Research and Graduate Studies @ KU

Distinguished military historian named KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program director

Adrian R. Lewis, chair of the Department of History at the University of North Texas, has been named permanent director of the new KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program.  Lewis, a distinguished military historian, will begin his duties next summer, succeeding the interim director, David Lambertson.  He will also hold a half-time appointment as professor of history at KU.

The KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program was announced in September and is overseen by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.  Its purpose is to increase academic and research connections between KU and the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. 

“The quality of an officer's education influences the quality of that officer's decision making,” Lewis said.  “The KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program is a great opportunity for KU to make a difference in the lives of soldiers and have an impact on the security of our country."

Lewis joined the faculty at North Texas in 1995.  He was previously chair of the Department of Military Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and earlier taught for four years at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point.  He served in the U.S. Army from 1977 to 1994, retiring with the rank of major. His academic background includes a B.A. degree in political science from UC-Berkeley and an M.B.A. degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.  He later received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in European and military history from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago, respectively.

Lewis is the author of The American Culture of War: A History of American Military Force from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom (2007) and Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory (2001).  Books in progress include Understanding War: Explaining Victory and Defeat.