About the Department

Old map of cinci

The department traces its roots back to 1907, when Nevin M. Fenneman, Professor of Geology at the University of Wisconsin / Madison, accepted an academic position as Foundation Professor and Department Head at the University of Cincinnati to inaugurate and lead a newly-formed combined Department of Geology and Geography. In his first year, he taught a series of five courses in this new department, while he also solidified the scientific contributions for which he is perhaps best known, Physiographic Divisions of the United States (1915). Fenneman was also a founding member of the American Association of Geographers (founded in 1904 as the Association of American Geographers) and served as its President in 1918. During Fenneman’s 30-year tenure as Founding Professor and Head, several renowned geologists and geographers joined the department; two of the latter included Earl C. Case (faculty from 1920 to 1957) and Daniel Bergsmark (faculty from 1927 to 1945). Case and Bergsmark authored College Geography (1932), a textbook on regional analysis of world economic geography that saw widespread use and remained influential for many decades. Though Fenneman officially retired and earned emeritus status in 1937, he continued to teach his renowned graduate seminar in physiography until 1945; in 1940, the University of Cincinnati awarded him with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws.

In 1959, the Department of Geology and Geography was divided into two separate units: Geology transformed into its own stand-alone department, and Geography paired with Regional Planning as a new combined unit. This coupling, however, was short-lived: in 1963, Geography became its own independent department, with a graduate-only Department of Community Planning formed that cemented that separation. Professor Robert B. McNee was the first Head of the Department of Geography; he has been succeeded over the years by Howard A. Stafford, K. Bruce Ryan, Robert B. South, Roger M. Selya, Lin Liu, Susanna Tong, Hongxing Liu, Nicholas P. Dunning, and currently Kevin N. Raleigh. Each headship has been marked by continuing instructional and research expertise concomitant with evolution in geographic thought. Under the direction of Professor McNee, the department shifted its teaching and research focus onto urban-economic and historical geography, and under Professor Stafford, a greater focus on location theory and industrial location predominated. Subsequent headships have recognized the multidisciplinary aspect of the discipline, concentrating on expanding teaching and research among Geography’s three predominant foci: human geography and its notable subfields of urban, economic, and cultural geography; physical geography, with its strong connections to environment, surficial, and atmospheric processes; and techniques, particularly Geographic Information Sciences and Remote Sensing.

From its earliest inception under Fenneman, the department has offered undergraduate degrees in the discipline, with its Master of Arts graduate program inaugurating by 1928, and the first MA degree awarded in 1931. To date, over 250 MA degrees have been awarded. The department granted its first PhD in 1964, and since that time, has conferred over 110 PhD degrees. In 2023, the department expanded its graduate offering with an online Master of Science program in GIS, the first of its kind in the College of Arts & Sciences, with its first degree conferred in 2024.

Additional research and reading on some of the history of the Department of Geography, noted personalities, and individual / departmental achievements are contained in a number of publications, a few of which are listed below:

  1. Ryan, Bruce. 1983. Seventy-Five Years of Geography at the University of Cincinnati.
  2. Selya, Roger M. 2007. “Marking One Hundred Years of Geography at the University of Cincinnati: Editorial Introduction.” Geography Research Forum 27: 1-9.
  3. Rich, John L. 1945. “Memorial to Nevin M. Fenneman.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 35 (4): 181-189.
  4. Ryan, Bruce. 1986. “Nevin Melancthon Fenneman, 1865-1945.” Geographers Biobibliographical Studies 10: 57-69.
  5. Stafford, Howard A. 2007. “Economic Geography at the University of Cincinnati, 1920-2006.” Geography Research Forum 27: 97-113.
  6. University of Cincinnati. 1928. Announcement of the Department of Geology and Geography. University of Cincinnati.
  7. Livingston, Burton E. 1923. “The Cincinnati Meeting.” Science 58 (1511): 485-487.
  8. Fenneman, Nevin M. 1916. Geology of Cincinnati and Vicinity (4th series, Bulletin 19). Geological Survey of Ohio (J.A. Bownocker, State Geologist).
  9. McNee, Robert B. 1987. “Metropolitan Adventure: Exploring the Hidden City.” Journal of Geography 86 (3): 92-99.
  10. Geographical Review. 1973. “Robert Bruce McNee, Director of the American Geographical Society.” Geographical Review 63 (4): 447-448.
  11. Lambert, Bruce. 1992. “Robert B. McNee, Instrumental in Geography Theory, Dies at 69.” New York Times, D21.
  12. L.D.S. 1933. “Reviewed Work: College Geography by Earl C. Case and Daniel R. Bergsmark.” The Geographical Journal 81 (4): 375.
  13. Helburn, Nicholas. 1966. “High School Geography Project.” Professional Geographer 18 (5): 312.