Rate My Professor Gene Preuss

Dr. Gene Preuss serves as Associate Professor of History in the Department of Humanities, History, and Languages at the University of Houston-Downtown, a position he has held since 2004. A native of Central Texas, he earned his Ph.D. in History from Texas Tech University, following teaching positions at Texas Tech University, Texas Southern University, and the Lone Star Community College District. At UHD, Preuss has taken on significant administrative roles, including Special Assistant to the President from 2014 to 2016, Faculty Senate President, History Program Coordinator, and Graduate Director for the History Graduate Certificate. He directed the Achieving the Dream student success initiative from 2007 to 2011, co-chaired the High Impact Practices Committee from 2011 to 2013, and acted as co-investigator on a Title V grant. Additionally, he serves as faculty advisor for Phi Alpha Theta International History Honor Society, the Garna Christian Chapter of the Walter Prescott Webb Historical Society, the campus League of United Latin American Citizens, and the Student Government Association. Preuss is a member of the Houston Independent School District's Hispanic Advisory Committee and contributes to Honors Program courses such as HIST 1306 and HIST 1312.

Preuss specializes in Texas and Regional History, Education, Biography, and Public History. His research interests encompass Texas history, education reform, public policy, and social issues involving race, class, and disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Notable publications include his book 'To Get a Better School System: One Hundred Years of Education Reform in Texas' (Texas A&M University Press, 2009), the chapter 'Public Schools Come of Age' in 'Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History' (2008), 'The "Father" of Texas Education: A.M. Aikin and the Modernization of Texas Public Schools' in East Texas Historical Journal (2009), 'Oral History, Folklore, and Katrina' (2013), and 'When Was the Republic of Texas No More?: Revisiting the Annexation of Texas' in Southwestern Historical Quarterly (2019). He contributed to 'The Texas Experiment: Politics, Power, and Social Transformation' (2025). In 2020, Preuss co-created and co-hosts the podcast 'Talking Texas History' with Dr. Scott Sosebee, producing episodes on Texas history topics including archives, historical sites, incarceration, criminal justice, and transformative events. His influence extends through leadership in historical organizations: Fellow of the East Texas Historical Association (2021), former President of the East Texas Historical Association and H-NET Council, board member of the West Texas Historical Association, and current President of the Texas State Historical Association (2025-2026), where he also chairs the Executive Committee and serves on the Touchstone Editorial Advisory Board and Development Committee. Preuss has appeared in media discussing racial history, Juneteenth, and Texas education, and led panels such as World AIDS Day discussions.