Service to Thiel Award
DR. JAMES BLOOMFIELD Dr. James Bloomfield began his tenure at Thiel College in 1965 as an instructor of history. After more than 40 years of service as assistant, associate and professor of history, he retired and was named Professor Emeritus of History in 2006. Outside of the classroom, he was very active on campus serving as department chair and on faculty council several times. He also served on various faculty committees, or, as Jim puts it “nearly every faculty committee at one time or another.” Since his retirement, he has remained a dedicated member of the campus family by teaching as an adjunct in the Department of History. Well respected by his students and colleagues, Jim is a professor who taught in the classical tradition with polished, articulate lectures. While he presented rigorous course loads in topics such as 19th Century Europe and the Middle Ages, his students found him challenging and inspiring. In 2005, Jim received the Distinguished Teaching Award at Thiel’s annual Founders’ Day celebration. One of the founding members of the College’s western humanities program, Jim is especially interested in interdisciplinary courses with major interests in modern European history and minor concentration on the history of warfare, especially that of the United States. An art connoisseur world-traveler, Jim has visited over 14 different countries and most of North America. He holds professional memberships in the American Historical Association, American Association of University Professors and the Modern History Association. Before joining the faculty at Thiel, Jim held instructor positions at Muhlenberg College and Temple University. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Muhlenberg College, his master’s at Lehigh University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. A member of First United Methodist Church, he and his wife, Janet, have one daughter, Elizabeth, and three granddaughters.