Established in 2006 by the St. Olaf Board of Regents, the Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professor is named in honor of Marie Malmin Meyer, professor emerita of English, 1899-2001. One of the first St. Olaf recipients of a faculty Fulbright award, Marie Meyer taught Shakespeare and world literature in the department of English from 1923 until her retirement in 1968. For over a quarter of a century she was a member and frequent chair of the faculty’s Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee. This chair recognizes Dr. Meyer’s distinguished record of teaching, leadership, scholarship, and service to the college. L. Henry Kermott, Professor Emeritus of Biology, was the first to hold this appointment, followed by Paul Zorn, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Anne Groton, Professor of Classics, and Karen Cherewatuk, Professor of English.
Current Chair: Steven Hahn
A member of the St. Olaf faculty since 2000, Professor Hahn’s scholarly and teaching interests are centered in the fields of colonial American, Native American, and Atlantic world history. He has also taught in the American Conversations and Enduring Questions programs.
Hahn’s first book, The Invention of the Creek Nation, 1670-1763 (University of Nebraska Press, 2004), recounts the internal and external political history of the Muskogee (Creek) Indians in the era prior to the French and Indian War. Other books include: The Life and Times of Mary Musgrove (University Press of Florida, 2012) and several book chapters on Creek Indian history. His current book project explores the pardon of 209 sailors in the context of a socio-economic theme; Young, Resolute & Wicked Fellows: The Pirates of Providence, 1700-1740.