Brigid Beaubien, education professor at Eastern Michigan University, was named the new director of the school’s department of history and philosophy’s Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur Institute for Civic Education. The institute was created to promote transformative methods for educating history and social studies students, encourage innovative teaching approaches, and help foster a new generation of engaged educators across Michigan high schools and colleges.
The Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur Institute for Civic Education, sponsored by a $500,000 endowment, is one of three significant gifts to Give Rise, Eastern’s fundraising campaign, that were donated by Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, former history faculty member at EMU. Upshur’s gift commemorates her 35 years of teaching and scholarship at EMU and her commitment to international education and scholarly breadth — encompassing Chinese history, political science, anthropology, art, and Mesoamerican culture.
“The Upshur Institute will place Eastern Michigan University at the center of vital conversations regarding civics education in Michigan and beyond,” says Dana Heller, dean of the college of arts and sciences at Eastern.
According to Beaubien, the institute is critical at a time when support for civic education needs to catch up in schools.
“A civic education deficit has been decades in the making as funding resources and class instruction have been shifted to meet the demands of high-stakes tests and topics in STEM,” says Beaubien. “The federal government spends $50 per year per student on STEM education and only 5 cents per year on civics education.”
The institute’s initial focus will be to promote civic education on EMU’s campus through events, speakers, faculty professional development, and funding innovative history, social studies, and civic teaching methods, eventually building a P-12 educators’ supportive network.
“Professor Beaubien’s vision for the Upshur Institute is inspiring, and her energy, experience, and scholarly background in civic education ensure that she will bring the center to national prominence,” says Peter Higgins, department head of history and philosophy at Eastern. “EMU’s Department of History and Philosophy and the Upshur Institute Advisory Board are tremendously excited and grateful for her leadership.”
Beaubien teaches elementary social studies methods courses at EMU. Her research focuses on the history of education. She has received awards, authored journals, and presented at more than 50 national conferences. Before coming to EMU, Beaubien was a Detroit Public Schools teacher and a public-school administrator.
