Program Leader
Tom Emmert joined the Gustavus History Department in 1973 and retired in 2011. A native of Minnesota, Tom developed his passion for history and Eastern Europe while a student at St. Olaf College. He studied in Yugoslavia and at Oxford University as an undergraduate. He enjoyed six years of graduate education at Stanford University. Trained as a specialist in medieval Serbia, Emmert prepared his doctoral dissertation in Belgrade as a Fulbright Scholar. At Gustavus, Tom taught the European history survey, as well as courses on both Imperial and modern Russia, the Ottoman Empire, 19th century European intellectual and cultural movements, and Balkan nationalism. In 1994 Tom received the Edgar Carlson Award for Distinguished Teaching at Gustavus. Tom loves travel, music, biking, gardening, good food, and great conversation. During his years at Gustavus he directed two semester-long programs in Zagreb, Croatia and two others in Wittenberg and Berlin, Germany. He has also led numerous alumni study trips for Stanford University and the Smithsonian Institute.