51��Ƶ

Interim Dean of School of Arts Science and Business (July 2025-June 2026) 

Director of the Elizabeth Morrissy Honors Program (August 2018-July 2025 and June 2026- ) 

Courses I teach...

• Honors

Biography

While working on my doctorate in 18th century French and American history, I taught middle school French in Baltimore County Public Schools for 5 years. When I graduated, 51��Ƶ hired me to teach history in the newly created Ph.D program for the School of Education. My first year at 51��Ƶ, I taught both Oral French in the School of Arts, Sciences and Business as well as history in the School of Education. Over the years, I have taught additional education courses including Reading and Writing in the Content Areas and Educational Psychology. Most of my classes, however, focus on the History of American Education (at the undergraduate level and at the Ph.D level), historical methods for Ph.D students and Social Studies Methods classes for both elementary and secondary teachers (undergraduate and masters levels students). In 2018, I was appointed Director of the Morrissy Honors Program at Notre Dame.

In addition to teaching, I advise/supervise various students. I chair approximately 7-9 history dissertation committees. I have also supervised various students completing their teaching internships. As Director of the Morrissy Honors Program, I advise the honors students as well.

I have had the privilege to serve on many School of Education and University-wide committees. For the School of Education, I worked on the Initial Certification Committee and I have chaired several faculty search committees. I was the Coordinator for Secondary Social Studies SPA Report for Accreditation. For the University, I have served on the Women’s History Month Committee, Nancy Kreiter Research Day Committee, the Honors Board, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Study Abroad Committee, the Women in the 21st Century Committee, the 125th Anniversary Committee, the Middle States Accreditation Team and Co- Chair of Standard 8, the Library Committee and The Catholic Intellectual Life Committee.\

 
Education 

Ph.D. in History, 2004 

The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 

M.A. in History: Early Modern Europe, 1992 

University of California at Irvine, CA  

B.A. in French Literature and History; Secondary Teaching Certificate in French, 1991 

Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 

 

Research Interests  

Eighteenth Century French and American History 

Women’s History 

History of 51��Ƶ 

History on Honors 

Presentations  

“Being French in America: The Memoirs of Josephine du Pont, 1795 –1837.” The Northeast American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Conference, Fredericton, NB, Canada. September, 2005. 

“Française or American?: The Immigration Story of Josephine Pelleport du Pont.” Women on the Move: The Women’s History Network Conference, Bristol, England. June, 2007. 

“Transatlantic Realities: The du Pont Family’s Immigration to America.” Transatlantic Destinies Connections and Disconnections Across the Atlantic Seaboard in the Eighteenth Century: Northeast American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies Conference, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. October 25-28, 2007. 

 “An Indecisive Émigré: Victor du Pont and his life in America, 1795-1827.” Transatlantic Ambivalence: Public Politics and Private Identities: Northeast American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies Conference, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York. October 30-November 2, 2008. 

“The End of Cosmopolitanism and the Rise of Nationalism in the Atlantic World during the Revolutionary Era.” Roundtable Discussion with Lloyd Kramer, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Andrew Moore, St. Mary’s High School. Consortium on the Revolutionary Era 1750-1850 Conference, Savannah, Georgia. February, 2009. 

“Refocusing Atlantic World Historiography: The French Perspective.” Consortium on the Revolutionary Era 1750-1850 Conference, Charleston, South Carolina. March, 2010. 

“Revolutionary Teaching in the Atlantic World.” Panel with Andrew Frank, Florida State University, Edward Gray, Florida State University and Andrew Moore, University of Baltimore. Consortium on the Revolutionary Era 1750-1850 Conference, Tallahassee, Florida. March, 2011. 

“A Dreamer, A Diplomat and A Developer: Three Du Pont Men and Their Attempts to Navigate the Atlantic Cosmopolitan World.” Western Society for French Historical Studies Conference, Portland, Oregon. November, 2011. 

“Mixed Methods: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Methods Classes for Elementary Teachers.” National Council for Social Studies, Washington, D.C., December, 2011.  

“Jane Addams and Jacob Riis: Immigration and Homelessness.” Community Day at 51��Ƶ, Baltimore, Maryland. October, 2013. 

“A Contradiction in Terms: A Cosmopolitan Sunday School” Consortium on the Revolutionary Era, 44th Annual Conference, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi. February, 2014. 

“Cosmopolitan Catholicism: Elizabeth Ann Seton and American Education,” History of Education Society Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. Fall, 2015. 

“Providing Historical Context for the Novel Like Water on Stone” on the Panel of ‘Celebrating Diversity Within and Beyond the Classroom:  YAL, Equity, and Social Justice: Historical Context for Literature,’ with Kelly Bull, 51��Ƶ, National Council for Teachers of English Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fall, 2015. 

