San Diego State University - USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History

San Diego State University - USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History

San Diego State University Department of History seeks to fill the USS Midway Chair in Modern US Military History, an open‑rank, endowed position requiring expertise in modern U.S. military history. Candidates must demonstrate expertise in the period since 1900, with emphasis on 1940 onward. The Department defines military history very broadly with a focus on American statecraft, the nation's place in the world, and the impact of U.S. wars on people and societies at home and abroad.

The Department has strengths in social, cultural, public, and global history, and seeks candidates whose work complements and engages with one or more of these areas of excellence.

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 Faculty member will also engage in committee service within the department and collaborate with the Department’s public history program and the Center for Public and Oral History. The USS Midway Chair seeks candidates who demonstrate a commitment to excellence in both research and teaching.

Successful applicants will 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 Department website: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

Apply via Page Up by January 5 2026.

• Have expertise in 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 worldwide.
• Have authored scholarly works demonstrating that expertise, with such works receiving positive reviews from peer scholars in modern military history.
• Maintain an active research program with a promise of future significant publications in peer‑reviewed venues.
• Support and advance the USS Midway Museum’s mission, contributing 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.
• 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.
• Understand the distinctive experiences of veterans and their issues, and cooperate with the SDSU Military and Veteran Program to develop relationships and programs.
• Have a record of strong teaching performance, commitment to public service, and collaboration with external partners such as museums.
• Participate fully in the work of the History Department through committee service.
• Teach in the History Department at all levels, from freshman introductory survey courses to graduate teaching, attracting students interested in military questions at all levels.

• Ph.D. in U.S. Military History or a related field.
• Record of original and scholarly research, publications, and accomplishments; demonstrated capacity to develop a vigorous and independent program of research and scholarship in modern U.S. military history, teach graduate and undergraduate courses, engage with existing departmental strengths, and participate in service activities.
• Demonstrated expertise in the discipline and its methodologies.
• Demonstrated proficiency in interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches.
• Ability to raise funds, write grants, establish donor relations, and/or secure extramural funding.
• Ability to collaborate with outside partners such as veterans’ organizations, local public history sites, and museums.
• Commitment to veterans’ well‑being and community engagement.
• Prepared to teach students from diverse backgrounds at both graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Ability to direct advanced undergraduate student…