Edward Lynn "Ed" Ayers (born January 22, 1953;

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

) is an American historian, professor, administrator, and university president. In July 2013, he was awarded the

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

at a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

ceremony for Ayers's commitment “to making our history as widely available and accessible as possible." He served as the president of the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

in 2017–18. Ayers is the author of six and editor of seven books on the history of nineteenth-century America. ''The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction'' was a finalist for both the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

and the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

. His book, ''In the Presence of Mine Enemies, Civil War in the Heart of America'', won the

Bancroft Prize The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, ...

for distinguished writing in American history and the

Beveridge Award The Albert J. Beveridge Award is awarded by the American Historical Association (AHA) for the best English-language book on American history (United States, Canada, or Latin America) from 1492 to the present. It was established on a biennial basis ...

for the best book in English on the history of the Americas since 1492. ''The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America'', was awarded the

Lincoln Prize The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, founded by the late Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman in partnership with Gabor Boritt, Director Emeritus of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, is administered by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for Ameri ...

from the Gilder Lehrman Institute and the Avery O. Craven Award from the Organization of American Historians. ''Southern Journey: The Migrations of the American South, 1790-2020'', narrates the evolution of southern history through the migration of indigenous, white, Black, and immigrant people, with maps created b
Justin Madron
and Nathaniel Ayers. ''What Caused the Civil War'' is a collection of original essays. Edward Ayers co-edited ''The Oxford Book of the American South'' and edited ''America’s War'' for the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

and the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

. Ayers received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies from the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in 1974, ''summa cum laude,'' and a doctorate in American studies from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1980. He taught at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

from 1980 to 2007, where he became the Hugh P. Kelly Professor of History and the Buckner W. Clay Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 2001 through 2007. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001. At Virginia, Ayers won several teaching prizes, including U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for Advancement and Support of Education in 2003, and the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award in 1991. The university awarded Ayers its highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award, in 2006. Ayers directed the dissertations of more than forty doctoral students at Virginia, most of them in the history of the American South. Elected president of the University of Richmond in 2007, Ayers develope
The Richmond Promise
a five-year strategic plan to guide University priorities. During his term, the university increased students of color from 11 percent to 28 percent, doubled the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, covered the full cost of attendance for all Virginia students with family income below $60,000, and created th
Richmond Guarantee
a paid summer fellowship for all undergraduate students. Ayers completed his term as president in 2015, when he was named the Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities.

''New American History''

In 2015, Ayers founde
''New American History''
an initiative to enable engaged and innovative learning in history at all grade levels. It is based at the University of Richmond and funded through philanthropic support. The project integrate
''Bunk''
a daily curation of representations of the American past in multiple media
''American Panorama''
a digital atlas of United States history produced at the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond
''BackStory''
a radio show and podcast; an
''The Future of America’s Past''
a video series created b
Field Studio
''New American History'' provide
Learning Resources
tailored to different grade levels, and partners with organizations devoted to supporting teachers and students of United States history.

Digital history

Ayers pioneered in digital history, overseeing th
Valley of the Shadow
project at the University of Virginia from 1991 through 2007. The project presented an interactive archive dedicated to two communities in the American Civil War, produced in collaboration with William G. Thomas III and Anne Sarah Rubin. The project won the Lincoln Prize from the Gilder Lehrman Institute in 2001 and the James Harvey Robinson Prize for Outstanding Aid to Teaching History, American Historical Association (AHA) in 2002. The project was named one of the fifty most important efforts sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities in its first fifty years. In 2007, Ayers founded th
Digital Scholarship Lab
at the University of Richmond, where he now serves as a senior research fellow. The Lab received the 201
Roy Rosenzweig Prize for Innovation in Digital History
for a freely available new media project,
American Panorama: An Atlas of United States History.
' In 2021, Edward Ayers
Justin Madron
an
Nathaniel Ayers
received accolades for the Digital Scholarship Lab project
Southern Journey: The Migrations of the American South, 1790–2020
'' at the prestigious ESRI User Conference''.'' ''Southern Journey'' earned third place in the "Spatial Analysis ArcGIS StoryMaps" category and received the top prize overall in both "Best Cartography" and "ICA and IMIA Recognition of Excellence in Cartography."

Public history

Ayers has been active in public history. From 2008 through 2020 he served as one of the founding co-hosts of
BackStory
', based at Virginia Humanities, alongside Peter Onuf,

Brian Balogh Brian Balogh is an American historian, and professor at the University of Virginia. Balogh is the director of the National Fellowship Program hosted by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. He also co-hosts the radio program, " Backstory with the Am ...

