History

Professor & Institution	Expertise	Background Facts	Contact
Tom Emmert, History Department, Gustavus Adolphus College	Emmert is a historian, well-known in this country and abroad for his work on southeastern Europe. He has a particular interest in Serbia and Kosovo and since 1989 has been a regular expert commentator in various media discussing the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the wars of the 1990s, the NATO bombing of Serbia, and the ongoing crisis concerning the status of Kosovo.	Emmert has a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Balkan history. Best known for his book, Serbian Gogoltha: Kosovo, 1389, Emmert is currently Professor of History at Gustavus Adolphus College and also Associate Director of the "Scholars' Initiative," a consortium of more than 250 scholars worldwide who are engaged in collective scholarship to write a more objective history of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.	Matt Thomas, Media Relations Manager, 507-933-7510, mthomas@gustavus.edu
Steven Keillor, Adjunct Assistant History Professor, Bethel University	Keillor is an expert in Minnesota history.	Keillor’s book, Shaping Minnesota’s Identity: 150 Years of State History, was recently released by Pogo Press. It covers a wide range of issues related to Minnesota statehood, including geography, migration, climate and culture. The book is Keillor’s ninth.	Amanda Wanke, Director of Media and Internal Communications, 651-638-6266, a-wanke@bethel.edu
Sujay Rao, Assistant Professor of History, Director of First Term Seminar Program, Gustavus Adolphus College	Rao spent the past 14 years studying Latin America, particularly Argentina, conducting extensive research on Argentine history. Rao is also active researching and teaching about the history of all of Latin America, especially from 1800 to the present.	Rao completed a Ph.D. in Latin American history at Harvard University in 2002 and has taught at Gustavus since 2003. Over the years, Rao has received grants and awards including a Fulbright Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend.	Matt Thomas, Media Relations Manager, news@gustavus.edu, 507-933-7510
Chris Armstrong, Associate Professor of Church History, Bethel Seminary	Armstrong’s research foci include religion and emotion, Christianity and literature, and the Christ-and-culture conversation. His doctoral work focused on the 19th-century holiness movement and his current research interests include the British “Inklings” authors and modern appropriations of medieval ideas and practices. He is currently finishing a book with the working title “Patron Saints for Postmoderns.”	Armstrong came to Bethel from the managing editor’s chair at Christian History & Biography magazine, a publication of Christianity Today International. He continues to write for Christian History & Biography, Christianity Today, Leadership Journal and www.christianhistory.net. He is a member of several professional associations related to church history and the Wesleyan and Pentecostal movements.	Amanda Wanke, Director of Media and Internal Communications, 651-638-6266, a-wanke@bethel.edu
Peter Rachleff, Professor - History, Macalester College	Rachleff conducts research in U.S. labor, immigration and African American history. He teaches courses in these areas, as well as theme-focused courses between the Civil War and World War II.	Rachleff has tied much of his teaching and service to interdisciplinary programs, such as Urban Studies, African American Studies and Women's and Gender Studies. Active in the community around Macalester, from the Minnesota Historical Society to the labor movement, he is a frequent sponsor of internships and student research projects. He earned his B.A. from Amherst College, 1973; M.A., University of Pittsburgh, 1976; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1981.	Barbara Laskin, Media Relations, Macalester College, (651) 696-6451, laskin@macalester.edu, Web site
Annette Atkins, Professor of History, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University	Atkins is author of the book Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out, which is being released to coincide with the Minnesota state sesquicentennial in 2008. Each chapter of this completely innovative state history focuses on a telling detail, a revealing incident, or a meaningful issue that illuminates a larger event, social trends or politics during a period in our past.	Atkins is a regular guest on Minnesota Public Radio and a frequent faculty expert on history topics with local and regional media. Atkins has taught at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University since 1980. She has a B.A. from Southwest State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University.	Michael Hemmesch, Director of Media Relations, (320) 363-2595, mhemmesch@csbsju.edu, www.csbsju.edu/news/

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