Repository logo
 

Of buildings and belonging: re-storying the student veteran's historical impact on place and program

Date

2018

Authors

Anderson, Sheri McQuiston, author
Doe, Sue, advisor
Amidon, Timothy, committee member
Greene, David, committee member

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Abstract

This research explores the student veteran's material effect upon the land grant university, particularly on the campus of Colorado State University, as seen in the development of both places and programs. The signing of the Morrill Act in 1862, while creating America's land grant universities, also established the connection of the land grant university to military training, a thread which can be traced from CSU's founding in 1870 until today. Using a theory of the rhetorical meaning of physical place, as well as an acknowledgement of the power of collective memory surrounding these spaces, this study restories the narrative of the student veteran's physical impact upon Colorado State University's campus during wartime and post-wartime, from World War I until today. Using rhetorical methodology for archival research, this study explores the physical and programmatic changes upon the CSU campus in order to demonstrate the generative power of the student veteran upon the university, both historically and at present. By analyzing archived texts, the impact of student veterans, through both their agentive force and the government funding their GI Bills contribute to the university budget, is shown to have produced a material impact that has gradually shifted over time. This material impact has shown increasing focus, as developments have evolved from places to programs, from groups to individuals. Re-storying the forgotten narrative of the history of the student veteran upon the land grant university campus suggests the material agency of the student veteran, and provides a frame through which to view their effect on curricular programs/offerings and physical plant improvement.

Description

Rights Access

Subject

Citation

Associated Publications