On Saturday July 10, Dr. Troy Swanson, Library Department Chair at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, IL, will present a program on The Bishop Hill Colony & the Development of the Prairie: Diversity, Religion & Americanization. When we look back, what do we make of the Bishop Hill Colony? What lessons do we draw? In this talk, we will consider the traditional story of immigration and religious freedom that is often told but we will also consider Bishop Hill as the centerpiece of a unique type of diversity that enabled the growth of the Western Illinois region.
Troy Swanson studied history at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. His article “Those Crazy Swedes: Outside Influence on the Bishop Hill Colony” was published in the collection Nobler things to View: Collected Essays on the Erik-Janssonists. Troy holds the Master in Library & Information Science from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and the PhD in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He has published on a range of topics including information literacy and technology policy in higher education. He serves as the Department Chair of Library Services at Moraine Valley Community College. Troy grew up in Cambridge, Illinois.
This free program starts at 2 p.m. at the Dairy Building. Sponsored by the BHHA and the Galesburg Community Foundation.
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