It wasn’t long ago when Christina Shutt walked across the Central Methodist University graduation stage, ready to head out into the real world to make a name for herself. Now, more than nine years later, she’ll return to campus an experienced and successful professional – ready to leave a mark on CMU’s rich history.
Recipient of the CMU Selecman Achievement Award – the University’s highest graduating student award - and 2008 alumna, Shutt will present Central’s 34th annual Merrill E. Gaddis Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 19. Her 7 p.m. speech is titled, “History will be kind to me: thoughts on museums, silences, and the power of representation.”
The lecture will take place on the fourth floor of the Inman Student and Community Center on CMU’s main campus in Fayette. Sponsored by CMU’s Kappa Chapter of Pi Gamma Mu, an international honor society for social sciences, the open-to-the-public event is offered with no admission fee.
The CMU Kappa Chapter of Pi Gamma Mu was established in 1935 by Dr. Merrill Gaddis (1891-1958), who was professor of history and later chair of the history and political science department. He served at CMU – then Central Methodist College -- for nearly 30 years.
Shutt, a Kansas City, Mo. native, is the executive director at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center – an African American museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage in Little Rock, Ark. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing all Museum activities.
Her former experience is another example of her expertise, as she was an Associate Librarian for Special Collections and Instruction at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. She served as an archivist for notable collections ranging from the history of medicine to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers.
She holds master’s degrees in both Archival Management and History, with an emphasis on collective memory and public representations. From CMU, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history.
While a student at CMU, Shutt was very active on campus - at one point, even holding five campus jobs at once. She was the president for Alpha Phi Omega, vice president for Pi Gamma Mu, and inducted into Theta Alpha Kappa, Alpha Chi, and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. She also performed in Little Theatre productions, and served on leadership for the Wesley Foundation.
Shutt’s dream is to build a museum where programming is inclusive, tolerance is embraced, and ensuring the rich and vibrant stories of African Americans in Arkansas is widespread.
She now resides in Conway, Ark. with her husband and three-year-old son.
It wasn’t long ago when Christina Shutt walked across the Central Methodist University graduation stage, ready to head out into the real world to make a name for herself. Now, more than nine years later, she’ll return to campus an experienced and successful professional – ready to leave a mark on CMU’s rich history.