John Kyle Day, assistant professor of History, joined the Social and Behavioral Science staff as the new history professor.

    A research committee, in the spring, selected Day as the best applicant for the job out of a national search.  Day joins a staff of four full time history professors and two part time history professors.

    William Shea, professor of History, described Day.

    “Dr. Day is full of energy and enthusiasm and he is exactly what we need in our history program,” Shea said.

     Day teaches Modern American History with an emphasis upon the new south and a class on Latin America. He also teaches Modern American History from 1900-1945, Survey of American History and two sections on Arkansas History.

      Senior Heather Raley said Day contributes to education in the classroom.

    “He brings new topics into the classroom, that were shied away from and that (other professors) weren’t willing to discuss and he brings them into the classroom,” Raley said.

    Day grew up in Fayetteville and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he doubled majored in history and political science. Day earned his masters degree from the University of Arkansas and worked to earn a doctorate in American History at University of Missouri-Columbia in Columbia, Mo.  

    “We’re just so happy to have him here, he brings so much excitement to our history program and I am fully convinced the students will see him as a master teacher and mentor,” Berry said. 

   Day’s projects and published works include a number of articles, revising his dissertation for publication, working on a reader for Arkansas history, hopes to begin working on a text book, an article on desegregation and encyclopedia entries.

   Junior Corrie Ross gave his observations about Day. 

   “He’s a professor of a new generation that actually likes to teach and loves his job,” Ross said.