Bruce Pauley, CAS Supporter and Leading Scholar in Austrian History Wins Grinnell College Alumni Award

Former history professor and 1959 Grinnell College graduate Bruce Pauley has been honored by the Grinnell College Alumni Council for his studies of Nazism in Austria, totalitarianism and antisemitism.

He was selected for the award because he embodies Grinnell’s commitment to promoting global understanding and to preparing students to navigate the world’s complexities and to contribute responsibly to the common good. Pauley recently received the award at Alumni Assembly during Grinnell’s 140th Alumni Reunion Weekend.

A history major at Grinnell College, Pauley received a Fulbright grant to spend a year researching his dissertation in Austria. He returned to Austria more than 20 times in the subsequent years to lecture or present his research. Throughout his career, Pauley dealt with some of the most complicated and politically charged issues in Austria, where he focused on the disconnect between Austrian sentiments, narratives and the historical facts.

His research has played a substantial role in helping Austria come to terms with its past. Pauley received the Austrian government’s highest award for scholarship and art in 2010 from the Austrian ambassador to the United States. Pauley has been a history professor since 1964. He worked in four states before joining the University of Central Florida, where he worked for 35 years. His research on Nazism in Austria was initially highly controversial, but he persevered and has published numerous books, book chapters and journal reports.

An interview with Pauley appeared in the Austrian Studies Newsmagazine in the fall 2017 issue.