Imagining America was launched at a 1999 White House Conference initiated by the White House Millennium Council, the University of Michigan, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The name Imagining America reflected the theme of the White House Millennium Council that focused on renewing participation in all walks of U.S. life: “Honor the Past – Imagine the Future.” The 1999 Conference participants became the basis for what would become Imagining America’s consortium of colleges and universities, and the University of Michigan agreed to be the initial host campus, with Julie Ellison as founding director.
In 2007, Syracuse University became the next institutional host, and in 2017 UC Davis became the next institutional host.
Davis Media Access aims to partner with Imagining America for relevant video production.