Curriculum vitae

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Education  

• Ph.D., M.A., The Ohio State University 

                    Joseph H. Lynch, adviser

• B.A., summa cum laude, State University of New York at Albany

                   Majored in Medieval Studies

                   Fiction writing workshops with Eugene Mirabelli and Eugene K. Garber

• Journeyman Clown, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College  

Books  

• The Lay of Hildebrandt (in progress)
• Aesop's College (Minneapolis, 2023) 
• The Medievalist (Minneapolis, 2022) 
• Memoir of a Pilgrimage for Eight: Val-des-Choux to Pluscarden Abbey (Minneapolis, 2020) 
• Hold Fast to What is Good: A History of Augsburg University in 10 Objects (Minneapolis, 2019) 
• New Monks in Old Habits: The Formation of the Caulite Monastic Order, 1193-1267 (Toronto, 2014)
• The Medieval Church: A Brief History, 2nd ed., with Joseph H. Lynch (London, 2013)  

Articles and chapters  

• "Geleitwort zum Band," in Jörg Sonntag, Die Gesetzgebung der Cauliten im 13. Jahrhundert: Ausgewählte Zeugnisse ihrer Verfassung, Edition und Übersetzung, in Klöster als Innovationslabore, Band 10 (Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner, 2022) 
• “Usquemodo, aliquomodo, quoquomodo: an early Cistercian pronunciation guide,” in Shaping Stability: Normative Sources and the Regulation of Religious Life, 800-1500, edited by Krijn Pansters, in Disciplina Monastica (Louvain: Brepols, 2016) 
• “The Battle of Falkirk,” Medieval LEGO, edited by Greyson Beights (No Starch Press, 2015) 
• “Hanging Little Joe on the Suburban Ponderosa, Or, What has the Middle Ages to do with the Old West?” 30 to 40 Years West of Here, edited by Colin Irvine, special edition of the Journal of the West (2015) 
• “Monks and Heretics: Using Eco’s The Name of the Rose as a Textbook in an Upper-level, Undergraduate History Seminar,” Postscript to the Middle Ages: Teaching Medieval Studies through Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, edited by Alison Ganze (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2010) 
• “Santiago de Compostela,” Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage, Larissa Juliet Taylor, ed. (London: Brill, 2010) 
• “Medieval Connections: Active Learning and the Teaching of the Middle Ages,” Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, vol. 31, no. 2, Fall 2006: 59-73 
• “Secundum morem Cisterciensium: The Caulite Critique of Cistercian Practice,” Cîteaux: Commentarii cistercienses, 2005, t. 55, fasc. 3-4, pp. 201-229 
• “Confessions of a Rogue Pedagogue: Tagg’s Learning Paradigm in Action,” Proceedings of the Congress on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, St Olaf College, 2005 
• “The Manuscript Tradition and Origins of the Caulite Customary: an historiographic examination,” Revue Mabillon, n.s., t. 11 (=t. 72), 2000: 197-220
• “What is a Monk? The Twelfth-Century ‘Crisis’ of Monasticism,” Exploring the European Past: Texts and Images, customizable reader for the Western Civilization survey developed by the History Department of The Ohio State University (Thompson Learning Custom Publishing, 2000) 
• “Burke, Peter, 1937—, British social and cultural historian,” The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writings, edited by K. Boyd, 2 vols. (London and Chicago, 1999), 1: 152-154  

