2002 Rydell ProfessorshipFeaturing Lawrence Levine 

Lawrence Levine is an American historian. He is noted for promoting multiculturalism and the perspectives of ordinary people in the study of history. He taught at University of California at Berkeley and George Mason University, he received a Macarthur Fellow, was president of the Organization of American historians, and recipient of the American Historical Association's Award for Scholarly Distinction.

At Berkeley he earned a reputation as one of the leading figures in American history and a pioneer in the field of cultural history. His notable publications include Black Culture and Black Consciousness, Highbrow/Lowbrow, The Unpredictable Past, The Opening of the American Mind and The People and the President.

Levine retired from Berkeley in 1994 as Margaret Byrne Professor of History. In that same year he began teaching as professor of history and cultural studies at George Mason University. 

During his residency, Levine gave two presentations. The first presentation was "FDR, the Fireside Chats, and the American People." He also held a book discussion on "The Openings of the Open Mind." 

The Rydell Professorship at Gustavus is a scholar-in-residence program designed to bring Nobel laureates, Nobel Conference lecturers, and similarly distinguished scholars to campus as catalyst for enhancing learning and teaching. It was established in 1995 by Drs. Robert E. and Susan T. Rydell of Minnetonka, Minnesota, to give students the opportunity to learn from and interact with leading scholars.