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From
Michigan Today (June 1996):
"Undergraduates
are not the only members of the U-M's academic community who take
advantage of small groups to bounce ideas off one another. History
Professor Emeritus John Shy created the Military Studies Group [now,
Michigan War Studies Group] in 1969 as an outlet for graduate students
studying military history to keep in touch with him throughout the
year. The Department of History's U-M History Newsletter
(1995) called the Group 'probably the oldest floating (i.e. unfunded)
seminar' in the department.... After three decades of
'interdepartmental, interuniversity, multicultural, irreverent,
disorganized and free-floating discussions,' ... the group has evolved
into an informal seminar every Friday afternoon for about twenty
professors, graduate and undergraduate students, and staff. Sessions
often begin with one of the members reading a research paper, book
chapter or dissertation on which [he or she is] working. Then comes the
feedback."
Today,
the Michigan War Studies Group continues to provide, as one longtime
member puts it, "the seminar I never had" during the Fall and Winter
semesters. The sessions often feature presentations by regulars,
visiting associate members, and graduate students, as well as others
invited to speak because of particular experiences and expertise. The
present regular membership is comprised mainly of current and emeritus
faculty at the University of Michigan, where the meetings take place,
Eastern Michigan University, Wayne State University, Washtenaw
Community College, Henry Ford Community College, and other local
institutions. Associate members work mostly in academic, governmental,
and military positions around the U.S. and abroad.
The Group also publishes the
Michigan War Studies Review.
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