Scholarly presentations  

• “Cum miles apud religiosos eligit sepulturam: Lateran IV’s Canon 65 and Deathbed Entry to Monastic Life,” presented at Concilium Lateranense IV: celebrating the octocentenary of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, Rome, Italy, November 2015 
• Roundtable discussion on directing programs in Medieval Studies, invited participant at the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, Los Angeles, California, April 2014 
• “Great Idea - But How Can I Grade It? Authentic Assessment of Experiential Projects in Medieval Studies,” presented at the Fifty-First Annual Midwest Medieval History Conference, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, October 2012 
• “Usquemodo, aliomodo, quoquomodo ... The Curious Tale of a Latin Mnemonic in the Customary of the Caulite Monastic Order, 13th century,” presented at the Nineteenth International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, Leeds, England, July 2012 
• “Monks and Heretics: Using Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose as a Textbook in an Upper-level, Undergraduate History Seminar,” presented at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2006 
• “The Sentinel’s Tale: A Chaucerian Forgery by a Post-Post-Chaucerian Forger,” presented under the auspices of the Societas Fontibus Historiae Medii Aevi Inveniendis, vulgo dicta “The Pseudo Society,” at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2006 
• “Medieval Connections: Teaching the Middle Ages to Undergraduates,” invited presentation to the “Human Odyssey” Humanities Faculty, Auburn University, Auburn, Georgia, April 2006 
• “Confessions of a Rogue Pedagogue: Tagg’s Learning Paradigm in Action,” presented at the Congress on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, April 2005 
• “Medieval Connections: Teaching the Middle Ages to Undergraduates,” presented to the Medieval Research Group, Center for Medieval Studies, University of Minnesota, November 2004 
• “The Abbot Removed: A Critique of Cistercian Authority in the Monastic Customary of the Caulite Order,” presented at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, July 2003 
• “Medievalism in Middle America: Graceland, the Holy Land, and the Pedagogy of Pilgrimage,” presented at the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2003 
• “Monastic Economy in the Thirteenth Century: The Case of the Caulite Order,” presented at the 37th Annual Northern Great Plains History Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2002 
• “Graceland / Holy Land: The Medievalism of a Modern Pilgrimage,” presented at the Twenty-Third Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, New Hampshire, April 2002; cited in the bibliography of Linda Kay Davidson and David M. Gitlitz, Pilgrimage: An Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2002) 
• “From eremus to ordo, the Formation of the Caulite Monastic Order,” presented at the Medieval Academy of America, in conjunction with the American Historical Association’s 115th annual meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, January 2001 
• “Not by Rents Alone, the Caulite Economy in the Thirteenth Century,” presented at the Ohio Medieval Colloquium, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, November 2000
• “I’m Not a Teacher But I Play One on TV: Representations of the Teaching Profession in Film and Television,” Keynote Address presented at The Ohio State University campus-wide TA Orientation, September 2000 
• “How to Make the Past Sing and Dance: Powerpoint for History Teachers,” guest lecture presented at The Ohio History Teaching Institute, Goldberg Program for Excellence in Teaching, Department of History, The Ohio State University, July 2000 
• “Grinding to a Halt: the Role of Mills in the Caulite Order,” presented at the 35th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2000 
• “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe(-ity),” Keynote Address presented at The Ohio State University campus-wide TA Orientation, September 1999 
• “Note sur la fondation du Val-des-Choux,” guest lecture presented (in French) at the Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France, June 1999 
• “Deus vult: Bernard of Clairvaux and the Discourse of the Second Crusade,” presented at The Military and Society, Graduate Student Conference, The Ohio State University, May 1997 
• “Lay Brothers in Two Monastic Orders: The Influence of Cistercian Texts on the Caulite Work Force,” presented at the Council of Graduate Students Conference, The Ohio State University, May 1996  

Campus and community presentations and engagement 

• “Entropic Pilgrimage,” presented to the monks of Pluscarden Abbey, Moray, Scotland, August 2019 
• “Reflections on the Pluscarden 1230 Pilgrimage,” Dundas Castle, South Queensferry, Scotland, October 2018 
• “The Origins of Halloween,” interview with Diana Pierce, KARE 11 News, October 2014 
• “Usquemodo, aliquomodo, quoquomodo: an early Cistercian pronunciation guide,” presented to the monks of Pluscarden Abbey, Moray, Scotland, January 2014 
• Producer, Convocation Committee, campus lectures featuring historian David Carlyon, environmental/ artistic homebuilder Dan Phillips, and early music group the Rose Ensemble, 2010-2013 
• “King Tut and the Archaeologists Who Loved Him,” presentation to the Augsburg Alumni Association during a visit to the Tutankhamen Exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, May 2011 
• Producer, “Open forum on the Egyptian Revolution,” presentation at Augsburg College with colleagues from Political Science, History, Sociology, and Pan-Afrikan Student Services, February 11, 2011— moments before the forum began, 30-year dictator Hosni Mubarak stepped down 
• Historical consultant for three children’s books for Capstone Press: Kathy Allen’s The Horrible, Miserable Middle Ages; Alison Lassieur’s The Middle Ages: An Interactive History Adventure; and Rachel Hanel’s Life as a Knight: An Interactive History Adventure, 2008-2009 
• Producer, “Medieval Lives,” campus lecture featuring former Monty Python member and popular medieval historian Terry Jones, October 2007 
• “On the Medieval Origins of the Modern College, Or Students Then and Now,” Keynote Speech, Opening Convocation, given as recipient of the Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning, Augsburg College, September 2006 
• “A Biblical Lesson on Espionage,” Chapel Talk, Augsburg College, May 2006 
• “From Pratfall to Professor: My Life in the Circus and Academia,” Keynote Speech, sponsored by the Center for Faith and Learning, Augsburg College, April 2006 
• “The History and Traditions of Valentine’s Day,” interview on Viewpoints, radio news show syndicated to 300 stations nationwide though MediaTracks, 2005 
• “It’s more than just a job, it’s vocation,” presentation to the Vocation Mentoring Group, sponsored by the Center for Faith and Learning, Augsburg College, April 2005 
• Producer, Convocation Committee, campus lectures featuring hearing-impaired comedian Kathy Buckley and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill, 2002-2004 
• “The Vocationomitron,” Chapel Talk, Augsburg College, February 2004 
• “Catholics in the Reformation,” Chapel Talk, Augsburg College, March 2003 
• “Could Arnold Schwarzenegger Play Christ in the Movie?” Chapel Talk, Augsburg College, March 2002 
• “A Jewish Janitor Debates the Pope,” Chapel Talk, Augsburg College, October 2002  

