This year, Lake State’s English and Communication Department welcomes Dr. Susanne Thomas.  Dr. Thomas, a specialist in medieval literature and language, comes to LSSU from her previous position in the English Department at the University of Puerto Rico.

North country winters, while a far cry from the balmy Caribbean, are nothing new to Dr. Thomas, herself a native of Manitoba.  In fact, she says, “It’s kind of like going home for me, and I feel very comfortable with the people here.”

Dr. Thomas began her collegiate career as many students do.  She knew she wanted to do something in the liberal arts, but she wasn’t quite certain what.  As an undergraduate at the University of Manitoba, she entered the English Honors program, which she considers to be one of the best in Canada, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree

From there, in an attempt to answer the age old question, “What, exactly, does one do with an English degree?” Dr. Thomas entered law school.  After one year, she decided that it was definitely not for her and returned to the English department.  On a teaching fellowship at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Thomas earned her Master of Arts degree in English.

Dr. Thomas then spent time abroad, teaching at Fukushima University in Japan, with the ultimate goal of coming to the States for her Ph.D.  It was the United States, with its educational tradition of liberal arts colleges, that offered Dr. Thomas the kind of dynamic teaching and research opportunities she wanted.  “The U.S.,” she says, “is on the leading edge of innovation in cultural studies.”

Dr. Thomas’ first Stateside teaching fellowship was at Louisiana State University, and she was very impressed with her experience there.  While teaching in the deep south, Dr. Thomas published papers on English language pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching), folklore, and Chaucer.  It was during her fellowship at Louisiana State that Dr. Thomas earned her Ph.D.

After teaching in Puerto Rico, Dr. Thomas wanted to come to Lake State.  She finds the cultural commonality between the Upper Peninsula and Manitoba attractive, the campus beautiful, her students fun, and her colleagues in the English Department gracious and helpful.  Dr. Thomas is also looking forward to the future.  She speaks enthusiastically about creating new courses for the English program, shaping and teaching the ‘History of the English Language’ course, and even making a place for the study of literature in film here at Lake State.  An ardent folklorist, Dr. Thomas also seeks to work with the Humanities Department on creating a course around the study of myths, legends, and folk tales.

Given her vast and varied educational history, Dr. Thomas’ advice regarding success, both in college and in life, is simple, direct, and timeless.  “Do what you want to do, not what people tell you you should do.  If you love what you’re doing, you’ll find a way to make it work.”

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