History professor honored with Distinguished Alumnus Award
Morgantown, WV, June 5, 2007:Dr. Katherine Aaslestad, associate professor of history in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU, is the recipient of a Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College).
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented to those alumni who display exceptional achievement in their profession, career, the arts or civic activities.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a distinguished alumna from my undergraduate alma mater. My professors at MWC really pushed me to challenge myself beyond my academic ‘comfort zone.’ They nurtured in me a passion to study German history, and that passion is still alive. This award really reflects the excellence of the education I received at Mary Washington 25 years ago,” said Dr. Aaslestad.
Dr. Aaslestad earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Mary Washington in 1985, then a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in history at the University of Illinois. She joined the WVU faculty in 1997, and is the history department’s specialist on modern Germany. Both her teaching fields and research areas feature nineteenth century Europe and the centrality of warfare and nationalism in modern Germany.
Dr. Aaslestad’s book, Place and Politics: Local Identity, Civic Culture, and German Nationalism in North Germany during the Revolutionary Era, appeared in 2005, and she has published numerous articles and book chapters. She also co-edited two journal volumes that examine the significance of the Napoleonic Wars on nineteenth century German Central Europe.
During her 10-year stay at WVU, Dr. Aaslestad has accumulated a number of awards, including the Woodburn Professor Award, an award recognizing associate professors in mid-career who demonstrate outstanding achievement in research, teaching, and service, the John R. Williams Outstanding Teaching Award from the WVU Honors Program, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, and the WVU Foundation Teaching Award. She advises the WVU chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honorary society, and the WVU History Club.
W-V-U