Kennesaw State Professor of history Dr. Albert Churella is a published author, accredited researcher and educator who encourages students to analyze the bigger picture.
Churella inspires students to think critically by analyzing with rational thought the vast amount of “often unfiltered” information available on the internet.
Churella said frequent reading and writing sharpens comprehension and self-expression skills. He also said he believes students benefit when choosing to be receptive to other viewpoints and analyzing the full picture of every situation.
“The point of a college education is to shatter your worldview and then put those pieces back together again,” Churella said. “You wind up with — maybe — the same worldview but it’s probably going to be very different.”
To date, Churella has taught a wide array of courses at KSU including early and modern U.S. history surveys, business and economic history as well as African-American history to name a few. When he is not in the classroom, Churella said he can be found conducting research on transportation history, specifically how railroad policy has impacted the American way of life through time.
Churella noted that this research is historical as much as it is economical and political. His findings have encouraged him to publish two books, including one of the nation’s first historical accounts of the Pennsylvania Railroad when in its prime at the turn of the 20th century.
“Mobility is essential to our society,” Churella said. “The story of the development of human society for the past thousands of years is how we’ve increased our mobility.”
He explained that people are able to better appreciate the value of history in their lives when it is presented in a way easy to comprehend. It is this connection of priceless information to the everyday student that he finds most rewarding. Churella said he enjoys the daily experience of seeing students understand history.
“It’s important for anyone in academia to write for an academic audience but also a general audience,” Churella said. “If we’re not talking to the people out there in the world then what’s the point?”
Churella said he did not always imagine himself as a professor of history. He obtained his bachelor’s in economics from Haverford College before discovering a passion to teach history.
“History’s all about the irrational. History’s all about the unpredictability of human nature,” Churella said.
He admits that as a college undergrad he thought often of majoring in a history-related study.
Churella earned his master’s in history education and a doctorate in 1994, both from Ohio State University. Soon after graduating, Churella accepted a job opening at the former Southern Polytechnic State University, which is now KSU’s Marietta campus.
Churella continues to teach at KSU and is currently working on the second and final volume of the complete history of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
