College Access, Historical Research, and Student Empowerment: The National History Day Partnership in Minnesota

Over the last twenty-five years, the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and Minitex have developed a partnership centered on creating pathways to higher education by engaging local middle school and high school students in immersive programs at academic libraries. These activities vary in scope and content, but are all tied together by a shared focus on the National History Day (NHD) program, which encourages students to create original research projects about a historical topic. The partnership between these three institutions, which emerged from humble beginnings in the early 1990s, has since grown to reach over 3,000 students during the academic year 2015-2016 through a combination of programs including field trips to academic libraries, research events for students working on NHD projects, and summer programs. Data collected from these outreach activities reveal the transformative impact of expanding access to University of Minnesota resources to the K-12 community. By exploring this partnership and its impact on local schools, this article will serve as a blueprint for educators who wish to use history education to expand pathways to higher education for students, particularly those without easy access to a college campus.