroad, the organization publishes the leading journal in the field, the Journal of American History, and maintains partnerships with leaders in teacher education and public history.

Ayers is Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus at the University of Richmond. He has been named the National Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2013, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His books have won the Bancroft Prize in American history and been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Ayers is a founding co-host of BackStory, a popular podcast dedicated to connecting history to the present day.

"The OAH has been doing important work for over a century," Ayers said, "and plays a critical role in the nation today. We will be undertaking ambitious projects in the coming year, so I hope people will stay tuned."

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Founded in 1907, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, encouraging wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of history practitioners. It publishes the quarterly Journal of American History, the leading scholarly publication and journal of record in the field of American history, and The American Historian magazine. Formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association (MVHA), the association became the OAH in 1965 to reflect a broader scope focusing on national studies of American history. The OAH national headquarters are located in the historic Raintree House on Indiana University's Bloomington campus. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.