Miss America at 100: Panel discussion to focus on organization’s history, Rowan’s digital archive project

A century of the Miss America Organization—and Rowan University’s work to digitize the organization’s vast archives—will be the topics during a panel discussion on Monday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. in Room 104 of Business Hall, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro.

The event, “The Road to 100 More,” will be held in person and also offered virtually. It is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.  

The panel discussion will include: Shantel Krebs, chairperson of the Miss America Organization; 2021 Miss New Jersey Alyssa Sullivan, a 2020 Rowan alumna; and Professor Katherine Turner, director of the Miss America Archives Project at Rowan and coordinator of the American Studies Program.

President’s Chief of Staff and Board of Trustees Liaison Joanne Connor will serve as moderator.

Last spring, Rowan entered into an agreement with the Miss America Organization to digitize artifacts from the Miss America Pageant, including program books, jeweled crowns, oil paintings, films and business records, among many other items. Led by Turner, a history lecturer, students are working to preserve the rich history of the Miss America Organization for future use by scholars worldwide.

Their work will be housed in the new Rowan Digital Collections, hosted by Rowan Libraries.

After the event’s panel discussion, in-person attendees will have the chance to browse artifacts from the Miss America Organization. All in-person or virtual attendees also will have the chance to view portions of the digital archives. Rowan students involved in the digitization project also are expected to attend the event to discuss their work.

“The Road to 100 More” is sponsored by the President’s Office, the Women’s Alliance Network, the Office of Alumni Engagement, and the College of Humanities & Social Sciences.