Select fellowships, grants and research awards  

• Commission from the President’s Office to write the sesquicentennial history of Augsburg University, 2017 
• Provost’s Summer Scholarship Grant, Augsburg College, 2015 
• Distinguished Contributions to Scholarship, Augsburg College, 2014 
• Dean’s Summer Travel Grant, Augsburg College, 2012 
• Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grant for Medieval Minnesota Summer Camp, 2011
• Dean’s Summer Scholarship Grant, Augsburg College, 2008 
• Intentional Course Design Grant, Augsburg College, 2008
• Fellow, Center for Teaching and Learning, Augsburg College, 2003-2005 
• Ohio Academy of History Dissertation Award (for best dissertation in Ohio during that year), 2001 
• Presidential Dissertation Fellowship, The Ohio State University, 2000 
• Bourse Chateaubriand Sciences Humaines (research fellowship from the French government), 1998-1999  

Teaching awards   

• Minnesota Professor of the Year, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2015 
• CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching, national award from the Medieval Academy of America, 2014 
• Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning, Augsburg College, 2006 
• Clio Award for Outstanding Teaching in History, The Ohio State University, 2000 
• Provost's Teaching Fellowship, The Ohio State University, 1997 
• Graduate Associate Teaching Award, The Ohio State University, 1997  

Courses taught       

History: 

• Introduction to Western Culture 
• The History Workshop 
• The Ancient Near East 
• Hellenistic Greece and Rome 
• Early and High Middle Ages 
• Late Middle Ages to 1648 
• The Medieval Crusades 
• The Medieval Church 
• Monks and Heretics Medieval 
• Penance ​
• Race and Ethnicity in the Middle Ages 
• Medieval Scotland (in Scotland) 
• Travel in the Ancient World (in Greece and Turkey) 
• Religious Life in Medieval France (in France) 
• Identity and Ethnicity in Ancient Egypt (in Egypt)       

Interdisciplinary: 

• Medieval Connections 
• Integrated Term: Fate of the Earth 101       

Honors: 

• The Scholar Citizen 
• Junior Colloquium Honors 
• Senior Seminar  

Supervision of student research  

• Colton Alexander Orr, “Vines on Both Sides of the Wall: The Medieval Cistercians and Their Relationship with the Laity Through Spiritual Writings, Wine, and Corruption.” This was a senior honors thesis in history at Kenyon College for which I served as the external examiner, spring 2018. 
• Aidan Nancarrow, “Nature, Culture, and Commune: Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Sala dei Nove Fresco Cycle.” This paper was delivered at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, summer 2010 
• Josh Davis, “Arming a Knight.” This paper was presented at the 45th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, spring 2010 
• Brett Cease, “From Mythos to Conquest: How Viking Legends Inspired Viking Exploits.” This paper was presented at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, spring 2006 
• Hope Moy, “From Fear to Respect: One Christian’s view of his Muslim Foe,” and Katherine Ness, “The Penance of Pilgrimage.” These two papers comprised “Two Views of Theoderich’s Guide to the Holy Land,” the only undergraduate panel presented at the Twenty-Third Medieval Forum, at Plymouth State College, Plymouth, New Hampshire, spring 2002  

Academic experience   

• Professor of History, Augsburg College/University, 2016-2019 
• Associate Professor of History (tenured), Augsburg College, 2007-2015  
• Assistant Professor of History (tenure track), Augsburg College, 2001-2007  
• Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Kenyon College, 2001  

