Stephen V. Bittner
Associate Professor of History
About Me
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About Me
I grew up in St. Joseph, Michigan, a small town on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan that is famous for its beaches, lake-effect blizzards, and century-old lighthouse. I received my B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1993, along with a lifelong devotion to (and frequent obsession with) UM's sports teams. After a brief stint as the director of a sailing school for children, I went to the University of Chicago to pursue a Ph.D. in Russian history. Before coming to SSU in 2002, I was a visiting professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and a fellow at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies in Washington, D.C. I have lived for lengthy periods of time in Chicago, Washington, Moscow, and even Columbus, Ohio, where I was never allowed to forget that I had been permanently corrupted by that university up north.
I live with my wife, Christel, and two children, Mia and Ethan (now 5 and 3), in Santa Rosa.