The McCormick Center at Siena College teaches history through hands-on learning opportunities in the community. Students take classroom courses on the American Revolution and then apply their knowledge through internships at local museums, schools, and historical societies. As interns, students help preserve historical sites and educate the public, while also gaining real-world experience. The McCormick Center provides undergraduates with opportunities to conduct research and prepares them for careers in museums, education, and related fields through its certificate program.

1. The McCormick Center teaches history through community engagement.
In the classroom, students learn about the causes, processes, achievements
and historical legacy of the American Revolution. In the community, they
learn how to apply their knowledge and skills to preserve, protect and
promote American history. As interns, undergraduate researchers and
fellows, McCormick Center students are building the capacity of Capital
Region museums, schools, libraries and historical societies to educate the
public. McCormick Center students learn history and make history.
Siena College is a learning
community advancing
the ideals of a liberal arts
education, rooted in its
identity as a Franciscan and
Catholic college. The beautiful,
suburban campus is home to
3,000 undergraduates and
is located in Loudonville, N.Y.,
just a few miles outside of the
state capital. Siena offers
27 majors, as well as
57 minor and certificate
programs. Students engage in
a highly personalized education
where they are challenged in
a way that prepares them for
their future.
For further information and answers to the most frequently
asked questions about the McCormick Center for the Study of
the American Revolution, visit www.siena.edu/centers-
institutes/the-mccormick-center-for-the-study-
of-the-american-revolution or contact:
Jennifer Dorsey, Ph.D.
Director, McCormick Center for the Study of the
American Revolution
jdorsey@siena.edu
518-782-6947
Follow us on:
Facebook:
McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution
Twitter:
@ProfessorDorsey
JE 2014
The education of a lifetime
TM
The education of a lifetime
TM
MCCORMICK CENTER
FOR THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Preparing Students for Life, Work and Citizenship
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2. The McCormick Center has a $2 million
endowment thanks to the National
Endowment for the Humanities, the
McCormick Family and Trustco Bank.
The endowment underwrites public history initiatives, including the
Siena College Day of Living History and the Dell and Audrey Thompson
Distinguished Lecture in American Revolution Studies. It also subsidizes
undergraduate research, internships and professional development
opportunities for students, including participation in professional workshops
and academic conferences.
“The McCormick Center
has funded my travel to
­conferences and sponsored
two of my internships.”
— Rachel Bournique ’15
East Granby CT
Certificate in Revolutionary
Era Studies
The 18-credit hour certificate
prepares students for internships
and careers in museums, education
and higher education.
OUR STUDENTS LEARN AND MAKE HISTORY
Colonial Williamsburg Semester
SStudents can immerse themselves in
the study of colonial America through
a semester-long program at the College
of William Mary’s National Institute
for History and Democracy. McCormick
Center students take classes at WM and
complete an internship with the Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation.
Capital Region Internships
• Albany County Historical
Association
• Johnson Hall State Historic Site
• Pruyn House Historic and Cultural
Center
• Saratoga National Historical Park
• Shaker Heritage Society
• Museum Association of New York
• Albany Institute of History
and Art
• Albany Charter Schools
Engage in Funded Undergraduate
Research through:
• Office of Academic Community
Engagement
• Center for Undergraduate Research
and Creative Active
• McCormick Center Dake Fellows
or Academic Americorps
• College of William Mary’s
National Institute for History and
Democracy
The McCormick Center partners
with more than a dozen
federal, state and local history
organizations in New York
state including:
• Albany County Historical
Association
• Fort Ticonderoga
• New York State Museum
• NYS Library
• NYS Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation
• National Park Service Historic
Sites
About the Center
• Small program size allows direct collaboration between students and director
• Student leaders serve on the administration team of the Center
• The curriculum integrates academic study and required fieldwork/internship
providing students with direct experience and career preparation
• Jennifer Dorsey, Ph.D., director of the center, has been a project consultant
for the New York Archives Magazine, New York State Museum, New York
State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as well as the
Albany County Historical Association. She has been the recipient of grants
and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, National
Historic Public Records Commission, New York State Library and Winterthur
Museum Garden and Library.
Our Alumni
• Ph.D candidate in American History, West Virginia University
• MA in American History with Certificate in Museum Studies, University of
Delaware
• MFA Documentary Studies and Production, Hofstra University
• Education coordinator, Chemung County Historical Society
• Education and interpretation specialist, Fort Ticonderoga
• Event coordinator, Old Beth Page Village, Nassau County Parks and Recreation
• Historical interpreter Johnson Hall State Historic Site
• Teaching fellow, Alliance for Catholic Education
An Endowed Program
“My career in public history
is a dream come true. Every
day ​I ​get to do what I love at
an amazing historic site, Fort
­Ticonderoga. The program
gave me the tools and resources
I needed ​and​for that I am
forever grateful.
— Cameron Green​’12​
Military Programs Supervisor​
at ​Fort Ticonderoga
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