"USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History"

Description

The San Diego State University Department of History seeks to fill the USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History, an open-rank and endowed position with expertise in modern U.S. military history. Candidates must demonstrate expertise in the period since 1900, with emphasis on 1940 onward. The History Department defines military history very broadly with a focus on American statecraft, the nation's place in the world, and the impact of US wars on peoples and societies at home and abroad. The Department has established strengths in social, cultural, public, and global history, and seeks candidates whose work complements and engages with one or more these areas of excellence. The faculty appointed to this position is expected to collaborate with the Department's public history program and the Center for Public and Oral History. The appointed faculty member will teach courses at all levels, from lower-division undergraduate lectures to graduate seminars, with a 2-2 teaching load in the History Department. The USS Midway Chair will also be expected to engage in committee service in the department. Consistent with SDSU's teacher-scholar faculty model, this position seeks candidates who demonstrate a commitment to excellence in both research and teaching. Successful applicants will be expected to pursue an active research agenda, including the pursuit of external funding and peer-reviewed publications, while also contributing to high-quality instruction, curriculum development, committee participation, and university service. To learn more, please visit the History Department website: https://history.sdsu.edu/.

Apply via PageUp by January 5, 2026.

The USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History is governed by a Memorandum of Understanding between the SDSU Department of History and the USS Midway Museum. As such, the faculty appointed to this position must:

1. have expertise in the field of U.S. military history since 1900, with substantial emphasis on the period from 1940 onward and the role of the American military as an instrument of State power around the world;
2. have authored a body of published scholarly works demonstrating that expertise, with such works having received positive reviews from peer scholars in modern military history;
3. have an active research program that promises future significant publications in peer-reviewed venues;
4. be committed to supporting and advancing the USS Midway Museum's mission, and contribute directly to that mission through involvement in the Midway Institute for Teachers and/or similar programs, by agreement with the Director of the Midway Institute and the Dean of the College;
5. serve as director of or otherwise assume leadership responsibilities in SDSU's Center for War and Society, and develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with colleagues in allied areas, including the Dwight Stanford Chair in American Foreign Relations, adjunct military history faculty, and faculty affiliated with the Center;
6. understand the distinctive experiences of veterans and their issues, and cooperate and develop relationships and programs with the SDSU Military and Veteran Program;
7. have a record of strong teaching performance, commitment to public service, and collaboration with external partners such as museums;
8. participate fully in the work of the History Department through committee service;
9. expect to teach in the History Department at all levels, as needed, from freshman introductory survey courses to graduate teaching; in this way the holder of the Chair can attract into the department students who are interested in military questions at all levels.

Qualifications

Required qualifications by date of application:

A PhD in the field of US Military History or a related field.

A record of original and scholarly research, publications, and accomplishments, and demonstrated capacity to a) develop a vigorous and independent program of research and scholarship in the field of modern US military history, b) teach graduate and undergraduate courses in the field of US military history, c) engage intellectually with the existing strengths of the department in social, cultural, public, and global history, and d) engage in department, campus, and professional service activities.

Demonstration of past accomplishments and/or future plans in at least two (2) or more of the