Alumni Spotlight: Susan Grunewald '07

Meet Susan C. I. Grunewald '07, a St. Luke’s Alum, vibrant historian, tenure-track professor, and recently published author!

As a scholar and professor, Susan specializes in Soviet and German history, the Second World War, and the early Cold War. She is also an expert in digital humanities, especially geographic information system (GIS) mapping and her expertise shines through in her work, "From Incarceration to Repatriation", published by Cornell University Press. Her book is the first to draw together the distinct fields of Soviet and German history, offering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of German prisoner-of-war captivity in the USSR during and after the Second World War. It has already received a First Book subvention from the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies–the first of many awards, we’re sure!

Susan's journey to academic success is a testament to her passion and dedication. Arriving at St. Luke’s during her sophomore year, she wasted no time in pursuing her interests, immersing herself in classes like Mr. Haynes’s AP US History, Mr. McClure’s AP European History, and even Mr. Shee’s AP French, all while honing her Russian language skills. Susan attributes St. Luke’s rigorous academics as foundational to her continued studies at Lafayette College, where she majored in Russian and minored in German.

Upon graduation from Lafayette, Susan received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Scholarship and lived in Vladimir Lenin’s hometown in provincial Russia while teaching English and deepening her understanding of the Russian language and culture. Her academic journey next led to a Ph.D. in History from Carnegie Mellon University, where there was a well-established program with connections to Russian State University for the Humanities. It was while writing her dissertation that Susan formed the basis for From Incarceration to Repatriation, which she ultimately finished during her three years of post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

Throughout her academic journey, Susan has never lost sight of her passions outside of academia. From her love of martial arts and dogs to restoring vintage cars, Susan embodies a dynamic balance of scholarly rigor and personal fulfillment.

Now a respected professor at Louisiana State University since 2022, Susan continues to inspire both undergraduate and graduate students with her passion for history and dedication to academic excellence. The future holds endless possibilities for this remarkable scholar and Alum!