Western State College of Colorado

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Heather Thiessen-Reily

 

Dr. Heather Thiessen-Reily Professor of History, Director of the Honors Program. Offices: Kelley Hall 112C; Crawford Hall 102; 970.943.7128; hthiessen@western.edu

Academic Credentials:

B.A., 1987, International Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. M.A., 1992, History, Flinders University of South Australia. Ph.D., 2002, History, Tulane University.

Areas of Expertise or Experience:

As an undergraduate my studies encompassed History and International Politics. My Master’s thesis examined state development in revolutionary societies using the case studies of Cárdenista Mexico and Sandinista Nicaragua. My Ph.D. field specializations are Latin American History and African History. My dissertation is an examination of caudillo politics and national construction in mid-nineteenth century Bolivia. I have also participated in a six week Fulbright Hayes program to Kenya.

Publishing or Professional Activity:

I have presented papers at regional, national and international conferences, most recently at the International Congress of Americanists in Santiago, Chile and at the Bolivian Studies Association in La Paz, Bolivia and at an NEH funded conference on nationalism at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. I have published articles in English and Spanish on Latin American and African topics and am currently working on preparing my doctoral dissertation for future publication.

Involvement on Campus:

Some of my current campus involvement includes being the director of Western’s Honors program and a member of WSC’s Assessment Committee. Over the years, I have also served as a member of WSC’s Honors Council, Environmental Studies Council, Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee, International Studies Committee, ISEP Advisor and Selection Committee, Teacher Education Advisory Board, and as a FACT representative to the former Board of Trustees as well as club advisor to the student groups; the Amigos and the Black Students Alliance.

I have guest lectured on and off campus on topics which range from Hispanic settlement in Colorado, Afghanistan, the Mexican Muralist Movement, Kenyan politics and African History to the benefits of educational travel. I was the keynote speaker at Western’s 2004 Honors Banquet and at the 2002 Martin Luther King Day commemoration and have volunteered for international events days and Renaissance fairs at local high and middle schools.

Why Western?

I was studying in New Orleans and embarking on dissertation research in Bolivia when I came across an advertisement for a Latin American historian at Western State College. Everything about the job and the school seemed tailor-made for me. As a prairie girl who was born and raised in Western Canada, I knew I wanted to move back out west and the mountains were much more appealing than the plains. When my husband heard the job was near Crested Butte (“mountain biking capital of the USA!”) he said, “What are we waiting for?” So I sent off an application and left the country. The next thing I know, I received a phone call in Bolivia, was flown out for an interview after I returned to the USA and suddenly we were moving to Colorado. It has been an amazing nine years and what drew me to Western has kept me here: the people, the beautiful environment and the college.

What else should you know:

More than any activity, I love to travel. I have been fortunate to have visited every continent, except Antarctica, at least once. I believe that travel enriches one’s soul, expands one’s knowledge and experience and is an education in itself. I am a voracious reader and enjoy a regular escape into fiction whenever my schedule allows. I live up valley in CB South, with my husband, who is a Crested Butte Marshal, my two children and two very friendly huge Malamutes. Oh, and despite living in the United States for almost 15 years, I still spell Honours with a “u” and civilization with an “s.” You can take the girl out of Canada but not Canadian spelling out of the girl.