Wayne A. Huss, PhD is currently a Professor Emeritus for GMercyU's History program.
In December 2020, he retired as a full-time, tenured (since 1995) professor of history (since 1998), History Program coordinator (since 2000), chairperson (since 2000) of the Humanities Division, and co-director of the Honors Program (2013-2014) at Gwynedd Mercy University (formerly Gwynedd-Mercy College). Huss has also served on many university committees (standing, special, search) and task forces.
His education includes: a B.A. in history from Ursinus College (1971); an M.A. in European history since 1500 and American history to 1865 from Villanova University (1973); and a Ph.D. in American, English, and French History (17th to 19th centuries) from Temple University (1984). He also earned 33 graduate credits in early modern European history (1599-1789), modern European history (since 1789), and art history (Renaissance period) from the University of Virginia (1973-1975).
Huss’ specialization in graduate school was intellectual and social history, and accordingly, his master’s thesis is on "The Influence of the Thought of Fontenelle . . . upon the Intellectual Development of Voltaire," and his doctoral dissertation is titled, "Pennsylvania Freemasonry: An Intellectual and Social Analysis, 1727-1826.”
Huss has been at Gwynedd Mercy University since 1988 and received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in May 1993. His favorite courses are Civil War and Reconstruction, French Revolution and Napoleon, Early Modern Europe, Jefferson and Jackson, the History of Philadelphia, and American Experience I (a team-taught Honors course).
He has also taught at Villanova University, Montgomery County Community College, Temple University, Holy Family University, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia University, and Main Line School Association.
Huss has published articles about Pennsylvania Freemasonry, as well as a three-volume history of the organization, titled The Master Builders: A History of the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, 1731-1873 (1986); Vol. II, 1874-1986 (1988); Vol. III, Grand Master Biographies (1989). He also has compiled and edited Whitpain Township, A Tricentennial Reflection, 1701-2001 (2002). Huss’ current scholarly work involves the compiling, cataloging, transcribing, and editing of a large collection of unpublished Civil War letters of Major Griffith Jones, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, which has been supported in part by two SEPCHE faculty-student research grants (Summer 2008 & Summer 2009), as funded by the Barra Foundation, as well as a grant from the President’s (GMercyU) Excellence Fund (Summer 2014).
Huss served as guest curator for an exhibit at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia (April 2011-April 2012) titled, “Rally ‘Round the Flag: Civil War Color Bearers and the Flags They Carried” in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Another special honor is having been selected twice (August 1993 & July 2011) as a fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Wye Faculty Seminar in Queenstown, Md. He has also participated in numerous local, regional, and national conferences, colloquia, seminars, and workshops and has presented on his research and teaching interests to both academic and popular audiences.