Administrative experience  

• Director of Honors, 2015-2018. Responsibilities: advising and supervising approximately 140 honors students; overseeing the program budget; developing co-curricular activities for honors students; working with colleagues across campus to provide honors courses for students in the Honors Program; curricular review and reform; collaborating with the offices of Admissions, Advancement and Student Life regarding admission to the program, unique housing opportunities for honors students and securing gifts for the program; working with the Dean to help Honors become one of the highlights of Augsburg’s campus. Accomplishments: successful implementation of new policies concerning admission of first year students into the Honors Program; redesigning the Honors introductory course to be more inclusive; creation of advising materials for honors students; developing a strategic plan for moving the Honors Program forward, based on external review by the National Collegiate Honors Council. 
• Founder and Director of Medieval Studies, 2004-2015. Responsibilities: advising and supervising approximately 15 majors and 5 minors annually; overseeing the program budget; developing co-curricular activities for majors and other students; working with colleagues across campus to develop curriculum; curricular review and reform; collaborating with the offices of Admissions and Advancement to recruit students and secure gifts for the program. Accomplishments: gaining national recognition for the program, including a feature article in The Chronicle of Higher Education; developing a strategic plan for moving Medieval Studies forward; after 11 years as director, recruiting and training the next director, ensuring continuity in the program. 
• Chair, Department of History, 2009-2013. Responsibilities: managing the department budget; supervising probationary faculty and writing annual reports; scheduling classes; supervising majors; working with other department chairs on curricular and budgetary matters; collaborating with Advancement and Alumni relations to secure gifts to support the university and department; review of the history curriculum. Accomplishments: development of a new history curriculum; securing funds to help with departmental initiatives; hiring two new tenure track positions; successfully mentoring colleagues to tenure and promotion to full professor; working with other chairs and history colleagues on various projects. 
• Director, Medieval Minnesota Summer Camp, Augsburg College, 2007-2013. Responsibilities: developing the curriculum for the camp to attract high school students as a pipeline to Medieval Studies; managing the camps budget; recruiting faculty; scheduling activities; supervising students and camp counselors. Accomplishments: attracting students from around the U.S. and Canada to attend the camp; over the course of 7 years, 85 students attended the camp, 10 of those students eventually coming to Augsburg; sparking the imaginations of students to love the Middle Ages: one student who attended the camp eventually received his D. Phil. in medieval literature from Oxford University. Successfully applied for a $10,00 grant from the Minnesota Regional Arts Council. Produced a special appearance by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, speaking on medieval history, that raised $20,000 for the camp.  

Advancement/development experience   

• Faculty leader, Great Returns: Augsburg's Sesquicentennial Campaign, 2016-present Paul Mueller, M.D., Endowment Campaign Chair. Working in close partnership with Augsburg's President, Campaign Chair, members of the Board of Regents, and Advancement staff to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts at the highest levels. Helped design and lead a series of small group dinners called "Four Courses with Augsburg" resulting in significant early support for the campaign. Supported the work of the Advancement department by organizing small group faculty dinners in which faculty shared stories of student transformation and where they imagined philanthropic support could make the biggest difference, thus engaging faculty in campaign planning. These compelling stories led to the creation of The Augsburg Podcast where thousands of people have how downloaded episodes. 
• Faculty member, Board of Regents Campaign Calibration Task Force, 2016-2017 Wayne Jorgenson, Task Force Chair. Collaborated to determine the scope, priorities, internal preparedness, and feasibility of Augsburg's next significant fundraising effort. Served with Regents, major donors, and members of the President's leadership team in partnership with campaign counsel. Participated in a destination, weekend retreat with the Task Force. Recommended to the Board of Regents the initiation of a $150,000,000 campaign focused on endowment. 
• Historical consultant, Pluscarden South Range Appeal, 2016-2017 David Broadfoot, MBE, Campaign Chair. Designed, developed, and co-led a 1300-mile pilgrimage—à la “walk for the cure”—from Val-des-Choux Abbey in Burgundy France to Pluscarden Abbey in Elgin, Scotland, as part of a £10 million campaign to restore the 13th-century, Scottish monastery. The pilgrimage, which took place in summer 2017, raised significant funds and also increased awareness of the campaign, enabling the monastery to gain further donations and apply for grants through Scottish Heritage. Development included talks at major donor events, for example at Dundas Castle near Edinburgh. 
• Faculty leader, Capital campaign, Hagfors Center for Science Business & Religion, 2012-2015 Mike Good, Capital Campaign Chair. Faculty leader in a successful $50 million capital campaign for a new, 140,000-square-foot academic building. Worked with Advancement leadership and other faculty to develop messaging. Participated in large and small group campaign events. Engaged in stewardship activities following the campaign including donor visits and tours of the new building.  

Graphic design experience ​ 

• Owner and graphic designer, Daily Planet Graphics, Huntsville, TX, designing billboards, business cards, logos, menus, print advertisements, silk-screened posters and T-shirts, 1983-1984
• Lead graphic designer, The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX (daily newspaper with 6,000 circulation in a town of 45,000), designing covers for special guides (cooking, hunting, travel, etc), editorial cartoons, print ads and promotions, 1984-1985 

Performance experience ​ 

• Clown, Freelance performances in European theaters, cabarets, and festivals, including the 11th Festival Internazionale del Teatro in Piazza (Santarcangelo di Romagna), Festival d'Avignon (Avignon), Plastisches Theater (Cologne), 3rd International Festival of Mime Art – GAUKLER (Cologne), and Circo Nones (Randazzo), 1977-1983 
• Clown, Zirkus Roncalli, Germany, 1980 
• Clown, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, USA, 1977  

Professional associations and honor societies  

• Medieval Academy of America 
• American Historical Association 
• Phi Alpha Theta (History) 
• Phi Beta Kappa