Associate Professor of HistoryHood College
401 Rosemont Ave,
Hood College, Rosenstock 103
Frederick, Maryland 21774
Email: harrison@hood.edu
Phone: 301-473-6021
Research Disciplines: Research Interests:
Early America history, collections management, history exhibitions, archival collections
View Jay's CVBiographical Sketch
I am a cultural historian of the early Americas, with research interests in indigenous history and the history of colonial settlement. My current research addresses the experiences of colonization of Native peoples in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. I also study and publish on museums, collections, and archives, and work locally with historical societies and libraries in Maryland on their collections and interpretation projects.
As the director of a regional studies institute in Colorado before coming to Hood College, I supervised the operations of a museum, historical archive, and research library as well as the center’s public programs. I also developed partnerships with regional and national museums and graduate programs that resulted in additional collaborative projects and new research opportunities with those institutions. I have worked with multiple federal entities both as an historian and as a systems engineering expert prior to becoming an historian. Some of my work in recent years has been with Mesa Verde National Park, the U.S Forest Service on the San Juan National Forest, the B.L.M. at the Anasazi Heritage Center, and with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian on its extension outreach on reservations. I served on the board of directors for the Mesa Verde Museum Association at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado from 2013 to 2016.
Education
- Ph.D. in American and Latin American History, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
- M.A. in Atlantic History, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
- B.A. in International Studies, University of Missouri