A UW-Madison historian, who spoke Wednesday night about his recent book Henry Kissinger and the American Century"" at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, was named a young innovator in a special edition of Smithsonian magazine earlier this month.
Smithsonian magazine recognized Jeremi Suri as one of the top ""37 Under 36"" young American innovators in its October edition, along with other artists, scientists, scholars and humanitarians.
""We wanted to identify individuals who were making significant, original contributions across the broad range of our culture - in science and technology, the arts and the environment,"" Senior Editor Kathleen Burke and Associate Editor Beth Py-Lieberman said in an e-mail.
""Jeremi Suri came to our attention after we canvassed several senior historians and sifted through relevant materials from professional associations,"" they added.
With an academic resume including a B.A. from Stanford University, an
M.A. from Ohio University and a Ph.D. from Yale University, Suri said his passion for history dates back to teachers and professors from early in his educational career.
""They encouraged my love of the subject. They inspired me to think of it as a professional calling,"" Suri said.
Now a history professor in his seventh academic year at UW-Madison, Suri teaches courses on international history, foreign relations, social movements and politics.
Along with his latest book about Kissinger, he also published ""Power and Protest"" in 2003.
In addition to many public lectures, Suri serves on several university committees.
Suri said his courses are supplemented by his own experiences, having spent extensive time abroad studying and becoming fluent in Russian, French and German.
He is leading a web-based course this semester, ""The United States and the World: The History of American Foreign Relations since 1941
