Austin Peay graduate awarded Fulbright to explore Lithuanian archives
By: Brian Dunn March 6, 2026
While a student at Austin Peay State University, Nicholas Herrud learned a critical lesson from his advisor, Dr. John W. Steinberg.
“He advised me early in my undergraduate career that the key to graduate school was to demonstrate that I could read and conduct research in other languages and preferably more than one,” Herrud said.
For Herrud – a first-generation college student who started at Columbia State Community College before transferring to APSU – that advice influenced his academic trajectory, culminating in one of the most prestigious honors a student can achieve. Now a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Notre Dame, Herrud, who earned his Bachelor of Arts in 2020 and Master of Arts in 2023 from Austin Peay, has been selected for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The award has taken him to Vilnius, Lithuania, for a nine-month study and research endeavor at the Lithuanian Institute of History.
Herrud is examining the fraught period in Eastern Europe between the World Wars (1921-1939), focusing on how the Polish and Soviet models of multiculturalism clashed in borderland regions like Lithuania.
A Commitment to Understanding History
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange initiative, seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries. For Herrud, the award validates years of preparation that began at Austin Peay.
“When I found out in May 2025, I was in the midst of my candidacy exams at Notre Dame, so I was very tired and stressed, but relieved when I received the award letter,” Herrud said.
His journey is a testament to high-impact practices and dedicated mentorship. Steinberg, Herrud’s undergraduate and master’s advisor at APSU – and a 1994 Fulbright Scholar – remembers a determined student.
“When he started, his writing skills needed much work, but early on he exhibited a level of critical thinking skills that I thought then (and still do) would serve him well in the future,” Steinberg said.
Herrud rose to every challenge. He studied German at APSU and spent a semester in Austria to improve his language skills. Then he contacted Austin Peay students in a study abroad program in Krakow, Poland, sparking a new passion for learning Polish.
“After telling me this, I made sure he made the proper connections to have a letter of recommendation from the Polish side,” Steinberg said. “That gave him the credentials to earn a fellowship from the Kosciuszko Foundation, which financed his year in Poland.”
Herrud has developed advanced proficiency in Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian for his archival research and is learning Lithuanian.
Exploring the Past to Understand the Present
Herrud’s research, “Contesting Borders, Contrasting Multinationalism: Polish and Soviet Borderlands, 1921-1939,” explores the ideological rivalry between Warsaw and Moscow, using Vilnius, a fiercely contested city, as a focal point.
“The history drew me in because the period between the World Wars was a time of great border change, nation-state building, and uncertainty,” Herrud said. “The border between the Soviet Union and Poland at that time generated different ideas about border security, the mobility of mixed populations, citizenship, and multicultural societies.”
Herrud’s work has taken on renewed significance due to current global events.
“It’s ironic – when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, I was already studying this topic,” Herrud said. “It just solidified for me that we would need historians who could provide context for the current crisis. Everything happening in Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe has ties to the period I am researching.”
By spending nine months in Vilnius, Herrud is gaining access to crucial repositories, including the Lithuanian State Historical Archives and the Vilnius Regional State Archive. He’s also taking Lithuanian and Russian classes to immerse himself in the city’s identity.
“While I think all of Nick’s accomplishments are Nick’s, we in the history department do the very best we can for any and all students who come to APSU,” Steinberg said. “It is a special delight to work with someone as hardworking and determined as Nick. My colleagues in the history department always stand ready to do the very best we can for APSU students.”
Beyond the Archives
Herrud’s Fulbright experience isn’t confined to the archives. He’s engaging with the local community, taking Lithuanian cooking classes, and exploring the city’s culture.
In addition, he has been invited by the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius to lecture local Lithuanian high school students on U.S. history and culture, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, and received a nomination from the embassy to attend the 2026 EU-US Young Leaders Seminar in Brussels to debate policy.
“I also look forward to enjoying the many museums, cafes, and points of interest in Lithuania’s capital,” Herrud said.
As he explores the Polish and Soviet borderlands’ history, Herrud’s journey highlights how a foundation built at Austin Peay can have a global impact.
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Austin Peay alumnus Nicholas Herrud has been awarded a Fulbright to conduct archival research in Vilnius, Lithuania. Now a doctoral candidate at Notre Dame, Herrud is exploring the history of the Polish and Soviet borderlands between the World Wars. Read his story.
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