Civic Engagement and Task Force Teaching: Integrating the Veterans History Project into the University Classroom.

THE SEMESTER OF FALL 2OO4 presented a challenge to the History Department of the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). A Nebraska state senator contacted the department and inquired about our willingness to become involved in the congressional Veterans History Project. The usual call went out to the department and we three faculty considered a response. We were only vaguely aware of the project. A quick web update provided details, but also clearly spelled out the conundrum of committing to a project that demanded generous work from us without indications of the specific outcomes that might make the investment of time and effort worthwhile. While understanding the value of civic engagement and service to the community, our concerns centered around two pedagogical questions: How exactly could we integrate the project into our courses, and would our students find the project to be of value or an intrusion into an already challenging workload? The narrative below presents an overview of the Veterans History Project and how it came to be activated on our campus in central Nebraska, an analysis of the dynamics of creating a working institutional and pedagogical model, and an assessment of the outcomes of the project to date.