Eric S. Reed

         Eric Reed fell in love with French history at the University of Pennsylvania. As an international relations major and French language minor, he studied abroad in France during his junior year. It was during this trip that his fascination with the culture and history of France began. He eventually decided to pursue a more intensive study of French history.

         Reed ultimately chose Syracuse University for his graduate studies because of the substantial amount of funding he was offered to attend the school. Working with Professor Miller as his advisor, Reed began his studies in Modern European history in 1994. Professor Miller pushed Reed to improve his skills and immerse himself in the subject—and eventually establish a pointed topic for his dissertation. Reed says Professor Miller’s “criticisms and suggestions helped me write a solid dissertation, which is one of the major reasons, in my view, that I was able to get a real job in academia after I graduated!”

         Reed’s dissertation titled, “The Tour de France: A Cultural and Commercial History” (completed December 2001) involved spending a year in France, uncovering the history and culture of the famed bicycle race. He won a prestigious Chateaubriand Fellowship from the French government to fund his year abroad. Reed received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from Syracuse University in 2001.

         When Reed graduated in 2001 he took a job as a visiting assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine. He is currently a tenure-track assistant professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Greene, KY.