 |
Matt Harris
A collection of thought-provoking essays about Zebulon Pike and Thomas Jefferson, edited by CSU-Pueblo Associate Professor and History Department Chair Matt Harris, is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award presented by Colorado Humanities. The annual program celebrates the accomplishments of Colorado's outstanding authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers. Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the West, edited by Harris (with Jay H. Buckley, University of Oklahoma Press), is among 37 total finalists and one of three in the Anthology category.
Dr. Harris’s book focuses on the explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike and his role in building Thomas Jefferson’s “empire of liberty.” Harris demonstrates that this ambitious young military officer and explorer, best known for a mountain peak he neither scaled nor named, was destined to live in the shadows of more famous contemporaries—explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This collection of provocative essays rescues Pike from his undeserved obscurity by providing a nuanced assessment of him within the larger context of American imperial ambition at the time of Jefferson. Pike’s accomplishments as an explorer, mapmaker, and soldier during the War of 1812 has been tainted by his alleged connection to Aaron Burr’s conspiracy to separate the trans-Appalachian region from the United States. For 200 years, historians have debated whether Pike was an explorer or a spy, whether he knew about the Burr Conspiracy or was just a loyal foot soldier. This book moves beyond that controversy to offer new scholarly perspectives on Pike’s career. |
|
Amy Robertshaw
Amy Robertshaw became the new Registrar on March 18. Amy previously worked as a transfer evaluation and degree audit specialist in the Records Office, and most recently, had served as director of membership development for the Pueblo YMCA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in family social science from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado. Her office is located in Administration 202D. She can be reached at 549-2498. |