Joanne B. Freeman Joanne B. Freeman (born April 27, 1962) is a U.S. historian and tenured Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University. Having researched Alexander Hamilton both independently and collaboratively with mentors and peers for more tha ...

, and N. D. B. Connolly from 2008 to 2020. ''BackStory'' was broadcast on more than 200 stations around the country and was downloaded millions of times as a podcast. The program selected topics from current headlines and examined each in a historical context. Archived episodes continue to be made available by th
Virginia Humanities
and th
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
(AAPB). Ayers is the host o
''The Future of America’s Past''
a program produced for Virginia Public Media by Field Studio Films and distributed nationally. The show received multiple awards for its first two seasons. The pilot episode,
Freedom’s Fortress
, received a 2019 Capital Region Emmy Award for its directors and producers
Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren
Two additional episodes received recognition at the 2020 Capital Region Emmy Awards. �
A Public Calamity
�� received a Capital Region Emmy Award for Historical/Cultural Short Form Content, and �
School Interrupted
�� received an Emmy for Magazine Program (Single Program). Ayers has served on the boards of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council for Education, the Organization of American Historians, the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Humanities, and the Valentine Museum. Ayers was founding chair of the board of the American Civil War Museum from 2013 through 2019. He has also served Richmond and the state of Virginia on the Monument Avenue Commission, the Fort Monroe Authority, the African American History Education Commission, and the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol.

Personal life

Ayers is married to Abby Ayers. They have two grown children
Nathaniel Ayers
an
Hannah Ayers

Academic service

, president (2017–2018); executive board officer (2017–2020) * American Council for Education, executive committee and co-chair of accreditation committee, 2008–2012 * National Humanities Center, board member, 2007–2011 * National Council for the Humanities, 2000–2004, appointed by the president of the United States to advise the National Endowment for the Humanities

Books

* ''Southern Journey: The Migrations of the American South, 1790–2020,'' (Louisiana State University Press, 2020. .) *''The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America,'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017. .) * ''America's War: Talking about the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries'', (co-published by the

and the

, 2011. .) * ''America on the Eve of the Civil War'', edited with Carolyn R. Martin, (University of Virginia Press, 2010. .) * ''The Crucible of the Civil War: Virginia from Secession to Commemoration'', edited with Gary Gallagher and Andrew Torget, (University of Virginia Press, 2006. .) * ''What Caused the Civil War? Reflections on the South and Southern History'', (W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. .) * ''In the Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859–1863'', (W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. .) * ''The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War – The Eve of War'', CD-ROM and book co-authored with Anne S. Rubin, (W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. .) * ''The Oxford Book of the American South: Testimony, Memory, and Fiction'', edited with Bradley Mittendorf, (Oxford University Press, 1997. .) * ''All Over the Map: Rethinking American Regions'', co-editor and co-author, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. .) * ''The Promise of the New South: Life after Reconstruction'', (Oxford University Press, 1992; paperback edition, 1993; abridged edition, 1995; 15th Anniversary Edition, 2007. .) * ''The Edge of the South: Life in Nineteenth-Century Virginia'', co-edited with John C. Willis, [University Press of Virginia, 1991. .) * ''Vengeance and Justice: Crime and Punishment in the Nineteenth-Century American South'', (Oxford University Press, 1984; paperback edition, 1986. .)

Honors

(2018), for ''The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America'' *

(2012), "for his commitment to making our history as widely available and accessible as possible." (2012) *

, ''In The Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863'' (2004)
National Council on the Humanities
Presidential Appointee (2000–2004) * U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (2003)2003 Professor of the Year National Winner: Edward Ayers
/ref> * Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

(elected 2001)Arts and Sciences Academy chooses three from U.Va.
*

(2001), with Anne S. Rubin, and William G. Thomas, for ''Valley of the Shadow: The Eve of War'' (CD-ROM) * James A. Rawley Prize from the

(1993), for ''The Promise of the New South'' *

Finalist – History (1993), for ''The Promise of the New South'' *

Finalist – Nonfiction (1992), for ''The Promise of the New South''
Distinguished Fellow of the Georgia Historical Society

References

External links

Edward Ayers , Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayers, Edward L. 1953 births Living people University of Richmond faculty Presidents of the University of Richmond 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Historians of the American Civil War Historians of the Southern United States Historians of the United States University of Tennessee alumni Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Virginia faculty People from Yancey County, North Carolina Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences National Humanities Medal recipients Lincoln Prize winners Bancroft Prize winners American male non-fiction writers