April 14, 2025
East Texas Baptist University hosted the 2025 East Texas Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Ornelas Student Center. This annual gathering of student historians provided an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from across the region to present their research and engage in scholarly discussions.
The conference featured research presentations on a variety of historical topics, ranging from civil rights activism and political movements to wartime history and cultural analysis.
During the conference luncheon, attendees heard from Dr. Taylor Weaver, ETBU Reference and Instructional Services Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Science, who delivered the keynote address. The event also recognized outstanding student research with the following awards:
- Best Overall: Nikolaus Roudkovski, East Texas Baptist University
- Best Graduate Student Paper: Lily Comstive, Stephen F. Austin University
- Runner-up Graduate Student Paper: Hannah Shepherd, East Texas A&M University
- Best Undergraduate Student Paper: Elizabeth Wickstrom, Texas Woman’s University
- Runner-up Undergraduate Student Paper: Anna Thomas, East Texas Baptist University
“This conference served as an important platform for students to engage in academic discourse and build connections with fellow scholars,” Associate Professor of History Dr. Jenny Hoover said. “ETBU was proud to host students from across the region and we were impressed by the depth and quality of the presentations given by our students and those from visiting universities.”
The East Texas Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference brought together students from universities across Texas and beyond. Participating institutions included East Texas Baptist University, Texas Wesleyan University, University of North Texas, John Brown University, Texas Woman’s University, Tarleton State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, among others.
Following the conference, attendees were invited to visit the Fenton Bible Collection at Jarrett Library, where they could explore the collection of rare English Bibles dating back to the 16th century.
About Phi Alpha Theta:
Phi Alpha Theta is an international history honor society that promotes the study of history through research, publication, and academic excellence. With chapters across the United States, the society encourages students and educators to engage in meaningful historical scholarship.
To be Eligible for membership at ETBU, undergraduates must have completed at least twelve (12) semester hours in history with a minimum grade point index of 3.1 and achieved no less than a 3.0 grade point average on two-thirds of the remainder of their academic work to be eligible for membership.