“Meet Them at the Fair: Notre Dame Women and the World Exposition, Chicago 1893,” History of Education Society Conference, Providence, Rhode Island. Fall, 2016. 

“Addressing Social Justice through the Novel Like Water on Stone,” National Council for Social Studies Conference, Washington, DC, Fall, 2016. 

“Workshop: The ABD Salon—Efforts to Improve Doctoral Education,” with Patricia Dwyer, 51��Ƶ, History of Education Society Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas. Fall, 2017. 

Chairperson of Panel and provided comments: “Women as Agents of Change in Securing Education for All Americans,” History of Education Society Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas. Fall, 2017. 

“The School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Emergence of Catholic Post-Secondary Education for Women: 1833-1900,” History of Education Society Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fall, 2018. 

“A Thousand Words in a Picture: From Mistresses to Bachelors: A History of Students at 51��Ƶ,” The Eleventh Triennial Conference on the History of Women Religious, Notre Dame, Indiana. June, 2019. 

“Unexpected Discoveries: Disrupting Education Through the Humanities,” National Collegiate Honors Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. November, 2019. 

“Morrissy at 40: The Honors Program, Past, Present and Future.” National Collegiate Honors Conference, Orlando, Florida. October, 2021. 

“Study Abroad COVID Style!” Presented at National Collegiate Honors Conference, Orlando, Florida. October, 2021. 

“Morrissy @ 40! An Oral History Project that Strengthened and Centered a Community” Presented at the National Collegiate Honors Conference, Dallas, TX. November, 2022. 

“Rewriting Women’s History: History of 51��Ƶ and the Transition to a Co-Ed Institution.” Presented at the Northeast Regional Honors Council, Pittsburgh, PA., April, 2023. 

“Elizabeth Morrissy: Economist and Activist with a Catholic Perspective.” Presented at the History of Education Society Conference. Atlanta, GA, November, 2023. 

"Revolutionary Teaching: The School Sisters of Notre Dame, Honors Students and a Heritage Tour. Presented at the National Collegiate Honors Conference, Chicago, IL,  November, 2023. 

“A Catholic Social Reformer: Elizabeth Morrissy, Ph.D., The College of Notre Dame and the Catholic Church.” CUSHWA Conference, Notre Dame University, Indiana, April, 2025. 

PUBLICATIONS/EXHIBITS 

“Française or American?: The Immigration Story of Josephine Pelleport du Pont.” in Women on the Move: Refugees, Migration and Exile,  eds. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. December 1, 2010. 

“EDU 307: Social Studies Methods for Elementary School Teachers.” Curriculum Guide for the CAUS Program at 51��Ƶ.  January, 2012.  

“EDU 402: The History of American Education.” Curriculum Guide for The CAUS Program at Notre Dame of Maryland.  March, 2012. 

“A Contradiction in Terms: A Cosmopolitan Sunday School.” Selected Papers, Consortium on Revolutionary Era. November, 2014. 

Curated Archival Exhibit, Mistresses at the Fair, Loyola Notre Dame Library, Baltimore, Maryland. Fall, 2016. 

“The Portuguese Atlantic,” in Encyclopedia of the Atlantic World, 1400-1900: Europe, Africa, and the Americas in an Age of Exploration, Trade and Empires, ed. David Head ed., ABC-CLO Publications. November, 2017. 

Curated Archival Exhibit, Pages from the Past: Scrapbooks of 51��Ƶ Students 1900-1950. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Baltimore, Maryland. 2019. 

Short Documentary. Morrissy @ 40!  April, 2022.  

Archival Exhibit: Dr. Elizabeth Morrissy, Her Life and Legacy as a Catholic Professor and Activist. The Loyola Notre Dame Library. Baltimore, MD.  September 23, 2023 

IN PROGRESS 

Manuscript: The History of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Co-authored with Dr. Darryl Peterkin. To be published through NCHC. 

Awards 

Dickinson College History Department's Award for Graduate Studies, 1991 

The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language Award, 1991 

The Catholic Intellectual Fellow for 51��Ƶ, 2012 

The Mullan Distinguished Teacher Award, 2016 

The Catholic Intellectual Fellow for 51��Ƶ, 2017 

The President’s Medal, 2025 

Professional Affiliations and Membership 

Consortium on Revolutionary Era 

National Council for Social Studies 

History of Education Society 

Western Society for French Historical Studies 

National Council for Teachers of English 

National Collegiate Honors Council 

Northeast Regional Honors Council 

Maryland Collegiate Honors Council