Glenn Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies, is retiring on January 1, 2024.
In 1976, Altschuler graduated from Cornell University with a PhD in American History.
Since then, he has been a teacher and administrator at the University. From 1991-2020, Altschuler served as the Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions. In fact, he taught over a hundred courses in Cornell’s Adult University with both domestic and international focuses. Topics included theater, elections, politics, gospel music, Hollywood, Disney, gambling, and more.
While serving as both a professor and dean, he also took on the role of Vice President of University Relations from 2009-2013. In this role, he was in charge of communicating and governing relations with presidents, provosts, and chairs of the board of trustees.
Despite taking part in multiple activities and programs on campus, his true passion resided in American Studies. In fact, he and the late Professor of English, Joel Porte, worked diligently to ensure that the AMST major was brought to the forefront of Cornell’s brand.
An integral part of the success of the AMST program’s trajectory was Altschuler’s two semester course Popular Culture in the United States, which he describes as a “history course in disguise.”
“Understanding American values, American society, [and] American culture by looking at best sellers, radios, movies, television, the evolution of popular music, rock & roll; all of that as a window to understand what is instinctive of American culture and American value and to a certain extent, American politics,” he says.
By virtue of his efforts in increasing visibility on the degree program, he was endowed as the inaugural chair of the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professorship in 1998.
He complimented his teachings with research, which ranged in topics and time periods. It is because of his broad focus that he was able to co author 12 different books that featured topics such as the history of Cornell, the G.I. Bill, and rock ‘n roll.
“That’s part of the fun of being a professor: you can write something and become curious about something else that’s quite different and then write about that,” he points out.
Having recently published his book The Rise and Fall of Protestant Brooklyn in Sept. 2022, Altschuler is also a regulator contributor to The Hill, a D.C. based newspaper and media company that focuses on policy, politics, business, and international relations.
He says that this off campus activity allows him to extend his interests in American politics beyond the academic institution.
However, despite his contributions outside of academia, he wholeheartedly believes that throughout his 40+ years teaching, he is most proud of the relationships he’s forged with his students.
“I’m most proud of the relationships that I’ve established first and foremost with undergraduate advisees and I like to think that I’ve had some impact on those students. With some I’ve become very, very close and I have remained in contact with many of those advisees,” he shares.
“There wasn’t a day where I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing,” Altschuler concludes.
As Altschuler’s career comes to an end, he will co-share the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professorship as emeritus chair with newly endowed chair Shirley Samuels.
